Paraplatin NovaPlus (Intravenous)

Carboplatin is part of a group of medicines called alkylating agents. It is used to treat ovarian cancer. Your doctor may also use it to treat other types of cancer.

Carboplatin works by interfering with the growth of cancer cells, leading to their destruction. It can also affect the growth of normal body cells, which may lead to other side effects. Some of these side effects can be serious and should be reported to your doctor. Other effects may not be serious but could still be worrying. Some side effects might not show up until months or years after using the medicine.

Before starting treatment with carboplatin, you and your doctor should discuss the benefits of this medicine as well as the risks involved.

Carboplatin should only be given by or under the close supervision of your doctor.

It is very important that your doctor checks your progress at regular visits to ensure that this medicine is working properly and to monitor for any unwanted effects.

While you are being treated with carboplatin, and after you finish treatment, do not receive any immunizations (vaccinations) without your doctor's approval. Carboplatin may lower your body's resistance, which means you could get the infection that the immunization is meant to prevent. Also, people living in your household should not take the oral polio vaccine because they could pass the polio virus to you. Additionally, avoid people who have taken the oral polio vaccine in the last several months. Do not get close to them, and do not stay in the same room with them for long periods. If you cannot take these precautions, you should think about wearing a protective face mask that covers your nose and mouth.

Carboplatin can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, which increases the chance of getting an infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are needed for proper blood clotting. If this happens, there are certain precautions you can take, especially when your blood count is low, to reduce the risk of infection or bleeding:

• If you can, avoid people with infections. Contact your doctor right away if you think you are getting an infection or if you develop a fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, or painful or difficult urination.
• Contact your doctor immediately if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising; black, tarry stools; blood in your urine or stools; or pinpoint red spots on your skin.
• Be cautious when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical doctor, dentist, or nurse may suggest other methods to clean your teeth and gums. Consult your health care professional before having any dental work done.
• Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands and have not touched anything else since.
• Be careful not to cut yourself when using sharp objects like a safety razor or fingernail or toenail clippers.
• Avoid contact sports or other situations where bruising or injury could happen.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the benefits it will provide. This is a decision you and your doctor will make together. For this medicine, consider the following:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also inform your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Studies on this medicine have only been done in adult patients and there is no specific information comparing the use of carboplatin in children with use in other age groups.

Geriatric

Some side effects of carboplatin (especially blood problems or numbness or tingling in fingers or toes) may be more likely to occur in older adults.

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women to determine the risk to infants when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with Medicines

Some medicines should not be used together at all, while in other cases, two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these situations, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important for your healthcare professional to know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected based on their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Measles Virus Vaccine, Live
• Mumps Virus Vaccine, Live
• Rotavirus Vaccine, Live
• Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live
• Varicella Virus Vaccine, Live
• Zoster Vaccine, Live

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be necessary in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Adenovirus Vaccine
• Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin Vaccine, Live
• Candesartan
• Cholera Vaccine, Live
• Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine, Live
• Influenza Virus Vaccine, Live
• Poliovirus Vaccine, Live
• Smallpox Vaccine
• Typhoid Vaccine, Live
• Warfarin
• Yellow Fever Vaccine

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may increase the risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may adjust the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Fosphenytoin
• Phenytoin

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with some medicines may also cause interactions. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure to tell your doctor if you have any other medical issues, especially:

• Chickenpox (including recent exposure) or
• Herpes zoster (shingles)—Risk of severe disease affecting other parts of the body

• Hearing problems—May be worsened by carboplatin

• Infection—Carboplatin decreases your body's ability to fight infection

• Kidney disease—Effects may be increased because of slower removal from the body

Along with its necessary effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Not all of these side effects may happen, but if they do, they might need medical attention.

Also, because of how these medicines work in the body, there is a chance they could cause other unwanted effects that may not show up until months or years after using the medicine. These delayed effects may include certain types of cancer, such as leukemia. Talk about these possible effects with your doctor.

Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects happen:

More common

• Pain at the injection site

Less common

• Black, tarry stools
• Blood in urine or stools
• Cough or hoarseness, along with fever or chills
• Fever or chills
• Lower back or side pain, along with fever or chills
• Numbness or tingling in fingers or toes
• Painful or difficult urination, along with fever or chills
• Pinpoint red spots on skin
• Skin rash or itching
• Unusual bleeding or bruising
• Unusual tiredness or weakness

Rare

• Blurred vision
• Ringing in ears
• Sores in mouth and on lips
• Wheezing

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Your health care professional may also have ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue, are bothersome, or if you have any questions about them:

More common

• Nausea and vomiting
• Unusual tiredness or weakness

Less common

• Constipation or diarrhea
• Loss of appetite

This medicine may cause temporary hair loss in some people. After treatment with carboplatin has ended, normal hair growth should return.

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

In the U.S.

• Paraplatin
• Paraplatin NovaPlus

Available Dosage Forms:

• Solution
• Powder for Solution

Therapeutic Class: Antineoplastic Agent

Pharmacologic Class: Platinum Coordination Complex

This medicine is sometimes given together with certain other medicines. If you are using a combination of medicines, it is important that you receive each one at the proper time. If you are taking some of these medicines by mouth, ask your health care professional to help you plan a way to take them at the right times.

This medicine usually causes nausea and vomiting that sometimes may be severe. However, it is very important that you continue to receive the medicine, even if you begin to feel ill. Ask your health care professional for ways to lessen these effects, especially if they are severe.

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

• Why give Taxol (Paxel) before carboplatin?
• How soon can you start chemo after port placement?
• What is TCHP chemotherapy and how is it used?
• What is chemo brain and how long does it last?
• Radiation vs. Chemo: Which cancer treatment is right for you?
• Does carboplatin cause neuropathy?
• How does carboplatin stop cancer?

View more FAQ