Cosela

Cosela helps prevent bone marrow suppression in people getting chemotherapy with specific medicines for small cell lung cancer.

Cosela may also be used for reasons not mentioned in this medication guide.

Call your doctor right away if you experience pain, redness, warmth, itching, swelling, bruising, or any changes to the skin where the medicine was injected.

You should not use Cosela if you are allergic to it.

Inform your doctor if you have ever had liver issues.

Cosela may be harmful to an unborn baby. Use reliable birth control to avoid pregnancy while taking Cosela and for at least 3 weeks after your last dose. Notify your doctor if you become pregnant.

You should not breastfeed while taking Cosela and for at least 3 weeks after your last dose.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives, itching; difficulty breathing; swelling of your eyes, face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Cosela may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor right away if you have:

• pain, redness, warmth, itching, swelling, bruising, or changes in your skin where the medicine was injected;
• fever, chills, cough with mucus;
• sudden chest pain, wheezing, dry cough, or feeling short of breath;
• low calcium level--muscle spasms or contractions, numbness or tingling (around your mouth, or in your fingers and toes); or
• low potassium level--leg cramps, constipation, irregular heartbeats, fluttering in your chest, increased thirst or urination, numbness or tingling, or muscle weakness and feeling limp.

Your Cosela treatments may be delayed or stopped permanently if you have certain side effects.

Common side effects of Cosela may include:

• low levels of calcium or potassium;
• headache;
• breathing problems;
• feeling tired; or
• abnormal liver function tests.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may happen. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Cosela is given as an infusion into a vein, usually within 4 hours before the start of your chemotherapy infusion. A healthcare provider will give you this injection.

Cosela must be given slowly, and the infusion can take at least 30 minutes to complete.

Call your doctor for instructions if you miss an appointment for your Cosela.

Since Cosela is given by a healthcare professional in a medical setting, an overdose is unlikely to happen.

Follow your doctor's instructions regarding any restrictions on food, drinks, or activities.

Tell your doctor about all your other medicines, especially:

• cisplatin;
• dalfampridine; or
• dofetilide.

This list is not complete. Other drugs may affect Cosela, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.