Carmustine Lupin

Carmustine Lupin(kar-MUS-teen)

Active ingredient(s): Carmustine

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Consumer Medicine Information (CMI)

This leaflet provides important information about using Carmustine Lupin. You should also speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you would like further information or if you have any concerns or questions about being given Carmustine Lupin.

Where to find information in this leaflet:

1. Why am I being given Carmustine Lupin?
2. What should I know before I am given Carmustine Lupin?
3. What if I am taking other medicines?
4. How am I given Carmustine Lupin?
5. What should I know while I am given Carmustine Lupin?
6. Are there any side effects?
7. Product details

1. Why am I being given Carmustine Lupin?

Carmustine Lupin contains the active ingredient carmustine. Carmustine Lupin is a cytotoxic medicine, which is also called a chemotherapy medicine. It is used to kill certain types of cancer cells.

Carmustine Lupin is used to treat malignant glioma, a type of brain cancer, and multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood. It may also be used to treat other types of cancers called Hodgkin’s Disease and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.

2. What should I know before I am given Carmustine Lupin?

Warnings

Do not have Camustine Lupin if:

• you are allergic to carmustine, or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
• You have low levels of white or red blood cells or platelets.

Check with your doctor if you:

• have any other medical conditions, including kidney disease, liver problems, lung disease including asthma, heat problems including previous heart attack history, and blood disorders
• have lowered immunity due to due to treatment with medicines such as corticosteroids, ciclosporin or other medicines used to treat cancer.
• take any medicines for any other condition.
• have an infection or high temperature, severe chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers.

During treatment, you may be at risk of developing certain side effects. It is important you understand these risks and how to monitor for them. See additional information under Section 6. Are there any side effects?

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Check with your doctor if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Carmustine Lupin may affect your developing baby if you take it during pregnancy.

Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding or intend to breastfeed. It is not known whether Carmustine Lupin passes into breast milk. There is a possibility that the breast-fed baby may be affected

If you are male and your partner intends to become pregnant while you are being treated with Carmustine Lupin or after you finish treatment.

You should use some form of birth control while you are using Carmustine Lupin and for at least 12 weeks after you stop using it. Carmustine Lupin may cause birth defects if either the male or female is using it at the time of conception.

3. What if I am taking other medicines?

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any medicines, vitamins or supplements that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Carmustine Lupin should be used carefully in combination with other chemotherapy or anticancer treatments.

Some medicines may affect your immunity and therefore your body will not tolerate treatment with Carmustine Lupin very well.

These medicines include ciclosporin used to treat arthritis and corticosteroids which relive inflammation or swelling in the body.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure about what medicines, vitamins or supplements you are taking and if these affect Carmustine Lupin.

4. How am I given Carmustine Lupin?

How it is given

• Your doctor will decide what dose of Carmustine Lupin you will receive based on the characteristics of your cancer. The dose also depends on your condition and other factors, such as your weight, kidney function and other chemotherapy medicines you are being given. Carmustine Lupin may be given alone or in combination with other drugs.
• Carmustine Lupin is administered as a slow infusion into your vein, over 1 to 2 hours. The infusion will be prepared and given in hospital by your doctor or nurse.

When Carmustine Lupin is given

• Carmustine Lupin is usually given every six weeks. This is called one cycle of chemotherapy. Your doctor will decide how many of these cycles you will need.
• Several courses of Carmustine Lupin therapy may be needed depending on your response to treatment. Additional treatment may not be repeated until your blood cell numbers return to acceptable levels and any uncontrolled effects have been controlled.

If you forget your treatment with Carmustine Lupin

If you forget a hospital appointment immediately contact your doctor.

It is important to have your follow-up doses of Carmustine Lupin at the appropriate times to get the best effects from your treatments.

If you are given too much Carmustine Lupin

As Carmustine Lupin is given to you under the supervision of your doctor, it is very unlikely that you will receive too much. However, if you experience any side effects after being given Carmustine Lupin, you may need urgent medical attention.

Symptoms of a Carmustine Lupin overdose include the side effects listed below in the “Side Effects” section, but are usually of a more severe nature.

You should immediately:

• phone the Poisons Information Centre
  (by calling 13 11 26), or
• tell your doctor or nurse, or
• go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital.

