Idelalisib

Idelalisib may cause serious or life threatening liver damage. Tell your doctor if you have or ever have had liver disease. The risk of liver damage may be increased in people taking other medications known to cause liver damage, and in people who already have liver disease. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about the medications you are taking so they can check whether any of your medications may increase the risk that you will develop liver damage during your treatment with idelalisib. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: extreme tiredness, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, unusual bleeding or bruising, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark yellow or brown-colored urine, pale stools, or pain in the upper right part of the stomach.

Idelalisib may cause diarrhea, colitis (swelling of the large intestine), or holes in the stomach or intestine. Tell your doctor if you have diarrhea or if you have ever had colitis or other conditions that affect your stomach or intestine. The risk of diarrhea may be increased in people taking other medications known to cause diarrhea. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about the medications you are taking so they can check whether any of your medications may increase the risk that you will develop diarrhea during your treatment with idelalisib.If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: if your number of bowel movements in a day increases by 6 or more , stomach cramps or pain, chills, fever, nausea, or vomiting.

Idelalisib may cause serious or life threatening pneumonitis (swelling of the lungs). Tell your doctor if you have lung disease or breathing problems. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: new or worsening cough, difficulty breathing, wheezing, or shortness of breath.

Idelalisib may cause serious or life threatening infections. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, or if you have or have ever had cytomegalovirus (CMV; a viral infection that may cause symptoms in patients with weak immune systems). If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: fever, sore throat, chills, painful, frequent, or difficult urination, or other signs of infection.

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain tests to check your body’s response to idelalisib.

Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking idelalisib.

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🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?

Idelalisib is used along with another medication rituximab (Rituxan) to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL; a type of cancer that begins in the white blood cells) in people whose cancer came back after receiving other cancer treatments. It is also used to treat certain types of follicular lymphoma (FL; a type of cancer that begins in the white blood cells) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL:a type of cancer that begins in the white blood cells) in people whose cancer came back after being treated with at least 2 other cancer treatments. Idelalisib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of the abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps stop the spread of cancer cells.

🔔 How should this medicine be used?

Idelalisib comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken with or without food twice a day. Take idelalisib at around the same times every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take idelalisib exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Swallow the tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them.

Your doctor may decrease your dose of idelalisib or tell you to stop taking the medication for a time or permanently if you experience serious side effects during your treatment. This depends on how well the medication works for you and the side effects you experience. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling during your treatment. Continue to take idelalisib even if you feel well. Do not stop taking idelalisib without talking to your doctor.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.

🔔 Other uses for this medicine

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.