Right at the beginning, you need to remember that bevacizumab injection works by blocking the VEGF protein. The full name is a vascular endothelial growth factor. It decreases the supply of blood to the tumour, slowing down or curtailing the speed of the tumour. Precautions are very important while administering this injection.
If you have had blood clots, stroke, and renal malaise or are diabetic, you need to clearly outline your medical condition to your doctor. The dosage will vary likewise. Before undergoing a medical procedure, notify your physician about all the non-prescription and prescription drugs that you’ve been taking all along.
What is Bevacizumab?
Bevacizumab drug is used to treat certain types of cancers in the brain, lung, colon, rectum, kidney, cervix, and ovary. Doctors used to prescribe bevacizumab as a breast cancer treatment once upon a time, but the FDA determined that the medicinal benefits don’t outweigh the perils for most breast cancer patients.
The Basics
Bevacizumab forms a class of medications you call antiangiogenic agents. They work by blocking blood vessels from forming inside the body to feed tumours. Doctors typically give bevacizumab injection along with chemotherapy. They often use the drug as a second-line therapy or prescribe in cases where cancers spread to other parts of the body.
1. The combination with Lucentis:
Medical experts have also used bevacizumab as an off-label drug to treat macular degeneration due to age. The off label implies a drug that doctors prescribe to treat a condition or disease, which the FDA has not approved yet. Many drugs in this pathway are still effective and safe.
2. Bevacizumab and Pregnancy:
Studies are still going to affirm whether bevacizumab injection can harm an unborn baby or not. The drug did lead to birth defects in many animal studies. As per recent researches, bevacizumab injection may complicate pregnancy for some women. It may cause a female’s ovaries to stop functioning properly. The impact could affect the fertility of that woman. Talk to your physician if you’re pregnant or plan to conceive in the future.
If you stop administering the injection, you should continue to use birth control methods for a minimum of six months before conceiving. Medical scientists are yet to decipher whether the drug passes into breast milk or not. There are ongoing researches to find whether it harms a breastfeeding baby or not. Doctors don’t recommend you have bevacizumab while breastfeeding.
3. The drug warnings:
Bevacizumab comes with a black box precaution or warning. It can put at perils for developing a life-threatening or serious hole in your intestine’s or stomach’s wall. If you experience fever, constipation, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain, call your doctor immediately. If you experience any issues with wound healing, call your physician immediately.
The black box warning
If you are coughing up blood, or experience nosebleeds, you need to consult your doctor right away. If your gums are bleeding, if you’re vomiting or coughing up blood, vomiting or coughing up stuff that resembles coffee grounds, call your doctor. Also if there is an increase in your menstrual flow, notify your physician.