5. What should I know while I am given Carmustine Lupin?

Things you should do

• Tell all of the doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are being treated with Carmustine Lupin
• Check with your doctor before having any dental work performed.
• If you are about to be started on any new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are being treated with Carmustine Lupin.
• Be sure to keep all your doctor’s appointments so your progress can be checked. Your doctor may want to check your blood pressure and do some blood and other tests from time to time to check on your progress and detect any unwanted side effects.
• Keep follow up appointments with your doctor. It is important to have your follow-up doses of Carmustine Lupin at the appropriate times to get the best effects from your treatments.
• Avoid people who have infections.
• Be careful when using a toothbrush, toothpick or dental floss. Your doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist may recommend other ways to clean your teeth and gums.
• Be careful not to cut yourself when you are using sharp objects such as a razor or nail cutters.

Call your doctor straight away if you:

• you or your partner becomes pregnant while being treated with Carmustine Lupin or within 12 weeks of the last treatment.
• forget a hospital appointment for your treatment with Carmustine Lupin.
• feel that you may have an infection and have symptoms such as a fever, chills, cough, hoarse throat, lower back or side pain or find it painful or difficult to urinate.
• injure yourself in any way during treatment.

Things you should not do

• Do not participate in contact sports or other situations where you may bruise or get injured.

Driving or using machines

Be careful before you drive or use any machines or tools until you know how Carmustine Lupin affects you.

Carmustine Lupin may cause dizziness or drowsiness in some people

Drinking alcohol

Do not drink alcohol while you are being treated with Carmustine Lupin. You may feel flushed or get headaches or become very tired or dizzy.

Looking after your medicine

Carmustine Lupin will be stored in the pharmacy or on the hospital ward. The unopened vials of the dry powder will be stored under refrigeration.

6. Are there any side effects?

All medicines can have side effects. If you do experience any side effects, most of them are minor and temporary. However, some side effects may need medical attention.

See the information below and, if you need to, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any further questions about side effects.

Less serious side effects

Less serious side effects	What to do
nausea, vomiting	Speak to your doctor if you have any of these less serious side effects and they worry you.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects

What to do

Allergic reaction to carmustine. Symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, difficulty breathing or a tight feeling in your chest, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body, rash, itching, hives or flushed, red skin, dizziness or light headedness Suppression of your immune system; reduced white blood cells, reduced platelets, reduced red blood cells. Regular blood tests will detect these side effects and your treatment plan may have to be adjusted. Frequent infections, including fever, severe chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers. Bleeding or bruising more easily than normal. Passing little or no urine, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting and breathlessness. Weakness, tiredness, loss of appetite, weight loss and stomach pain. Changes to vision or loss of sight. Shortness of breath, particularly with exertion, chronic dry, hacking coughing. Chest discomfort, irregular heartbeat. Pain, swelling or burning at the injection site.

Call your doctor straight away, or go straight to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital if you notice any of these serious side effects.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything else that may be making you feel unwell.

Other side effects not listed here may occur in some people.

Reporting side effects

After you have received medical advice for any side effects you experience, you can report side effects to the Therapeutic Goods Administration online at www.tga.gov.au/reporting-problems. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

Always make sure you speak to your doctor or pharmacist before you decide to stop taking any of your medicines.

7. Product details

This medicine is only available with a doctor’s prescription.

What Carmustine Lupin contains

Active ingredient (main ingredient)	carmustine
Other ingredients (inactive ingredients)	ethanol
Potential allergens	carmustine

Do not take this medicine if you are allergic to any of these ingredients.

What Carmustine Lupin looks like

Carmustine Lupin is a dry pale yellow powder, in an amber vial. The diluent is a clear sterile liquid in a clear vial.

Your doctor will prepare the injection as recommended. It will be a clear, colourless to light yellow solution when it is given to you (AUST R 347272).

Who distributes Carmustine Lupin

Generic Health Pty Ltd
Suite 2, Level 2
19-23 Prospect Street
Box Hill, VIC, 3128
Australia

  ghinfo@generichealth.com.au

  +61 3 9809 7900

  www.generichealth.com.au

This leaflet was prepared in September 2022.