venetoclax

What is the most important information I should know about venetoclax?

What is venetoclax?

Venetoclax is used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic leukemia in adults.

Venetoclax is also used in combination with other medicines to treat acute myeloid leukemia in adults who are 75 years or older, or who cannot use standard chemotherapy due to other medical conditions.

Venetoclax may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking venetoclax?

Some drugs should not be used with venetoclax. Your treatment plan may change if you also use:

• an antibiotic or antifungal medicine;
• heart medication; or
• antiviral medicine to treat hepatitis C or HIV.

Do not start or stop using any medicine without asking your doctor.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• liver or kidney disease;
• an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of potassium or calcium in your blood);
• gout, or high levels of uric acid in your blood; or
• if you use a blood thinner (such as warfarin) and you have routine "INR" or prothrombin time tests.

It may be harder for a man to get a woman pregnant while you using this medicine.

How should I take venetoclax?

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.

You may receive your first dose in a hospital or clinic setting to quickly treat any serious side effects.

If you vomit shortly after taking venetoclax, do not take another tablet. Take your next dose as scheduled the next day.

You may need frequent medical tests and your cancer treatments may be delayed based on the results.

Do not stop using venetoclax without first asking your doctor.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Use the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if you are more than 8 hours late for the dose. Do not use two doses at one time.

What happens if I overdose?

What should I avoid while taking venetoclax?

Avoid receiving a "live" vaccine. The vaccine may not work as well while you are using venetoclax. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), rotavirus, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), and zoster (shingles).

Grapefruit, starfruit, and Seville oranges may interact with venetoclax and lead to unwanted side effects. Avoid consuming grapefruit products, starfruit, and orange marmalades.

What are the possible side effects of venetoclax?

• symptoms of sepsis --confusion, severe drowsiness, rapid breathing, feeling very ill;
• signs of pneumonia --cough with yellow or green mucus, stabbing chest pain, wheezing, trouble breathing;
• low blood cell counts --fever, mouth sores, skin sores, easy bruising, unusual bleeding, pale skin, cold hands and feet, feeling light-headed; or
• signs of tumor cell breakdown --chills, joint or muscle pain, feeling tired or short of breath, fast or slow heartbeats, nausea, vomiting, dark or cloudy urine, or seizure (convulsions).

Your cancer treatments may be delayed or permanently discontinued if you have certain side effects.

Common side effects may include:

• stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation;
• feeling tired or short of breath;
• low blood pressure, feeling dizzy or lightheaded;
• muscle and joint pain;
• swelling in your arms, legs, hands, and feet;
• fever, low blood cell counts;
• pneumonia, sepsis;
• mouth pain;
• rash; or
• cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect venetoclax?

Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you take, which may increase side effects or make the medications less effective.

Many drugs can affect venetoclax. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about venetoclax.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2023 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 8.01. Revision date: 6/4/2021.