Mercaptopurine

Mercaptopurine Tablets

(mer kap toe PURE een)

Purinethol

It is used to treat a type of leukemia. It may be given to you for other reasons. Talk with the doctor.

If you are allergic to this drug; any part of this drug; or any other drugs, foods, or substances. Tell your doctor about the allergy and what signs you had. If you have taken this drug or a drug called thioguanine before and your cancer did not respond. If you are taking allopurinol. If you have trouble swallowing. If you are breast-feeding. Do not breast-feed while you take this drug and for 1 week after your last dose. This is not a list of all drugs or health problems that interact with this drug. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about all of your drugs (prescription or OTC, natural products, vitamins) and health problems. You must check to make sure that it is safe for you to take this drug with all of your drugs and health problems. Do not start, stop, or change the dose of any drug without checking with your doctor.

Tell all of your health care providers that you take this drug. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists. Very bad and sometimes life-threatening blood and bone marrow problems like anemia, low platelet counts, or low white blood cell counts have happened with this drug. Change in dose or even stopping the drug may be needed if any of these side effects happen. Talk with the doctor. You may have more chance of getting an infection. Wash hands often. Stay away from people with infections, colds, or flu. You may bleed more easily. Be careful and avoid injury. Use a soft toothbrush and an electric razor. If you have thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) or nucleotide diphosphatase (NUDT15) deficiency, talk with your doctor. This drug may add to the chance of getting some types of cancer. Talk with the doctor. A rare type of cancer called hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL) has happened with this drug. These cases have been deadly. Most of the time, these cases happened in teenagers or young adults. Most of these patients were using this drug to treat certain types of bowel problems like Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis. This drug is not approved for use to treat bowel problems like these. Tell the doctor if you have ever had any type of cancer. Talk with the doctor. Have blood work checked as you have been told by the doctor. Talk with the doctor. Talk with your doctor before getting any vaccines. Use of some vaccines with this drug may either raise the chance of an infection or make the vaccine not work as well. You may get sunburned more easily. Avoid sun, sunlamps, and tanning beds. Use sunscreen and wear clothing and eyewear that protects you from the sun. A very bad and sometimes life-threatening problem called Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) may rarely happen in people with autoimmune diseases. Talk with the doctor. Low blood sugar has happened in people taking this drug, especially children. Signs may be dizziness, headache, feeling sleepy, feeling weak, shaking, a fast heartbeat, confusion, hunger, or sweating. Call your doctor right away if you have any of these signs. This drug may affect fertility. Fertility problems may lead to not being able to get pregnant or father a child. This drug may cause harm to an unborn baby or loss of an unborn baby. A pregnancy test will be done before you start this drug to show that you are NOT pregnant. Women must use birth control while taking this drug and for some time after the last dose. Ask your doctor how long to use birth control. If you get pregnant, call your doctor right away. Men with a partner who may get pregnant must use birth control while taking this drug and for some time after the last dose. Use a condom and another form of birth control that you can trust. Ask your doctor how long to use birth control. If your partner gets pregnant, call the doctor right away.

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect: Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat. Signs of infection like fever, chills, very bad sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough, more sputum or change in color of sputum, pain with passing urine, mouth sores, or wound that will not heal. Signs of bleeding like throwing up or coughing up blood; vomit that looks like coffee grounds; blood in the urine; black, red, or tarry stools; bleeding from the gums; abnormal vaginal bleeding; bruises without a cause or that get bigger; or bleeding you cannot stop. Signs of kidney problems like unable to pass urine, change in how much urine is passed, blood in the urine, or a big weight gain. Change in color of skin. Redness or white patches in mouth or throat. Shortness of breath. Very bad belly pain or soreness. A skin lump or growth. Very bad and sometimes deadly liver problems have happened with this drug. Call your doctor right away if you have signs of liver problems like dark urine, feeling tired, not hungry, upset stomach or stomach pain, light-colored stools, throwing up, or yellow skin or eyes.

All drugs may cause side effects. However, many people have no side effects or only have minor side effects. Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away: Feeling tired or weak. Diarrhea, throwing up, upset stomach, and feeling less hungry are common with this drug. If these happen, talk with your doctor about ways to lower these side effects. Call your doctor right away if any of these effects bother you, do not get better, or get very bad. These are not all of the side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, call your doctor. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-332-1088. You may also report side effects at https://www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Use this drug as ordered by your doctor. Read all information given to you. Follow all instructions closely. Take this drug at the same time of day. Take with or without food but take the same way each time. Always take with food or always take on an empty stomach. Drink lots of noncaffeine liquids unless told to drink less liquid by your doctor. Your doctor will tell you how to take this drug. Be sure you know how much to take, how often to take this drug, and how to store this drug. If your doctor does not tell you how to use this drug or if you are not sure how to use it, talk with your doctor. You will need to take special care when handling this drug. Check with the doctor or pharmacist to see how to handle this drug.

Call your doctor to find out what to do.

Store at room temperature in a dry place. Do not store in a bathroom. Protect from heat. Keep all drugs in a safe place. Keep all drugs out of the reach of children and pets. Throw away unused or expired drugs. Do not flush down a toilet or pour down a drain unless you are told to do so. Check with your pharmacist if you have questions about the best way to throw out drugs. There may be drug take-back programs in your area.

If your symptoms or health problems do not get better or if they become worse, call your doctor. Do not share your drugs with others and do not take anyone else's drugs. Some drugs may have another patient information leaflet. Check with your pharmacist. If you have any questions about this drug, please talk with your doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care provider. If you think there has been an overdose, call your poison control center or get medical care right away. Be ready to tell or show what was taken, how much, and when it happened.

This information should not be used to decide whether or not to take this medicine or any other medicine. Only the healthcare provider has the knowledge and training to decide which medicines are right for a specific patient. This information does not endorse any medicine as safe, effective, or approved for treating any patient or health condition. This is only a brief summary of general information about this medicine. It does NOT include all information about the possible uses, directions, warnings, precautions, interactions, adverse effects, or risks that may apply to this medicine. This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from the healthcare provider. You must talk with the healthcare provider for complete information about the risks and benefits of using this medicine.