Melfalax 50mg Injection is an anti-cancer drug used in the treatment of ovarian cancer and a type of cancer of bone marrow called multiple myeloma. It may also be used to treat other conditions, as determined by the doctor.
Melfalax 50mg Injection is administered by a doctor or a nurse into the vein. Do not self administer this medicine at home. Your doctor will decide what dose is necessary and how often you need to take it. This will depend on what you are being treated for and may change from time to time. It may take several weeks or months for you to see or feel the benefits but do not stop taking it unless your doctor tells you to. It makes skin more sensitive towards sunlight, wear protective clothing or use sunscreen.
The most common side effects of this medicine include nausea, vomiting, anemia (low number of red blood cells) and hair loss. This medicine may reduce the number of blood cells in your blood thereby, increasing the susceptibility to infections. Regular blood tests are required to check your blood cells along with kidney, liver and heart function during treatment with this medicine. Inform your doctor if you observe signs of infections such as fever, chills, body ache or if you have unusual bruising or bleeding and bleeding gums or blood in your urine or stool.
Before taking it, tell your doctor if you have bleeding, liver, or kidney problems or are taking any medicines to treat infections. Many other medicines can affect, or be affected by, this medicine so let your doctor know all medications you are using. This medicine is not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. The use of effective contraception by both males and females during treatment is important to avoid pregnancy.
If you have multiple myeloma, your body is destroying bone faster than it is being replaced. This makes bones weak and painful and more likely to break. Melfalax 50mg Injection may be prescribed along with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. It is an important part of your treatment and increases the survival rate of people with multiple myeloma. This medicine will kill the cancerous cells and prevent their further growth as well as spread to other parts of the body. Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully to get the most benefit. Supplements of calcium and Vitamin D3 are also effective and may be prescribed if you do not have high blood calcium levels.
In Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancer that begins in the female organs that produce eggs (ovaries). This type of cancer is usually detected very late and can be fatal too. It usually spreads to the pelvis and stomach. Melfalax 50mg Injection kills or stops the growth of cancer cells and also prevents the multiplication of cancer cells. It is an effective medicine but has some side effects that may be bothersome. So, you should discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor. You should avoid drinking alcohol while having this treatment and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Side effects of Melfalax Powder for Injection
Most side effects do not require any medical attention and disappear as your body adjusts to the medicine. Consult your doctor if they persist or if you’re worried about them
Common side effects of Melfalax
Hair loss
Low blood platelets
Diarrhea
Decreased white blood cell count
Nausea
Vomiting
Stomatitis (Inflammation of the mouth)
Anemia (low number of red blood cells)
How to use Melfalax Powder for Injection
Your doctor or nurse will give you this medicine. Kindly do not self administer.
How Melfalax Powder for Injection works
Melfalax 50mg Injection is an anti-cancer medication. It works by damaging the genetic material (DNA and RNA) of the cancer cells. This stops their growth and multiplication.
Safety advice
Alcohol
CAUTION
Caution is advised when consuming alcohol with Melfalax 50mg Injection. Please consult your doctor.
Pregnancy
CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR
Melfalax 50mg Injection is unsafe to use during pregnancy as there is definite evidence of risk to the developing baby. However, the doctor may rarely prescribe it in some life-threatening situations if the benefits are more than the potential risks. Please consult your doctor.
Breast feeding
UNSAFE
Melfalax 50mg Injection is unsafe to use during breastfeeding. Data suggests that the drug may cause toxicity to the baby.
Driving
CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR
It is not known whether Melfalax 50mg Injection alters the ability to drive. Do not drive if you experience any symptoms that affect your ability to concentrate and react.
Kidney
CAUTION
Melfalax 50mg Injection should be used with caution in patients with kidney disease. Dose adjustment of Melfalax 50mg Injection may be needed. Please consult your doctor.
Liver
CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR
There is limited information available on the use of Melfalax 50mg Injection in patients with liver disease. Please consult your doctor.
What if you forget to take Melfalax Powder for Injection?
If you missed a dose of Melfalax 50mg Injection, consult your doctor. It is important not to miss your dose.
All substitutes
For informational purposes only. Consult a doctor before taking any medicines.
No substitutes found for this medicine
Quick tips
Melfalax 50mg Injection should be taken as per dose and duration suggested by the doctor.
Fact Box
Chemical Class
Nitrogen Mustard Compounds
Habit Forming
No
Therapeutic Class
ANTI NEOPLASTICS
Action Class
Alkylating agent
Interaction with drugs
Taking Melfalax with any of the following medicines can modify the effect of either of them and cause some undesirable side effects
Concurrent use may cause a decrease in the ability of the bone marrow to produce blood cells.
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Concurrent use may cause a decrease in the ability of the bone marrow to produce blood cells.
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Pus disharge from maxilla.Patient has multiple myeloma Tooth exfoliated from the jaw post which this change was noted OPG reveals radiolucency in that site
Dr. B. N. Prasad
Dental Surgery
Visit to a dentist for proper treatment by surgery.
A very high ESR usually has an obvious cause, such as a severe infection, marked by an increase in globulins, polymyalgia rheumatica or temporal arteritis. A health practitioner will typically use other follow-up tests, such as blood cultures, depending on the person's symptoms. People with multiple myeloma or Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (tumors that make large amounts of immunoglobulins) typically have very high ESRs even if they don't have inflammationNeed to correlate clinicallyKindly consult your doctor
Tata 1mg's sole intention is to ensure that its consumers get information that is expert-reviewed, accurate and trustworthy. However, the information contained herein should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of a qualified physician. The information provided here is for informational purposes only. This may not cover everything about particular health conditions, lab tests, medicines, all possible side effects, drug interactions, warnings, alerts, etc. Please consult your doctor and discuss all your queries related to any disease or medicine. We intend to support, not replace, the doctor-patient relationship.
References
Chabner BA, Bertino J, Cleary J, et al. Cytotoxic Agents. In: Brunton LL, Chabner BA, Knollmann BC, editors. Goodman & Gilman’s: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 12th ed. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2011. p. 1684.
Briggs GG, Freeman RK, editors. A Reference Guide to Fetal and Neonatal Risk: Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2015. pp. 860-61.
Drugs.com. Melphalan Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Warnings. [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019] (online) Available from:
Mephalan. Dublin, Ireland: Aspen; 2004 [revised Aug. 2014]. [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019] (online) Available from:
Marketer details
Name: GLS Pharma Ltd.
Address: R-4, Khirki Main Road, Malviya Nagar New Delhi- 110 017, (India)