Side Effects of Low Dose Cytoxan Treatment

Cytoxan is a brand name for the prescription medication cyclophosphamide. Despite its effectiveness at treating certain kidney diseases and cancers of the ovaries, eyes, skin and bone marrow, Cytoxan poses a risk of side effects, even at low doses.

Common Side Effects

• The most common side effects of low dose Cytoxan treatment are nausea, vomiting, hair loss, loss of appetite and darkening of your skin or fingernails.

Potential

• Cytoxan has the potential to cause a shortage of white blood cells, known as leukopenia; however, this is much less common with low-dose treatment, according to RxList.com.

Drug Interactions

• Cytoxan should not be used within 10 days of a surgical procedure where succinylcholine chloride is used as the general anesthesia, reports RxList.com. This is because Cytoxan causes an increase in the effects of the anesthetic, which could pose life-threatening risks to patients.

Risks

• With all doses, Cytoxan has the potential to cause infertility in both women and men and also poses a slight risk for the recurrence of cancer later in life, warns RxList.com. Other risks associated with Cytoxan include severe urinary infections, congestive heart failure, swelling of your heart muscle, possible death of some of the tissues in your heart and severe allergic reactions.

Considerations

• Cytoxan poses a risk for miscarriage and birth defects and cannot be taken during pregnancy. If you have a history of shingles, gout, kidney stones, recurrent infections, kidney or liver disease or partial or complete removal of your adrenal glands, it may not be safe for you to take Cytoxan due to its possible side effects at even low doses, cautions the Mayo Clinic.