Precautions
Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®
It is very important that your doctor check your or your child's progress at regular visits to make sure this medicine is working properly. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.
Receiving this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. If you are a woman who can get pregnant, your doctor may do tests to make sure you are not pregnant before receiving this medicine. It may also cause birth defects if the father is using it when his sexual partner becomes pregnant. Female patients should use effective birth control during treatment with this medicine and for 2 months after the last dose. Male patients who have female partners should use effective birth control during treatment with this medicine and for 4 months after the last dose. If you think you have become pregnant while receiving the medicine, tell your doctor right away.
Docetaxel can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting. If this occurs, there are certain precautions you can take, especially when your blood count is low, to reduce the risk of infection or bleeding:
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If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor immediately if you think you are getting an infection or if you get a fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, or painful or difficult urination.
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Check with your doctor immediately if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising, black, tarry stools, blood in the urine or stools, or pinpoint red spots on your skin.
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Be careful when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical doctor, dentist, or nurse may recommend other ways to clean your teeth and gums. Check with your medical doctor before having any dental work done.
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Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands and have not touched anything else in the meantime.
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Be careful not to cut yourself when you are using sharp objects such as a safety razor or fingernail or toenail cutters.
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Avoid contact sports or other situations where bruising or injury could occur.
This medicine may cause stomach or bowel problems (eg, enterocolitis, neutropenic colitis), which may be life-threatening. Check with your doctor right away if you have fever, severe stomach pain, vomiting, stomach cramps or tenderness, or watery or bloody diarrhea.
This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Call your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, fever or chills, trouble breathing or swallowing, a fast or irregular heartbeat, or any swelling of your hands, face, mouth, or throat with this medicine.
Docetaxel may cause edema or fluid retention, which means your body is keeping too much water. Check with your doctor right away if you have a rapid weight gain, trouble breathing, chest pain or discomfort, extreme tiredness or weakness, irregular breathing, an irregular heartbeat, or excessive swelling of the hands, wrist, ankles, or feet.
This medicine may increase your or your child's risk for other cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), or kidney cancer. Talk with your doctor if you have concerns about this.
Serious skin reactions (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis) can occur with this medicine. Tell your doctor right away if you have blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, chills, cough, diarrhea, itching, joint or muscle pain, red irritated eyes, red skin lesions, often with a purple center, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips, or unusual tiredness or weakness.
Check with your doctor right away if you have burning, numbness, tingling, or painful sensations in the arms, hands, legs, or feet. These could be symptoms of a condition called peripheral neuropathy.
Tell your doctor right away if you have vision changes, including blurred vision, difficulty reading, or eye pain with this medicine. These could be symptoms of a serious eye problem called cystoid macular edema. Your doctor may want your eyes be checked by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor).
Docetaxel may cause severe lack or loss of strength, which can last a few days up to several weeks. Tell your doctor if you unusual tiredness or weakness.
This medicine contains alcohol and may cause some people to become drowsy, dizzy, or less alert than they are normally. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.
Talk with your doctor before receiving this medicine if you plan to have children. Some men who receive this medicine have become infertile (unable to have children).
This medicine may cause a serious type of reaction called tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). Your doctor may give you a medicine to help prevent this. Call your doctor right away if you have a decrease or change in urine amount, joint pain, stiffness, or swelling, lower back, side, or stomach pain, a rapid weight gain, swelling of the feet or lower legs, or unusual tiredness or weakness.
Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.
Portions of this document last updated: July 01, 2024
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