Oprelvekin - Information For Patients/'non-specialized' People

Information For Patients/'non-specialized' People

This section provides information for patients treated with Neumega or those people 'non-specialized' but interested in medicine/pharmacology:

You have been diagnosed having a cancer disease. This cancer is in your case treated with chemotherapy. The chemotherapy has caused or can cause severe depression of platelets. You need a normal level of platelets to maintain coagulation and prevent severe bleeding episodes. Neumega is used to increase depressed platelet counts to a higher level to promote protection against bleeding episodes. The drug is injected once a day subcutaneously e.g., in your hip or thigh. Your clinician will show you the correct technique, so you can complete further courses of Neumega-therapy at home. One course of Neumega usually starts 6 to 24 hours after completion of chemotherapy and is continued for 10 to 21 days at the discretion of the physician. Your doctors will ask you to undergo frequent blood cell counts to determine effects of therapy and the further course of treatment. Please adhere to his/her advices for reasons of your own safety.

Neumega is a potent drug and can have certain, sometimes dangerous, side-effects. Most important are severe allergic reactions, which can occur at any time of Neumega-therapy. Inform you doctor immediately if you experience swollen face, tongue or larynx, shortness of breath, hypotension, shock, fever or skin reactions (urticaria, rash). Additionally, Neumega can cause fluid retention in a high rate of patients. If you notice an unexplainable massive gain of weight, peripheral edemas (e.g. swollen ankles, arms or legs) that are more than mild to moderate, or if you experience shortness of breath without signs of allergy contact your doctor immediately or dial 911. You maybe suffer from lung edema and/or decompensated heart failure which must be treated immediately. The same is true, if you have an irregular heartbeat together with dizziness and vertigo, or sudden loss of consciousness.

If you should notice a decrease in visual acuity or even blindness call you doctor at once or dial 911, because you are in a situation of absolute emergency.

Reactions at the injection site are usually mild and consist of skin-reaction (dermatitis), pain or discoloration. They do not require termination of therapy. To prevent these side-effects you will be asked to change injection-sites regularly.