About Your Treatment
Your doctor has ordered the drug filgrastim to help treat your illness. The drug will be infused into a vein or injected under your skin.
This medication is used to:
decrease the chance of infection in patients with nonmyeloid cancers who receive anticancer therapy that lowers white blood cell counts.
reduce the amount of time the white blood cell counts are low and prevent the consequences of low white blood cell counts in patients with nonmyeloid cancer who receive chemotherapy that destroys bone marrow in preparation for bone marrow transplant.
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About Your Treatment
Your doctor has ordered the drug filgrastim to help treat your illness. The drug will be infused into a vein or injected under your skin.
This medication is used to:
decrease the chance of infection in patients with nonmyeloid cancers who receive anticancer therapy that lowers white blood cell counts.
reduce the amount of time the white blood cell counts are low and prevent the consequences of low white blood cell counts in patients with nonmyeloid cancer who receive chemotherapy that destroys bone marrow in preparation for bone marrow transplant.
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Other Uses
Filgrastim also is used to increase white blood cell counts in adults with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and to treat low white blood cell counts in adults with acute leukemia who have received chemotherapy. In patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, filgrastim is used to increase white blood cell counts or to prevent the further lowering of white blood cell counts due to the virus and/or to medication. Filgrastim has been used to increase white blood cell counts in people who do not have cancer but take medications that lower white blood cell counts.
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.
Precautions
Before taking filgrastim,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to filgrastim or any other drugs.
tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, including vitamins.
tell your doctor if you have or have ever had heart disease.
tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. You should not plan to have children while receiving therapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. Filgrastim may harm the fetus.
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Possible Side Effects
Side effects from filgrastim are common and include:
bone pain
weakness
muscle aches
nausea
vomiting
stomach pain
Tell your doctor if the following symptom is severe or lasts for several hours:
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Special Instructions
Filgrastim can be taken at home. In that case, your doctor or nurse will instruct you on how to use it. Store filgrastim in the refrigerator. One hour before your dose, remove the medication from the refrigerator to allow it to warm to room temperature. The vial is for one dose only; do not save unused medication for your next dose.
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Storage Conditions
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it in the refrigerator; do not freeze. Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.
