Carmustine (intravenous route)

Bicnu

Carmustine injection is used alone or together with other medicines to treat certain type of brain tumors (eg, glioblastoma, brainstem glioma, medulloblastoma, astrocytoma, ependymoma, and metastatic brain tumors), cancer of the lymph system (eg, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), and a certain type of cancer in the bone marrow (eg, multiple myeloma). It may also be used to treat other kinds of cancer, as determined by your doctor. Carmustine belongs to the group of alkylating agents. It interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal body cells may also be affected by carmustine, other effects may occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects (eg, hair loss), may not be serious but may cause concern. Some effects may not occur for months or years after the medicine is used. Before you begin treatment with carmustine, you and your doctor should talk about the benefits this medicine will do as well as the risks. This medicine is to be given only by or under the immediate supervision of your doctor. This product is available in the following dosage forms:

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell 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. Appropriate studies on the relationship of age to the effects of carmustine injection have not been performed in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established. No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of carmustine injection in geriatric patients. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related kidney, liver, or heart problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving carmustine injection. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of 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. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required 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. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially: