Procarbazine Hydrochloride 50mg, Oral capsule
Alcohol
· Severity: Major
· Notes for Consumers: Do not drink alcohol while taking this medication. Drinking alcohol while taking this medication may cause severe discomfort that may last for hours. Contact your care team right away if you experience facial flushing or redness, severe headache, stomach cramps, nausea, or vomiting.
· Notes for Professionals: A disulfiram-like reaction can occur in patients who drink alcohol while they are receiving procarbazine. Patients should be counseled to avoid alcohol-containing products while receiving procarbazine therapy.
Procarbazine Hydrochloride 50mg, Oral capsule
Caffeine-containing Foods/Beverages
· Severity: Major
· Notes for Consumers: Try to limit caffeine intake while taking procarbazine. Side effects from procarbazine may get worse if you take caffeine, like increased blood pressure, confusion, restlessness, or other side effects. All preparations containing caffeine should be used sparingly such as tea, coffee, chocolate, cola, or 'stay awake' products. Some nonprescription medicines also contain caffeine and should not be taken along with procarbazine.
· Notes for Professionals: Ingestion of certain products should be minimized while receiving procarbazine therapy, as the drug has some MAO inhibiting actions. Caffeine may produce hypertension or hypertensive crisis or induce cardiac arrhythmias if administered to patients taking drugs with strong MAOI properties. All preparations containing caffeine should be used sparingly such as teas, coffee, chocolate, cola, guarana, or 'stay awake' products. Some non-prescription medicines also contain caffeine and should not be taken without health care professional advice. Following discontinuation of procarbazine, dietary restrictions should continue for at least 2 weeks due to the slow recovery from the enzyme-inhibiting effects.
Procarbazine Hydrochloride 50mg, Oral capsule
Tobacco
· Severity: Major
· Notes for Consumers: Do not smoke or use tobacco products while taking this medication. Smoking while taking this medication increases the risk for serious side effects. Contact your care team if you experience new or worsening side effects.
· Notes for Professionals: Advise patients to avoid smoking tobacco while taking procarbazine. Tobacco smoking during procarbazine therapy has been associated with an increased risk of secondary lung cancer. Results of a case-controlled study in patients with Hodgkin's disease receiving MOPP combination chemotherapy suggest an increased risk of lung cancer in a dose-dependent fashion, which is multiplied with exposure to tobacco smoke.
Procarbazine Hydrochloride 50mg, Oral capsule
Tyramine-containing foods
· Severity: Major
· Notes for Consumers: Certain foods might increase the risk of side effects with procarbazine. In addition, you should probably limit your intake of aged or smoked meats (like sausages or smoked or pickled fish), aged cheeses, and caffeine containing foods like coffee, colas, teas, and chocolate while on procarbazine. Taking these foods along with procarbazine might increase the risk of high blood pressure, confusion, restlessness, or other side effects. Ask your dietician or health care professional for a complete listing of foods best avoided while on procarbazine.
· Notes for Professionals: Foods with a high tyramine content should be minimized while receiving procarbazine therapy as procarbazine has MAOI activity.