1. Breast Cancer Slideshow Pictures
2. Pancreatic Cancer Slideshow Pictures
3. Skin Cancer Slideshow Pictures

What happens if I miss a dose (Adriamycin)?

Contact your doctor if you miss a dose of doxorubicin.

What happens if I overdose (Adriamycin)?

If for any reason an overdose of doxorubicin is suspected, seek emergency medical attention or contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Symptoms of a doxorubicin overdose tend to be similar to side effects caused by the medication, although often more severe.

What should I avoid while using doxorubicin (Adriamycin)?

Skin accidentally exposed to doxorubicin should be rinsed thoroughly with soap and warm water.

Caregivers of pediatric patients receiving doxorubicin should avoid contact with the patient's urine and other bodily fluids for at least 5 days after each treatment. Latex gloves and other protective measures may be recommended.

Doxorubicin can lower the activity of your immune system making you susceptible to infections. Avoid contact with people who have colds, the flu, or other contagious illnesses and do not receive vaccines that contain live strains of a virus (e.g., live oral polio vaccine) during treatment with doxorubicin. In addition, avoid contact with individuals who have recently been vaccinated with a live vaccine. There is a chance that the virus can be passed on to you.

What other drugs will affect doxorubicin (Adriamycin)?

Do not use doxorubicin without first talking to your doctor if you have had previous treatment with doxorubicin (Adriamycin, Rubex), doxorubicin liposomal (Doxil), daunorubicin (Cerubidine), daunorubicin liposomal (Daunoxome), idarubicin (Idamycin), or mitoxantrone (Novantrone). Because there is a maximum amount of these medications that should be administered to an individual, you may not be able to use doxorubicin.

Before using doxorubicin, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines.

• paclitaxel (Taxol);
• progesterone (Prometrium);
• verapamil (Calan, Calan SR, Covera-HS, Isoptin, Isoptin SR, Verelan, Verelan PM, others)
• cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);
• cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Cytoxan Lyophilized, Neosar);
• phenobarbital;
• phenytoin (Dilantin); or
• streptozocin (Zanosar).

You may not be able to take doxorubicin, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you are taking any of the medicines listed above.

Do not receive "live" vaccines during treatment with doxorubicin. Administration of a live vaccine may be dangerous during treatment with doxorubicin.

Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with doxorubicin. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any other prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal products, during treatment with doxorubicin.

Where can I get more information?

Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about doxorubicin.

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 1996-2012 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 4.03. Revision date: 12/15/2010.

Your use of the content provided in this service indicates that you have read,understood and agree to the End-User License Agreement,which can be accessed by clicking on this link.

Need help identifying pills and medications?
Use the pill finder tool on RxList.