Filgrastim: functions, dosage, side effects, how to use it

Functions & Usage

What is the drug Filgrastim used for?

Filgastrim is a drug to stimulate the blood system (bone marrow) to make white blood cells, helping you fight infection. This drug is given to those whose ability to make white blood cells is decreased.

Filgrastim (also known as G-CSF, or granulocyte colony stimulation factor) is a synthetic form of certain natural substances found in the body. This drug is produced by using certain bacteria.

What are the rules for using the drug Filgrastim?

This medication is given by injection into a vein or under the skin, usually once daily or as directed by your doctor, until the right amount of blood is reached. Dosage is based on medical condition, body weight, and response to treatment. Use the amount of medication as prescribed by your doctor. Too little of the drugs used may not protect you against infection. Too much medicine can cause your body to make too many white blood cells.

If you are injecting medication yourself at home, make sure you learn how to properly prepare and inject this medicine. If you are injecting this medication under the skin, choose a new injection site each time you use each dose. In this way it will help prevent pain. Do not inject filgrastim into skin that is soft, red, bruised, and difficult or has scars or stretch marks. Ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse any questions you may have about how to use filgrastim for yourself. Learn how to properly dispose of used injections, syringes, and any unused drugs. Never reuse syringes.

Remove the medication from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you inject it so that the medication reaches room temperature.

Avoid shaking this drug; because it can make the drug ineffective.

Before using this medication, check visually for particles or discoloration. If both conditions appear, do not use liquid medicine.

Use this remedy regularly to get its benefits. To help you remember, use it at the same time every day.

If you are receiving cancer chemotherapy, you should not be given filgrastim at the same time. You should receive filgrastim either before or after chemotherapy, depending on your blood count results and your doctor's direction. Follow the rules given by your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

How do I save Filgrastim?

This medication is best stored at room temperature, away from direct light and damp places. Don't keep it in the bathroom. Don't freeze it. Other brands of this drug may have different storage rules. Observe the storage instructions on the product package or ask your pharmacist. Keep all medicines away from children and pets.

Do not flush medicines down the toilet or down the drain unless instructed to do so. Discard this product when it has expired or when it is no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company about how to safely dispose of your product.

Precautions & Warnings

What should be considered before using the drug Filgrastim?

Before using filgrastim,

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to filgrastim, pegfilgrastim (Neulasta), a drug made from the E. coli bacteria, or any other medication. Ask your pharmacist if you don't know if your medicine is made from E. coli bacteria. Additionally, tell your doctor if you or the person who is going to be injecting filgrastim you are allergic to latex. Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to filgrastim, pegfilgrastim (Neulasta), a drug made from the E. coli bacteria, or any other medication. Ask your pharmacist if you don't know if your medicine is made from E. coli bacteria. Additionally, tell your doctor if you or the person who is going to be injecting filgrastim you are allergic to latex.
• Tell your doctor and pharmacist about prescription and nonprescription drugs, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products that you are using or will be using. Be sure to mention the following: lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid). Your doctor may need to change the dose of your medication or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• Tell your doctor if you are being treated with radiation therapy or if you have or have ever had chronic myeloid leukemia (a slowly developing disease in which too many white blood cells are made in the bone marrow), myelodysplasia (a problem with bone marrow cells may develop into leukemia), or an enlarged spleen (the organ located under the ribs needed to clean the blood and fight infection).
• Tell your doctor if you have sickle cell disease (a blood disease that can cause a painful crunch, low red blood cell count, infection, and damage to internal organs). If you have sickle cell disease, you may be more likely to have a crisis during your treatment with filgrastim. Drink plenty of fluids during your treatment with filgrastim and call your doctor right away if you have a sickle cell crisis during your treatment.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while using filgrastim, contact your doctor.
• If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about using filgrastim.
• You should know that filgrastim reduces the risk of infection, but does not prevent all infections that may develop during or after chemotherapy. Call your doctor if you have signs of infection such as fever; chills; rash; sore throat; diarrhea; or redness, swelling, or pain or tenderness around the wound.

Is the drug Filgrastim safe for pregnant and lactating women?

Filgrastim may be risky if used while pregnant. There are not sufficient studies in women to determine the risk to the baby when using this medicine during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Consider the benefits against the potential risks before using this medicine while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Side effects

What are the possible side effects of Filgrastim?

Common side effects of filgrastim include:

• Diarrhea, constipation
• Bone pain
• Muscleache
• Hair loss
• Headache, tired feeling
• Mild skin rash
• Itching, swelling, or redness at the injection site

Some people who receive filgrastim injections have reactions to the infusion (when the drug is injected into a vein). Tell your doctor right away if you feel nauseous, dizzy, sweating, or short of breath during or after the filgrastim injection.

Stop using filgrastim and call your doctor if you have any of the following serious side effects:

• Sudden or severe pain in the upper left abdomen that radiates to your shoulder
• Rapid breathing or feeling short of breath
• Signs of infection include fever, chills, sore throat, flu symptoms, easy bruising or bleeding (nosebleeds, bleeding gums), loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, mouth sores, unusual weakness.

