Cytarabine

The recommended cytarabine dose should be administered by infusion into a vein (through a drip) or by injection into a vein or by subcutaneous injection under the direction of your healthcare practitioner.
Your healthcare provider will determine what dose of cytarabine injection to administer and the number of days’ cytarabine treatment you will receive on behalf of your condition.

Most common adverse reactions include back pain, headache, confusion, arachnoiditis, weakness, abnormal gait, convulsions, pyrexia, constipation, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.

• Patients taking cytarabine treatment must be monitored closely.
• The cytarabine uses are contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to it.
• Women of childbearing potential with cytarabine injection are advised to avoid becoming pregnant.
• Use the medication with caution and possibly at decreased dose in patients with poor liver/kidney function.
• Periodic evaluations of bone marrow, liver/kidney functions need to be performed in patients with cytarabine 100 mg/500mg/1000mg injection.
• Patients should stop breast-feeding prior to starting cytarabine therapy because it may be harmful to infants being breast-fed.
• In patients with the reduced bone marrow, therapy with cytosine injection, must be started under precise medical supervision.

Care should be exercised in the handling of CYTOSAR. CYTOSAR Injections should not be opened or broken. Store at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F). Protected from the light.

• Avoid administering Fluorocytosine with Cytarabine as the therapeutic efficacy of 5-Fluorocytosine has been demonstrated to be abolished while on such therapy.
• Reversible reductions in steady-state plasma digoxin concentrations and renal glycoside excretion were noted in patients with beta-acetyldigoxin and chemo regimens containing cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone either with or without Cytarabine or procarbazine. The steady-state plasma digitoxin concentrations did not appear to change. Thus, monitoring of plasma digoxin levels may be indicated in patients taking similar combination chemo regimens. The utilisation of digitoxin for such patients can be considered as an alternative.
• An in-vitro interaction study between Cytarabine and gentamicin showed a Cytarabine related antagonism for the susceptibility of K. pneumoniae strains. In patients on Cytarabine and being treated with gentamicin for a K.pneumoniae infection, a lack of a prompt therapeutic response may indicate the need for re-evaluation of antibacterial therapy.