IMPORTANT WARNING:   Return to top

About your treatment   Return to top

Your doctor has ordered the drug teniposide to help treat your illness. The drug is given by injection into a vein.

This medication is used to treat:

• childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia

This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Teniposide is in a class of drugs known as podophyllotoxin derivatives; it slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body. The length of treatment depends on the types of drugs you are taking, how well your body responds to them, and the type of cancer you have.

Precautions   Return to top

Before taking teniposide,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to teniposide or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially aspirin and vitamins.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had liver or kidney disease.
• you should know that teniposide may interfere with the normal menstrual cycle (period) in women and may stop sperm production in men. However, you should not assume that you cannot get pregnant or that you cannot get someone else pregnant. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should tell their doctors before they begin taking this drug. You should not plan to have children while receiving chemotherapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. Teniposide may harm the fetus.
• do not have any vaccinations (e.g., measles or flu shots) without talking to your doctor.

Side effects   Return to top

Side effects from teniposide are common and include:

• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea
• thinned or brittle hair

Tell your doctor if either of these symptoms is severe or lasts for several hours:

• fatigue
• mouth blistering

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

• unusual bruising or bleeding
• dizziness, lightheadedness, or feeling of faintness
• pain at the injection site
• persistent diarrhea or any change in normal bowel habits for more than 2 days
• fever
• chills
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• breathing discomfort

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at ] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].

In case of emergency/overdose   Return to top

In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.

Brand names   Return to top

Other names   Return to top

Last Revised - 04/01/2003
Last Reviewed - 08/01/2007