Sorafenib
Description
Sorafenib is used to treat and prevent the growth of certain types of cancers of the liver, kidney, and thyroid. This medicine is not recommended for use in patients below 18 years of age.
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Side effects
Major & minor side effects for Sorafenib
- Abdominal and stomach pain
- Bleeding gums
- Clay colored stools
- Coughing up blood
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty in breathing
- Hair loss
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Dark urine
- Hand-foot skin reactions
Uses of Sorafenib
What is it prescribed for?
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)
- Thyroid cancer
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Concerns
Commonly asked questions
- Onset of actionThe peak effect of this medicine can be observed within 3 hours of administration of the dose.
- Duration of effectThe amount of time for which this medicine remains active in the body is not clinically established.
- Safe with alcohol?Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
- Is it habit forming?No habit-forming tendencies were reported.
- Usage in pregnancy?This medicine is not recommended for use in pregnant women unless necessary. The risks and benefits should be discussed with the doctor before taking this medicine.
- Usage while breast-feeding?This medicine is not recommended for use in breastfeeding women. All the risks and benefits should be discussed with the doctor before using this medicine. Your doctor may advise you to discontinue the drug or to discontinue breastfeeding based on your clinical condition
Allergy
This medicine is not recommended for use in patients with a known allergy to sorafenib or any other inactive ingredients present along with it.
Squamous cell lung cancer
This medicine is not recommended for use with carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients with squamous cell lung cancer due to the increased risk of worsening of the patient's condition.
Warnings for special population
Pregnancy
This medicine is not recommended for use in pregnant women unless necessary. The risks and benefits should be discussed with the doctor before taking this medicine.
Breast-feeding
This medicine is not recommended for use in breastfeeding women. All the risks and benefits should be discussed with the doctor before using this medicine. Your doctor may advise you to discontinue the drug or to discontinue breastfeeding based on your clinical condition
General warnings
Dermatological toxicities
Hand-foot skin reaction and rash represent the most common adverse drug reactions with this medicine which generally appear during the first six weeks of treatment. Management of dermatological toxicities may include topical therapies for symptomatic relief, temporary treatment discontinuation and/or dose modification, or in severe or persistent cases, permanent discontinuation of the treatment.
Hypertension
This medicine should be used with caution due to the increased risk of hypertension. It is usually mild to moderate, occurred early in the course of treatment, which is usually managed with standard antihypertensive therapy. Blood pressure should be monitored regularly while receiving this medicine. In cases of severe or persistent hypertension, or hypertensive crisis despite institution of antihypertensive therapy, permanent discontinuation of Sorafenib should be considered.
Hypoglycemia
This medicine should be used with caution due to the increased risk of low blood glucose levels. In the case of symptomatic hypoglycemia, Sorafenib should be temporarily interrupted. Blood glucose levels in diabetic patients should be monitored regularly in order to assess if anti-diabetic medicinal product's dosage needs to be adjusted. An alternative treatment option should be considered in some cases based on the clinical condition.
Bleeding
Increased risk of bleeding may occur with this medicine. It is advised to discontinue this medicine in case of serious bleeding events. Thyroid cancer patients with tracheal, bronchial, and esophageal infiltration should be treated with local therapy prior to administering this medicine due to the potential bleeding risk.
Heart Diseases
This medicine should be used with caution in patients with cardiac diseases due to the increased risk of decreased blood flow to the heart or heart attack. It is advised to discontinue the therapy (temporary or permanent) in patients who develop these conditions.
Driving or Operating machinery
Use of this medicine may cause dizziness in some patients. It is advised that you do not perform any activities such as driving a vehicle or operating machinery if you experience dizziness during the treatment with this medicine.
Use in Children
This medicine is not recommended for use in patients below 18 years of age since the safety and efficacy of use are not clinically established.
Missed Dose
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next scheduled dose, then the missed dose can be skipped. Do not double your dose to make up for the missed dose. Contact your doctor for further instructions if you miss more than one scheduled dose of this medicine.
Overdose
Seek emergency medical treatment or contact the doctor in case of an overdose.
All drugs interact differently for person to person. You should check all the possible interactions with your doctor before starting any medicine.
Interaction with Alcohol
Description
Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Instructions
Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Interaction with Medicine
Escitalopram
Ziprasidone
Efavirenz
Mifepristone
Clozapine
Moxifloxacin
Disease interactions
Lung disease
This medicine should be used with caution in patients with a history of interstitial pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis or those patients presenting with acute onset of new or progressive unexplained pulmonary symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, and fever pending diagnostic evaluation due to the increased risk of the lung toxicity. Appropriate dose adjustments and frequent clinical monitoring are advised in such cases. Replacement with a suitable alternative may be required based on the clinical condition.
Food interactions
The absorption of this medicine is reduced in the presence of food. Take this medicine on an empty stomach 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal unless otherwise directed by your doctor.
Lab interactions
Information not available.
Take Sorafenib exactly as prescribed by the doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller quantities than recommended. Take this medicine at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after the meal. You may require frequent blood tests and liver function tests while taking this medicine. You may also require frequent followups with your doctor to check the progress of treatment. Do not stop the use of this medicine without consulting your doctor.
Miscelleneous
How it works
This medicine works by inhibiting the actions of certain proteins that cause the cancer cells to multiply. This helps in stopping the growth and spread of cancer.
Legal Status
Classification
Category
Antineoplastics, Multikinase inhibitors, VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors
Schedule
Schedule H
[Internet]. Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. 2018 [cited 24 September 2018]. Available from:
[Internet]. Medicines.org.uk. 2018 [cited 24 September 2018]. Available from:
[Internet]. Ebs.tga.gov.au. 2018 [cited 24 September 2018]. Available from:
[Internet]. Drugbank.ca. 2018 [cited 24 September 2018]. Available from:
Information on this page was last updated on 24 Jan 2019
Disclaimer
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