Procarbazine, Oral

What are other names for this medicine?

Generic and brand names: procarbazine hydrochloride, oral; Matulane

What is this medicine used for?

This medicine is taken by mouth to treat certain forms of Hodgkin's disease. It is usually prescribed along with other medicines taken by mouth or given by injection. It may also be used to treat other types of cancer.

What should my health care provider know before I take this medicine?

Before taking this medicine, tell your health care provider if you have ever had:

• diabetes
• heart disease
• kidney disease
• liver disease
• epilepsy or a seizure disorder.

Females of childbearing age: Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant or breast-feeding because it may harm the baby. Do not get pregnant while taking this medicine. If you do get pregnant, contact your health care provider right away.

How do I use it?

Take this medicine and any other medicines exactly as your health care provider prescribes. The dosages may be changed based on your response and on the results of blood tests and other tests. Keep all your appointments for tests and injections.

What should I watch out for?

Do not take any other medicines unless your health care provider approves.

This medicine may cause drowsiness, dizziness, slower reflexes, and vision problems. Do not drive or operate machinery unless you are fully alert and can see clearly.

Children may be more sensitive to this medicine. Watch children for signs of shaking or convulsions and contact your health care provider right away if any of these occur.

This medicine may make your skin more sensitive to the sun and may cause you to sunburn more easily. While you are taking this medicine, avoid long exposure to the sun. While you are in the sun, wear protective clothing and sunscreen lotion until you know how you will react to the sun. Do not use a sunlamp. If you get a severe sunburn, contact your health care provider right away. Also, wear sunglasses when you are outdoors during the day.

This medicine may cause nausea and vomiting. Your health care provider may prescribe medicine to keep you from feeling sick and throwing up. If this medicine does not help, tell your health care provider.

You may get infections more easily when you are taking this medicine. Stay away from people with colds, flu, or other infections. Also, do not have any vaccines without getting your health care provider's approval first.

This medicine may make your mouth sore. Use a soft bristle brush or mouth swab to brush your teeth.

Do NOT drink alcohol or liquids with large amounts of caffeine in them such as coffee, tea, or soda pop while taking this medicine. Drinking these liquids can cause flushing, headache, vomiting, chest pain, or stomach pain.

Diabetics: This medicine may affect your blood sugar level and change the amount of insulin or other diabetes medicines you may need. Talk to your health care provider about this.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your health care provider if you have any side effects that continue or get worse.

Serious (report these to your health care provider right away): Fever, chills, sore throat, unusual bleeding or bruising, shortness of breath, sores in your mouth, cough, vomiting blood, black tarry stools, yellowish skin or eyes, shaking, convulsions (seizures), chest pain, fast heartbeat.

Other: Nausea, vomiting, muscle or joint pain, tiredness, sweating, constipation, trouble swallowing, headache, loss of appetite, hair loss, depression.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your health care provider if you are taking:

• antihistamines (for example, hay fever products), decongestants such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), and diet medicines.
• aspirin
• live vaccines such as polio and rotavirus
• medicines to treat asthma such as albuterol (Ventolin, Proventil, Volmax) and metaproterenol (Alupent, Metaprel)
• medicines used to treat depression such as amitriptyline (Elavil) or nortriptyline (Pamelor), citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), or sertraline (Zoloft), nefazodone (Serzone), and venlafaxine (Effexor)
• medicines used to treat migraine headaches such as rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig)
• muscle relaxants such as cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
• sleeping pills such as triazolam (Halcion), temazepam (Restoril), and secobarbital (Seconal)
• narcotic pain killers such as meperidine (Demerol) and morphine (MS Contin).

While you are taking this medicine, do not take any prescription or nonprescription medicines unless they are approved by the health care provider who prescribed this one.

Many foods and beverages contain chemicals that may cause your blood pressure to become too high when you take this medicine. While you are taking this medicine and for 2 weeks after you stop taking it, do not eat or drink any of the following: anchovies, caviar, beef or chicken livers, wild game meat, miso soup, soy sauce, sauerkraut, yeast extracts, raspberries, figs (canned, overripe), shrimp paste, bananas, dried fruit such as raisins and prunes, avocados (especially overripe), most types of strong cheeses and yogurt, broad beans (fava, especially if overripe), ginseng herb, caffeine (including that in coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate), beer (some nonalcoholic), red wine (especially chianti), sherry, distilled spirits, liqueurs, meat extracts, or meat or fish (including dried fish, sausage, bologna, pepperoni, and salami) that is fermented, spoiled, unrefrigerated, smoked, prepared with tenderizers, or pickled.

Do not drink alcohol while taking this medicine.

Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription, nonprescription, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins) with you. Be sure that you tell all health care providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

How should I store this medicine?

Store this medicine at room temperature. Keep the container tightly closed. Protect it from heat, high humidity, and bright light.

This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Ask your health care provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Ask your pharmacist for the best way to dispose of outdated medicine or medicine you have not used. Do not throw medicine in the trash.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Do not share medicines with other people.