Doxil is a type of chemotherapy drug that is classified as an anthracycline antibiotic and it is used to treat a variety of autoimmune diseases, including AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and other types of solid tumors. It can, however, be used for other types of illnesses, if your doctor thinks it might be beneficial to your treatment plan.
About Your Treatment
Dioxil is only offered in the form of injection. It is given with saline solution intravenously. Because it is an irritant, it can cause irritation in the vein that it is given in. This can cause permanent tissue damage if it goes unnoticed. If you experience any swelling, burning, or pain where you are receiving injections, you should notify the health care professional administering the drug immediately.During treatment, you may also experience shortness of breath, headache, back pain, flushing, low blood pressure, chest or throat tightness, and swelling of the face. This occurs in about 10% of patients and you should let your health care professional know immediately if you experience any of these symptoms while receiving your Dioxil treatment. The symptoms should stop once the Dioxil is stopped and then given at a slower rate.
The amount and frequency of your Dioxil treatments will be determined by your doctor. They will base their decision on a number of factors which include the severity of your condition, your height, and your weight. Other factors may also be considered, like possible health conditions that may create side effects while taking Dioxil.
Possible Side Effects
Side effects are very common with all chemotherapy drugs. And, while the side effect list is long, you are unlikely to experience all of the side effects listed. Some side effects are more common. Others occur in very few patients. Different side effects may occur at different stages of your chemotherapy treatments Side effects are likely to be more intense if you need stronger doses of Dioxil. Nearly all side effects experienced with Dioxil only last as long as your treatment.The most common side effects occur in about 30 percent of all Dioxil patients. You may experience a low blood count of either your white or red blood cells. This can create a bigger risk for infection or anemia. Blood cell count decrease generally starts about 7 days after treatment starts. The low point generally occurs in between Dioxil treatments, at about 10-14 days after your initial treatment starts. This is commonly referred to as nadir. You should start recovering from a low blood cell count around 21-28 days after treatment was started. Other common side effects include mouth sores, swelling, hand-foot syndrome, skin rash, pain or peeling on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet. Some side effects can be decreased in severity if your Dioxil doses are decreased so be sure to talk to your doctor about any side effects experienced while receiving treatment.
You may also experience less common side effects. These are experienced by 10 to 29 percent of patients and can include discoloration of the beds of your nails, weakness, constipation, diarrhea, discoloration of urine (up to 48 hours after treatment), hair loss, and poor appetite. You may also experience skin darkening at previous radiation sites or low platelet counts. Low platelet counts can cause a higher risk of bleeding and may make blood clotting more difficult.
A rare but serious side effect that can occur with Dioxil is a problem with the way the heart pumps blood. To reduce your risk, all patients are only allowed a maximum lifetime dose of Dioxil. If you have a history of heart disease or at a higher risk for heart disease, the amount of Dioxil you are allowed to take over the course of your life may be reduced. Factors that can be included in your risk for heart disease can include, but is not limited to a history of heart radiation, use of other drugs that have a risk of heart toxicity, and advancing age.