Not everyone experiences the following side effects. There may be some side effects not listed above. If you have concerns about certain side effects, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Drug Interactions

What drugs can interfere with the action of the drug Filgrastim?

Drug interactions can change the performance of your medications or increase the risk of serious side effects. Not all possible drug interactions are listed in this document. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription / non-prescription drugs and herbal products) and consult your doctor or pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dose of any medication without your doctor's approval

Although certain drugs should not be used at the same time, in other cases two different drugs can be used together even if interactions are possible. In this case, your doctor may change the dose, or take other precautions that may be needed. When you are taking this medicine it is very important that your healthcare provider knows if you are currently taking any of the medicines that are listed below. The following interactions are selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all inclusive.

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

• Topotecan
• Vincristine
• Vincristine Sulfate Liposome

Can certain foods and drinks interfere with the action of the drug Filgrastim?

Certain drugs should not be used with meals or when eating certain foods because drug interactions can occur. Consuming alcohol or tobacco with certain drugs can also cause interactions to occur. Discuss your use of drugs with food, alcohol, or tobacco with your health care provider.

What health conditions can interfere with the performance of the drug Filgrastim?

The presence of other health problems in your body may affect the use of this drug. Tell your doctor if you have any of the following health problems:

• Bleeding problems
• Cutaneous vasculitis (skin disorder)
• Lung disease or breathing problems
• Sickle cell disease (red blood cell disease)
• Thrombocytopenia (low platelets in the blood) - Use with caution. It might make things worse

Dose

The information provided is not a substitute for a doctor's prescription. ALWAYS consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment.

What is the dosage of filgrastim for adults?

Dosage for chemotherapy-related neutropenia:

• Initial dose: 5 mcg / kg / day as a single daily subcutaneous bolus injection, or a short intravenous infusion (15-30 minutes) or by continuous subcutaneous or intravenous infusion.
• Maintenance dose: In phase 3 trials, efficacy was observed at doses of 4-8 mcg / kg / day.
• Duration of therapy: Up to 2 weeks, until the absolute neutrophil count reaches 10,000 / mm3.

Dosage for bone marrow transplant:

Initial dose: 10 mcg / kg / day given as a 4 or 24 hour intravenous infusion, or as a continuous 24 hour subcutaneous infusion.

Dosage for peripheral progenitor cell transplantation:

Initial dose: 10 mcg / kg / day subcutaneously, either as a bolus or continuous infusion, at least 4 days before the first leukapheresis procedure and continuing until the last leukapheresis.

Duration of therapy: Although the optimal duration of use and a leukapheresis schedule have not been established, 6-7 days of use with leukapheresis on days 5, 6, and 7 were found to be safe and effective.

Dosage for neutropenia:

Congenital neutropenia:

• Initial dose: 6 mcg / kg subcutaneously twice daily
• Average dosage: 6 mcg / kg / day
• Maximum dose: the dose in rare cases, the patient has required greater than 100 mcg / kg / day.

Idiopathic or cyclic neutropenia: Initial dose: 5 mcg / kg subcutaneously once daily

Average dosage:

• Cyclic neutropenia: 2.1 mcg / kg / day
• Idiopathic neutropenia: 1.2 mcg / kg / day

What is the dosage of filgrastim for children?

Children's dosage for Neutropenia

Congenital neutropenia:

• Initial dose: 6 mcg / kg subcutaneously twice daily
• Average dosage: 6.0 mcg / kg / day

Idiopathic or cyclic neutropenia: Initial dose: 5 mcg / kg subcutaneously once daily

Average dosage:

• Cyclic neutropenia: 2.1 mcg / kg / day
• Idiopathic neutropenia: 1.2 mcg / kg / day

Children's dosage for chemotherapy-related neutropenia

• Initial dose: 5 mcg / kg / day as a single daily subcutaneous bolus injection, or a short intravenous infusion (15-30 minutes) or by continuous subcutaneous or intravenous infusion.
• Maintenance dose: In phase 3 trials, efficacy was observed at doses of 4-8 mcg / kg / day.
• Duration of therapy: Up to 2 weeks, until the absolute neutrophil count reaches 10,000 / mm3.

In what dosages and preparations filgrastim is available?

• Solution, Injection: 300 mcg / mL, 480 mcg / 1.6 mL
• Solution, injection: 300 mcg / 0.5 mL, 480 mcg / 0.8 mL
• Prefilled injection solution, subcutaneous: 300 mcg / 0.5 mL, 480 mcg / 0.8 mL

What to do in an emergency or overdose?

In case of an emergency or overdose, contact the local emergency services provider (119) or immediately to the nearest hospital emergency department.

What should I do if I forget to take medicine or forget to take medicine?

If you forget a dose of this medicine, use it as soon as possible. However, when it is nearing the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and return to the usual dosing schedule. Don't double the dose.

Hello Health Group does not provide medical consultation, diagnosis or treatment.