Dasatinib is used as a first-line treatment for a specific strain of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML; a form of white blood cell cancer) in individuals who have outgrown the benefits of other leukaemia drugs like imatinib (Gleevec) or who are unable to take these drugs due to negative effects. Children aged one year or older who have a specific kind of chronic CML may also be treated with dasatinib. Adults with a particular form of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL; a type of cancer of the white blood cells) who are no longer responding to other leukaemia drugs or who are unable to take these medications due to adverse effects can also be treated with dasatinib. A specific kind of ALL in children aged one year or older is also treated with it in conjunction with chemotherapeutic drugs. Kinase inhibitors are a group of drugs that includes dasatinib. It operates by obstructing the function of an aberrant protein that instructs cancer cells to proliferate. The spread of cancer cells is halted as a result.

Dasatinib is available as an oral tablet. It is typically taken once daily, with or without meals, in the morning or the evening. Take dasatinib every day around the same time. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Just as prescribed, take dasatinib. Never take it in larger or less amounts or more frequently than directed by your doctor.

Do not chew, break, or crush the tablets; instead, swallow them whole. Ask your doctor how to take dasatinib tablets if you are unable to swallow the pills whole or if you are giving this medication to a child. When handling tablets that have been accidentally crushed or broken, put on latex or nitrile gloves to avoid coming into contact with the medication.

Depending on how you respond to treatment and any adverse effects you experience, your doctor may change your dasatinib dose or temporarily or permanently cease your treatment. Discuss your feelings regarding your treatment with your doctor. Even if you feel well, keep taking dasatinib. Without first consulting your physician, do not discontinue taking dasatinib.

For a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient, ask your chemist or doctor.

Ask your doctor or chemist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before taking dasatinib,

• If you have any allergies, including to dasatinib, other drugs, or any of the substances in dasatinib tablets, notify your doctor right away. Get a list of the components from your pharmacist.
• Inform your doctor and chemist about any other prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and dietary supplements you are now taking or intend to take. Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects.
• Take them two hours before or two hours after taking dasatinib if you’re taking antacids like aluminium hydroxide/magnesium hydroxide (Maalox), calcium carbonate (Tums), or calcium carbonate plus magnesium (Rolaids).
• Dasatinib may interact with the following over-the-counter medicines or herbal supplements: omeprazole (Prilosec OTC, Zegerid OTC), cimetidine (Tagamet HB), nizatidine (Axid AR), famotidine (Pepcid AC), esomeprazole (Nexium 24HR), lansoprazole (Prevacid 24HR), ranitidine, or St. John’s wort. When beginning to use dasatinib, be sure to inform your doctor and chemist that you are taking these medications. While taking dasatinib, avoid starting any of these medications without first consulting your doctor.
• If anyone in your family currently has or has ever had a prolonged QT interval, let your doctor know (a rare heart condition that may cause irregular heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, or sudden death). Tell your doctor if you have or have had had liver, lung, or heart disease, low potassium or magnesium levels in your blood, issues with your immune system, or lactose intolerance (inability to digest dairy products).
• Inform your doctor if you intend to father a child, are already pregnant, or think you could become pregnant. While using dasatinib and for 30 days following your last dose, you shouldn’t get pregnant. If you are a male, you should take reliable birth control during your pemetrexed injection and for 30 days following your last dosage, along with your female partner. Discuss effective birth control options with your doctor. Call your doctor if you or your partner becomes pregnant while taking dasatinib. Dasatinib pills should not be handled by pregnant women who are crushed or broken. The foetus could be harmed by dasatinib.
• If you are currently breastfeeding or intend to do so, let your doctor know. While using dasatinib and for two weeks following your last dosage, you shouldn’t breastfeed.
• You should be aware that this medicine may lower both male and female fertility. The dangers of taking dasatinib should be discussed with your doctor.
• Inform your doctor or dentist that you are taking dasatinib if you are having surgery, including dental surgery.

While using this medication, avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

Ignore the missed dose and carry on with my normal dosing routine. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second one.

Dasatinib could have negative effects. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Joint, bone, or muscle pain
• Weakness
• Headache
• Tingling, burning, or discomfort in the hands or feet
• Rash
• Oral sores
• Diarrhoea
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Stomach discomfort or bloating
• Reduced appetite
• Slim down

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment:

• Fever, chills, sore throat, and/or other symptoms of infection
• Eyes, hands, arms, feet, ankles, or lower legs swelling
• Unexpected weight gain
• Breathing problems, especially when resting down
• Breathing difficulty
• Coughing up crimson or pink mucus
• Wet cough
• Chest pressure or pain
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Fever, chills, sore throat, and/or other symptoms of infection
• Eyes, hands, arms, feet, ankles, or lower legs swelling
• Unexpected weight gain
• Breathing problems, especially when resting down
• Breathing difficulty
• Coughing up crimson or pink mucus
• Wet cough
• Chest pressure or pain
• An arm or leg that is weak or numb
• Fever, painful throat, blistering or scaly skin, or mouth or throat pain
• Dark urine, loss of appetite, exhaustion, or soreness or discomfort in the right upper stomach region are all signs of yellowing of the skin or eyes
• Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, breathlessness, seizures, erratic heartbeat, or cramping of the muscles

Children taking dasatinib may experience decreased growth or bone pain. When taking dasatinib, your child’s doctor will closely monitor your child’s growth. The dangers of administering this drug to your child should be discussed with your doctor.

Further negative effects of dasatinib are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right away.

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Keep it away from excessive heat and moisture at room temperature (not in the bathroom).

Although many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medications website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Overdose signs could include the following:

• Significant bruising or bleeding
• Fever, chills, sore throat, and/or other symptoms of infection
• Breathing difficulty
• Rapid heart rate
• Headache
• Light skin
• Confusion
• Tiredness

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. Before and during your treatment, your doctor will order specific lab tests to monitor your body’s reaction to dasatinib.

No one else should take your medication. Any queries you may have regarding prescription refills should be directed to your chemist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.