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Indication & Dosage |
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| Oral |
| ESSENTIAL THROMBOCYTHAEMIA |
| Adult:
2-4 mg daily. |
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| Oral |
| POLYCYTHEMIA VERA |
| Adult:
4-6 mg daily continued for 4-6 wk with blood counts monitoring. |
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| Oral |
| PALLIATIVE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA |
| Adult:
60 mcg/kg daily. Maintenance: 0.5-2 mg daily. Max: 4 mg daily. |
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| Oral |
| CONDITIONING REGIMENS FOR BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION |
| Adult:
3.5-4 mg/kg daily in divided doses for 4 days up to a total dose of 14-16 mg/kg. Usually used with cyclophosphamide for ablation of recipient's bone marrow. |
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| Intravenous |
| CONDITIONING REGIMENS FOR BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION |
| Adult:
When used with phenytoin, recommended dose: 3.2 mg/kg ideal body-weight/day for 4 days (total dose 12.8 mg/kg); actual body-weight is used for dose calculation if it is
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| Administration |
May be taken with or without food. (Take w/ chilled liqd, ensure adequate fluid intake.) |
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| Precautions |
Prior treatment with other myelosuppressive drugs, patients predisposed to seizures. May cause secondary malignancies (tumors, acute leukaemias, ovarian failure). Previous irradiation/therapy. Monitor blood counts carefully during therapy. Discontinue if lung toxicity develops. |
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Potentially Life-threatening
Adverse Drug Reactions |
GI symptoms, anorexia, wt loss, weakness, hyperpigmentation, amenorrhoea, cataracts, cough or hoarseness, impaired fertility and gonadal function, dry skin, liver damage, gynaecomastia. |
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| Adverse Drug Reactions |
Bone marrow depression manifesting as thrombocytopaenia, leucopaenia, anaemia. Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (known as "busulfan lung" on prolonged treatment). |
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| Interactions |
Decreased clearance when used with cyclophosphamide and itraconazole. Increased clearance by phenytoin. May reduce response to vaccines, possibility of generalized infections with live vaccines. Combination with thioguanine results in oesophageal varices and abdominal liver function tests. |
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