Thalomid Side Effects

Serious Adverse Side Effects

Thalomid | Thalidomide has many serious adverse side effects associated with it, such as:

Cardiovascular side effects like atrial fibrillation and cardiac dysrhythmia, both forms of irregular heartbeat
Dermatological side effects such as erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, all deadly forms of an allergic skin reaction to this drug
Gastrointestinal side effects such as gastrointestinal perforation, a hole that develops in the stomach and intestines, and perforation of the intestine
Hematologic side effects such as neutropenia and leukopenia, a decreased number of white blood cells, and thrombosis, or a formulation of a blood clot in a blood vessel
Neurological side effects such as peripheral neuropathy, a kind of nerve damage to the brain, and seizures
Respiratory side effects such as pulmonary embolism, or blockage of the main artery of the lung
Other side effects such as angioedema, an allergic reaction that involves swelling, infectious disease, sepsis and septic shock, bacterial reactions to the medication, secondary malignant neoplastic disease, an abnormal mass of tissue, and tumor lysis syndrome, or complications that can occur after treating cancer

Common Adverse Side Effects

More common and less severe adverse side effects of Thalomid | Thalidomide include:

Cardiovascular side effects such as edema, or accumulation of fluid in the body
Dermatological side effects such as dry skin and rash
Endocrine metabolic side effects such as hypocalcemia, or the presence of low calcium levels in the blood
Gastrointestinal side effects such as constipation, indigestion and nausea
Neurological side effects such as weakness, confusion, dizziness, drowsiness and tremors
Respiratory side effects such as pneumonia

Warnings & Recalls for Thalomid

Black Box Warning

Thalomid | Thalidomide can cause severe birth defects in children or even result in the loss of the fetus. This drug should never be used by pregnant women or women who expect to become pregnant. A patient’s doctor will enroll them in the S.T.E.P.S program, configuring all aspects of the treatment with Thalomid | Thalidomide before beginning a regimen with this drug.

Contraindications

The contraindications of this drug are usually limited to:

Pregnancy
Hypersensitivity to any components of this drug

Who Should Not Take This Drug

Thalomid | Thalidomide use is reserved to people who adhere to the specified S.T.E.P.S program protocols as any possibility of refills of this drug depends upon following the guidelines of this regimen. The following precautions, preexisting conditions and warnings hinder a prospective patient’s ability to take this drug: • Concurrent use with central nervous system depressants or any alcohol use should be avoided • The use of available contraceptives for both male and female patients is recommended so as to avoid pregnancy

Thalomid Treatment and Use

Thalomid | Thalidomide is a drug that is prescribed along with dexamethasone for the treatment of multiple myeloma, a cancer that starts from the plasma of blood cells that progresses to the bone marrow, for patients who have just recently found that they have this disease.

The FDA-labeled indications for this drug are for treating:

Leprosy
Multiple myeloma

The non-FDA labeled indications for this drug are for:

AIDS related diarrhea
AIDS related Kaposi’s sarcoma, a kind of cancer
Canker sores in the mouth
Behcet’s syndrome
Cachexia
Congestive heart failure
Crohn’s disease
Glioblastoma multiforme of the central nervous system
Graft versus host disease
Lupus erythematosus
Myelodysplastic syndrome
Prostate cancer
Retractile mesenteritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sarcoidosis
Waldenström macroglobulinemia

How This Drug Works

The mechanism of action for Thalomid | Thalidomide is still yet fully not known. Although Thalomid | Thalidomide was recognized first of all as a sedative agent, there was scant information available to gauge as to why Thalomid | Thalidomide had this effect and so this drug is no longer prescribed for sedation. There are several hypotheses that explain the teratogenic effects (animal experimentation) of Thalomid | Thalidomide that mimic some of the same effects upon humans, however this has remained inconclusive. It is thought that the clinical uses of Thalomid | Thalidomide are thought to reside in its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties.

Please refer to the “Warnings” section of this article for the “black box” warning associated with this drug.

Dosage Information

For anyone to be prescribed this drug, they must be enrolled in the S.T.E.P.S program enacted by the makers of this drug as well as the regulators of Thalomid | Thalidomide. A patient admitted to this program will only be given an allotted 28 days of medication before refills.

Depending upon the condition, Thalomid | Thalidomide is usually started off at 100mg per day to a maximum of 400mg per day in divided doses.