Halaven Side Effects

A package and a 1 mg vial of the treatment Halaven.

Serious side effects

If any of these symptoms occur, a medical professional should be notified.

allergy symptoms including hives, difficult breathing, swelling face or throat
flu-like symptoms like fever, chills, sore throat, body aches, with sores in mouth and throat
burning urination with severe numbness or tingling in limbs
pale skin, lightheadedness, short breaths with rapid heart beats
difficulty in concentration and low potassium levels causing confusion, thirst with increased urination, muscle weakness and limpness
signs of infection and leg discomfort with increased tears and distortion of taste
upset stomach and indigestion with abdominal pain, and muscle spasms
rash, dizziness, insomnia and depression

Common side effects

weakness and an all around tired feeling with hair loss and headaches
stomach problems like nausea, constipation, and loss of appetite
muscle pain and weight loss
muscle or joint pain.

Warnings & Recalls for Halaven

Before taking Halaven patients should tell their doctor if they have ever had a history of liver or kidney disease, any heart problems, electrolyte problems like low potassium levels or magnesium in the blood.

Patients on Halaven can have a decreased immune system making them susceptible to infections so patients should be tested often and avoid those with infections.

Patients should not use Halaven if they are allergic it or any of its ingredients (eribulin mesylate, ethanol and water).

The patient's physician should know what medications, including vitamins and herbal supplements, that the patient has currently been taking.

Contraindications:
Contraindications for Halaven include amiodarone, arsenic trioxide, tacrolimus, amitriptylline, clarithromycin, disopyramide, dofetilide, dronedarone, erythromycin, ibutilide, clomipramine, desipramine, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, levofloxacin, thioridazine, methadone, chloroquine, propafenone, moxifloxacin, pimozide, pentamidine, mefloquine, procainamide, quinidine, and sotalol.

Other contraindications include dolasetron, droperidol, ondansetron, clozapine, ziprasidone, sumatriptan and zolmitriptan.

Family Planning:
The FDA has categorized Halaven in pregnancy category D. This category indicates that taking this drug while pregnant could cause harm to the fetus.

It is unknown whether Halaven will pass into breast milk. Nursing mothers should discontinue the drug or discontinue breast feeding depending on risks and benefits to the baby and the mother.

Halaven Treatment and Use

What is Halaven?

Halaven | Eribulin is an intravenous injection used to treat metastatic cancer (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) in patients that have already been treated at least with chemotherapy.

How does Halaven work?

Halaven is a synthetic microtubule inhibitor that can stunt cancer cell growth and kills existing cells. The drug is created from the sea sponge Halichondria okadai.

Dosage information for Halaven

Halaven is to be given through an IV for 2-5 minutes by a medical professional on day 1 and day 8 of a 21-day cycle (once per week for 2 consecutive weeks). The recommended dosage is 1.4 mg/m².

Other Names for Halaven

Halaven is also known as Eribulin mesylate.