Hydroxyurea(Hydrea®)

Pronounced: [hye-DROX-ee-ure-EE-a]

About Your Medication

Hydroxyurea is an oral medicine that your doctor prescribed for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia or a blood disorder such as sickle cell anemia. Please take your hydroxyurea as directed by your prescriber.

How to Take Your Medication

  • Take your hydroxyurea at approximate the same time(s) each day
  • Hydroxyurea may be taken with or without food. Take with food if stomach upset occurs.
  • Do not break or chew capsules, swallow whole with a full glass of water.
  • Contact your cancer clinic if you are unable to take hydroxyurea as prescribed, including if you are unable to swallow the capsule.
  • If a dose is missed, do not take two doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose.

Tell Your Healthcare Provider if you have any trouble taking your hydroxyurea, including:

  • Trouble swallowing pills
  • Forgetting to take doses
  • Trouble affording your medications
  • Throwing up pills
  • Side effects

Important Precautions

  • Hydroxyurea may be harmful to an unborn child. If sexually active with a partner that is pregnant or who may become pregnant during and for several weeks after treatment, two forms of contraception must be used (a condom and another effective form of birth control).
  • Hydroxyurea passes into the breast milk.Breast feeding is not recommended while receiving hydroxyurea.
  • Hydroxyurea is considered to be genotoxic and may be carcinogenic.
  • Long term use has been associated with secondary leukemias in patients taking hydroxurea for a myeloproliferative disorder.
  • Skin cancer has been reported with long-term hydroxyurea use.

What foods and drugs may interact with my hydroxyurea?

Please talk to your healthcare provider at your cancer clinic before starting or stopping any medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements, because some of these may interact with your hydroxyurea.

Storage, Handling, and Disposal

It is important to keep these safeguards in mind when storing and handling oral anticancer therapy to keep you and your caregivers safe.

  • Keep your hydroxyurea in a safe place, away from other family members’ medications and away from any food or drinks.
  • Store the medication at room temperature in a dry location – avoid storing your medication in the bathroom.
  • Store hydroxyurea in its original container with the lid tightly closed.
  • Keep the medication out of reach from children and pets.
  • Return expired, damaged, or unused hydroxyurea to a pharmacy or hospital for disposal. Do not discard into the garbage or toilet, or anywhere that children or pets may have access.

Hydroxyurea (Cytoxan, Neosar®) Side Effect Summary

This list does not include all possible side effects of hydroxyurea. If you have an unusual symptom, call the clinic. Below are the most common side effects:

Decrease in Blood Cell Counts (white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets). This can cause you to be more at risk of infection, fatigue, and bleeding.
What Can I Do? / When to Call the Clinic?
  • Wash hands regularly
  • Avoid close contact with others who are sick
  • Avoid activities with a high potential for injury and bleeding (contact sports, etc.)
  • The clinic will monitor your labs regularly. Make sure not to miss clinic visits or lab draws
/
  • Temperature of 100.5˚F or higher- CONTACT THE CLINIC IMMEDIATELY
  • Any signs of infection
  • Unusual tiredness or weakness
  • Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
  • Unusual bleeding or bruising

Below are some less common side effects of hydroxyurea.

Less Common Side Effects / What Can I Do? /
  • When to Call the Clinic?

Fatigue /
  • Don’t over-exert yourself
  • Rest when you’re tired
/
  • Unable to perform normal daily activities

Rash /
  • Avoid direct sunlight (cover exposed areas of skin and use sunscreen)
  • Use antihistamines (anti-itch) medications as prescribed
  • Apply non-scented lotion to affected areas to avoid dryness
/
  • If rash becomes bothersome, if there are any open areas, or if you are unable to perform normal daily activities due to the rash
  • If rash is itchy despite use of antihistamine medications
  • If the skin is bleeding or looks red and/or infected
  • If multiple areas of the body are affected by the rash

Nausea/Vomiting /
  • Stay well-hydrated
  • Use anti-nausea medication prescribed by the clinic
  • Eat smaller, more frequent meals/snacks (avoid empty stomach)
/
  • Unable to stay hydrated or hold down fluid (not able to drink 8-10 cups of liquid per day) – CONTACT IMMEDIATELY
  • The anti-nausea medication prescribed is not working

Who to Call With Questions?

If you are having an emergency, call 911

Who to Call With Questions?

If you are having an emergency, call 911

Who to Call With Questions?

If you are having an emergency, call 911

Who to Call With Questions?

If you are having an emergency, call 911

Copyright 2017 Michigan Oncology Quality Consortium, All rights reserved. V.12-14 MOQC-7.31.2018

MOQC makes no representations or warranties and explicitly disclaims the appropriateness or applicability of the MOQC Content to any specific patient's care or treatment. Any clinician seeking to treat a patient using the MOQC Content is expected to use independent medical judgment in the context of individual clinical circumstances of a specific patient's care or treatment.