Venclexta 100mg Tablets

What is Venclexta?Venclexta contains the prescription medicine venetoclax, classed as a B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) inhibitor.Venetoclax can be used alone or in combination with rituximab for the treatment of adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), or in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or cytarabine for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are 75 years of age or older, or have other medical conditions that do not allow the use of other chemotherapy.Your first dose of venetoclax may be given to you in a hospital or clinic setting just in case you have serious side effects that need treating. The tablets should be taken whole with food and water at the same time each day, and not crushed or chewed. You will need to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily for 2 days before you start taking Venclexta, on the first day you take them and when your dose is changed, to stop certain side effects. Your blood will be tested on a regular basis as venetoclax can reduce your blood cell count.Venclexta active ingredientsVenetoclax specifically blocks the action of BCL-2, a naturally occurring protein in the body. In conditions such as CLL and AML excess amounts of BCL-2 have been seen to be produced. BCL-2 helps tumor cells to resist being destroyed by chemotherapy.By attaching to BCL-2, venetoclax allows the natural cycle of cell death to resume, by allowing certain enzymes to carry out their normal function of destroying cells. Venetoclax has been shown in studies to be toxic to tumor cells that have high BCL-2 levels.Venclexta side effectsThe most common side effects caused by Venclexta include:    Nausea, Diarrhea    Tiredness    Easily bruised    Unusual bleeding    Sore throat, stuffy nose, sneezingIn rare instances, Venclexta can cause more serious side effects. These can include:    Symptoms of pneumonia – sharp chest pain, difficulty breathing, yellow/green mucus cough    Anemia (low blood cells) – pale or yellow skin, flu-like symptoms, fever, skin and mouth sores, confusion, feeling weak    Symptoms of breakdown of tumor cells – muscle or joint pain, tiredness, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, seizures, dark or cloudy urineYour doctor will assess the benefits of using Venclexta against your risk of side effects.Venclexta drug interactionsVenclexta can interact with other medications. These include:    Treatment for an irregular heartbeat – amiodarone, dronedarone    Antiviral medication for the treatment of HIV/AIDS – atazanavir, darunavir, indinavir, ritonavir    Vaccines – bcg, influenza, measles, mumps, polio, rubella, smallpox, typhoid, varicella, yellow fever, zoster live    Treatment for hypertension – captopril    Anticonvulsants for seizures – carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin    Antibiotics – ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, rifampin    Steroid treatment – dexamethasone    Treatment for autoimmune diseases – etanercept    Antifungal treatments – fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole    Immunosuppressants – fingolimod, ozanimod, siponimod    DMARDs (disease-modifying anti- rheumatic drugs) leflunomide, teriflunomide    Medication for the treatment of angina or high blood pressure – nifedipine, felodipineThis list is not exhaustive and other drugs may interact with Venclexta.Venclexta warning and precautionsYou should not use Venclexta if you:    Are allergic to the active ingredient venetoclax    Are allergic to any of the other ingredients in Venclexta    Are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant    Are breastfeeding or are planning to breastfeed     Talk to your doctor before using Venclexta if you:    Are taking any of the medications that could interact with Venclexta    Have liver disease    Have kidney disease    Have hypokalemia (low potassium levels)    Have hypocalcemia (low calcium levels)    Have gout or high levels of uric acid in your blood    Are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin