Some drugs can cause physical side effects. Other drugs, like steroids, can also cause sadness, anger, and mood swings. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are experiencing side effects. Sometimes the dosage or type of drug can be changed to eliminate the problem.
Caution: Herbs, Supplements, Botanicals, and Vitamins
Be careful about using herbs, supplements, botanicals ,and mega-doses of vitamins while taking medications for GVHD. Some can reduce the effectiveness of your GVHD medication or cause serious side effects. For example:
- Turmeric and curcumin supplements can change how your body processes tacrolimus. When they are applied to the skin, they can cause sun sensitivity and/or a rash.
- Garlic supplements can decrease the effectiveness of cyclosporine and increase your risk for bleeding (cooking with garlic is fine).
- Omega-3 supplements can interfere with the effectiveness of steroids used to treat GVHD and increase the risk of bleeding.
- Milk thistle can interfere with how your liver processes sirolimus and some antifungal drugs.
- St. John’s wort can interfere with the effectiveness of cyclosporine and tacrolimus, as well as some blood pressure medications.
Check with your doctor before starting or continuing to use any non-prescription medicine, herb, or other supplement.
Drugs Used to Treat GVHD and Its Symptoms
Below is a list of side effects that have been reported for each drug or therapy in ten percent or more of patients. Other less common side effects have also been reported. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for details about the complete list of side effects.
New drugs and therapies are constantly being developed to prevent or treat GVHD. If a drug you are taking is not on this list, consult your doctor or pharmacist for a list of potential side effects.
Drugs are listed in alphabetical order below. Click on the first letter of the drug's name to view all drugs beginning with that letter. The letters in gray do not have drugs that begin with that letter in the directory.
A | B |C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
A
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Abatacept (Orencia®)
- headache
- infection
- nausea
- infusion reactions, such as chills and fevers
- high blood pressure
Afinitor® (see everolimus)
Antithymocyte Globulin (ATGAM, Thymoglobulin®)
- infusion reactions: fever, chills, low blood pressure, skin rash
- joint pain
- headache
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- night sweats
- dizziness
- shortness of breath
- low platelet and white blood cell counts
- infections
ATGAM (see anti-thymocyte globulin)
Autologous serum eye drops
- worsening eye discomfort
- bacterial conjunctivitis
- eyelid redness
- corneal damage
Axatilimab (Niktimvo™)
- muscle, bone, or pain
- low energy
- headache
- diarrhea
- increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
B
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Belumosudil (Rezurock®)
- infection
- feeling tired, weakness
- nausea
- diarrhea
- shortness of breath
- cough
- low white blood cell count
- swelling caused by excess fluid
- bleeding
- muscle, bone, tendon, or nerve pain
- stomach pain
- high blood pressure
- headache, fever
C
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CellCept® (see mycophenolate mofetil)
Cyclophosphamide
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- mouth sores
- kidney problems
- bleeding from bladder
- bloody urine
- low blood cell counts
- infections
Cyclosporine (Gengraf®, Neoral®, Sandimmune®)
- kidney problems
- headaches
- tremors, muscle cramps
- increased body hair
- seizures
- nausea, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort
- high blood pressure
- gum overgrowth
E
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ECP (see extracorporeal photopheresis)
Enbrel® (see etanercept)
Etanercept (Enbrel®)
- respiratory infections
- reactions at the site of injection
- headache
Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP)
- sensitivity to sunlight and other sources of UV light
- skin redness
- fever
- low blood pressure
- low red cell and platelet count
- iron deficiency
- fatigue
G
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Gengraf® (see cyclosporine)
I
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Ibrutinib (Imbruvica®)
- fatigue
- bruising
- rash
- diarrhea, nausea
- low platelet count
- muscle spasms
- mouth sores
- pneumonia
- brittle nails
- abnormal heart rhythm
IL-2 (see interleukin-2)
Imbruvica® (see ibrutinib)
Interleukin-2 (IL-2, Proleukin®)
- infusion reactions: fever, chills, low blood pressure
- flu-like symptoms, general aches and pains
- redness on the face and body
- rash
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- low blood counts
- confusion, drowsiness or temporary memory loss
- fast heart beats
- low urine output
- swelling of face, ankles or legs
- respiratory issues, difficulty breathing
J
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Jakafi® (see ruxolitinib)
Jakavi® (see ruxolitinib)
M
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Methotrexate (Rheumatrex®)
- mouth sores
- skin redness
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- anemia
- elevated uric acid
- kidney problems
- liver problems
- low blood counts
Methoxsalen (Oxsoralen®) with ultraviolet A light
- nausea
- itching of the skin
- sensitivity to the sun
Montelukast (Singulair®)
- headache
Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF, CellCept®)
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- bleeding
- increased risk of infection
- high blood sugar
- high cholesterol
- anemia
- low calcium and magnesium
- high potassium
- cough, breathing issues
Myfortic® (see mycophenolate mofetil)
N
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Neoral® (see cyclosporine)
Niktimvo™ (see axatilomab)
O
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Orencia® (See abatacept)
Orthoclone® (see Muromonab-CD3)
Oxsoralen® (see methoxsalen)
P
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Prednisone and Prednisolone
- osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones)
- joint deterioration
- infection
- cataracts
- weight gain
- moon face
- mood swings
- depression
- high blood sugar
- high blood pressure
- gastric ulcers
- muscle weakness
- bleeding
Prograf® (see tacrolimus)
Proleukin® (see interleukin-2)
Psoralen with ultraviolet A light
- nausea
- itching of the skin
PUVA (see psoralen with ultraviolet A light)
R
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Rapamune® (see sirolimus)
Rezurock® (see belumosudil)
Rheumatrex® (see methotrexate)
Rituxan® (see rituximab)
Rituximab (Rituxan®)
- infusion reactions: fever, chills, rigors, low blood pressure
- rash, itching skin
- swelling of soft tissues
- infections
- muscle pain
- diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
- low blood counts
- low immunoglobulin levels
- reactivation of hepatitis B
Ruxolitinib (Jakafi®/Jakavi®)
- low blood counts
- bruising
- dizziness
- headache
- elevated liver enzymes
- elevated cholesterol
S
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Sandimmune® (see cyclosporine)
Singulair® (see montelukast)
Sirolimus (Rapamune®)
- infection
- bleeding
- elevated glucose (sugar) in the blood
- elevated triglycerides (blood fats)
- swelling
- fever
- headache
- low blood counts
- kidney problems
- constipation
- diarrhea
- sepsis
T
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Tacrolimus (Prograf®)
- nausea, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort
- kidney problems
- headaches
- tremors
- high blood sugar
- high cholesterol
- high potassium
- low magnesium and phosphate
Thymoglobulin® (see antithymocyte globulin)
U
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Ursodeoxycholic acid
- headache
- dizziness
- nausea, vomiting, gastric discomfort
- back pain
- respiratory infection
Next Page: Coping with the Stress of GVHD
