Gemcitabine

Possible serious side effects of gemcitabine include:

• Allergic reactions. Signs of allergic reaction can include trouble breathing; swelling or closing of the throat; swollen face, tongue, or lips; or hives.
• Low blood counts, which may increase the risk of infection and bleeding.
• Feeling extremely tired, bruising or bleeding easily, or signs of infection such as a fever or chills. These symptoms may mean that the medicine caused the numbers of your white or red blood cells or platelets to drop.
• Severe nausea and vomiting.
• Severe diarrhea.
• Blood in the urine or rarely needing to urinate.

Less serious side effects are more common and may include:

• Fever and flu-like symptoms.
• Mouth sores (stomatitis).
• Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
• Rash.
• Hair loss. This is reversible, and hair will grow back when treatment ends.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

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