eatening.
Tell your doctor if you notice any other extensive skin rash.
Limit your exposure to sunlight by wearing a hat, protective clothing and sunscreen when you go outside.
Depending on how severe your skin reaction is and how often it occurs, your doctor may:
stop ERBITUX for up to 2 weeks before giving you the next dose,
administer a lower dose, or
stop treatment altogether.
Other side effects
Tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you notice any of the following:
red, watery eye(s) which can be accompanied by pain and blurring of your vision, eye sore, severe dry eye(s) or crusty eyelids
weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, anorexia, vomiting or nausea (feeling sick). These symptoms may be due to low levels of magnesium, calcium or other electrolytes in the blood. Your doctor may do blood tests to check.
abdominal pain or diarrhoea
sore, red or dry mouth, which may be accompanied by a nose bleed
signs of frequent infections such as fever, tiredness, chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers
headache
unusual infections of your skin
leg swelling or pain (signs of a blood clot)
chest pain or tightness
sudden-onset fever, severe headache, vomiting, stiff neck and sensitivity to light.
Tell your doctor immediately if you experience sudden or worsened breathing difficulties, especially if you also experience cough or fever.
These can be symptoms of lung inflammation, which is rare (may affect 1 to 10 in 10,000 people) but can be life-threatening. Your treatment with ERBITUX may have to be interrupted or stopped altogether.
Ask your doctor to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients.
Side effects in combination with chemotherapy or radiation therapy
If you receive ERBITUX in combination with chemotherapy medicines or radiation therapy, you may also experience some side effects from the chemotherapy medicine or the radiation therapy or from the combination of ERBITUX with these treatments.
Tell your doctor immediately if you experience:
signs of frequent infections such as fever, tiredness, chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers.
If you receive ERBITUX in combination with chemotherapy including platinum, it is more likely that you may experience the above symptoms and infectious complications which can include life-threatening conditions.
chest pain
redness and swelling of the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet which may cause the skin to peel.
If you receive ERBITUX in combination with chemotherapy containing fluoropyrimidines, it is more likely that you may experience some of the above symptoms.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you experience:
sore, red or dry mouth, which may be accompanied by a nose bleed
severe flaking or peeling or the skin
difficulty swallowing
If you receive ERBITUX in combination with radiation therapy, you may experience some of the above symptoms.
Tell your doctor if you experience any other side effects not listed in this leaflet.
After being treated with ERBITUX
Storage
ERBITUX 5 mg/mL must be kept in a refrigerator at 2° to 8°C, but it must not be frozen.
Each vial is intended for single use only. When the needed amount of solution has been withdrawn from the vial, any remaining solution must be discarded.
Product description
What it looks like
ERBITUX 5 mg/mL is a clear, colourless solution. I |
