Cytarabine - Medical Health Care Library Wiki


Main Article	Precautions	Side Effects	Forum

Cytarabine

	Original Author Healthocrates Staff
	Physician/Scientist No contributions yet. Be the first!
	Health Care Professional No contributions yet. Be the first!
	Contributing Member No contributions yet. Be the first!
	Add New Topic Tab

IMPORTANT WARNING:

Cytarabine can cause a decrease in the number of blood cells in your bone marrow. Your doctor will order tests before, during, and after your treatment to see if your blood cells are affected by this drug.

About your treatment

Your doctor has ordered the drug cytarabine to help treat your illness. The drug can be given by injection into a vein or under the skin of your forearm. In special situations, it may be injected into the spinal cord.

This medication is used to treat:

certain types of leukemias

This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Cytarabine belongs to a group of drugs known as antimetabolites. It resembles a normal cell nutrient needed by cancer cells to grow. The cancer cells take up cytarabine, which then interferes with their growth.

Other uses for this medicine

Cytarabine is also used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.

In case of emergency/overdose

In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.

Brand names

Cytosar-U®

DepoCyt®

Other names

Ara-C

Cytosine arabinoside

Notes:

[Watch page ]

EditText of this page (last edited November 24, 2009)