Possible side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately:

• Abnormal bruising, bleeding, or signs of infection such as a sore throat and high temperature
• Severe allergic reaction ( anaphylaxis / anaphylactic reactions) – you may experience a sudden itchy rash (hives), swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, face, lips, mouth or throat (which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing), and you may feel you are going to faint

 

• Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (a disease characterized by acute kidney failure), decreased urination or blood in the urine

 

These are serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention.

 

Very common side effects (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):

• Tiredness, shortness of breath and paleness caused by anemia (a condition in which there is a decreased number of red blood cells)
• Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
• Stomach pain and cramp
• Changes in your red and white blood cells and platelets (myelosuppresion)
• Increase in the level of urea in your blood
• Decrease in the level of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium in your blood
• Decrease in renal creatinine clearance
• Abnormal liver enzyme levels

 

Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

• Signs of infection such as fever or sore throat
• Flu-like symptoms
• Symptoms of severe allergic reaction include sudden wheeziness or tightness of chest, swelling of the eyelids, face or lips, facial flushing, low blood pressure, rapid heart beat, hives, shortness of breath, dizziness and anaphylactic shock
• Tingling or numbness in your hands, feet, arms or legs
• Burning or prickling sensation
• Decreased tendon reflex
• Taste disturbance or loss of taste
• Temporary worsening of eyesight or changes to your vision, ringing in the ears or changes in your hearing
• Heart disorders
• Tightness of the chest or wheezing
• Interstitial lung disease (a group of lung disorders in which the deep lung tissues become inflamed)
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Sore lips or mouth ulcers (mucous membrane disorders)
• Hair loss
• Rash and/or itchy skin
• Pain or discomfort in your bones, joints, muscles, or surrounding structures (musculoskeletal disorder)
• Problems with your kidneys or urine
• Extreme tiredness/ weakness (asthenia)
• Increased level of bilirubin and creatinine in your blood
• Increased level of uric acid in your blood which may lead to gout.

 

Rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):

• Temporary sight loss

 

Very rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):

• Scarring of the lungs which causes shortness of breath and/or cough (pulmonary fibrosis)

 

Not known side effects (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):

• Cancers caused by treatment with carboplatin (secondary malignancies)
• Feeling unwell with high temperature due to low levels of white blood cells (febrile neutropenia)
• A group of symptoms such as headache, altered mental functioning, seizures and abnormal vision (from blurriness to vision loss). These are symptoms of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome, a rare neurological disorder
• Dry mouth, tiredness, and headache due to excessive loss of body water (dehydration)
• Loss of appetite, anorexia
• Pancreatitis
• Stroke (sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body)
• Severely impaired liver function, damage or death of liver cells
• Heart failure
• Obstruction in blood vessel (embolism), swelling or tenderness of leg/ arm
• Changes in blood pressure (hypertension or hypotension)
• Skin disorders such as hives, rash, skin redness (erythema), and itching
• Swelling or soreness where the injection was given
• Lung infection

 

Carboplatin may lead to problems with your blood, liver and kidneys. Your doctor will take blood samples to check for these problems.