An Introduction to Side Effects of Doxorubicin
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with
doxorubicin hydrochloride (
Adriamycin®, Doxil
®). However, not everyone who takes the medication will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or are easily treated by you or your healthcare provider.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with doxorubicin. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of doxorubicin side effects with you.)
Common Side Effects of Doxorubicin
Doxorubicin has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials, in which the side effects of a group of people taking the drug are documented. In these studies, the most common side effects of doxorubicin when it was used in combination with
cyclophosphamide (
Cytoxan®, Neosar
®) included:
- Hair loss -- in up to 92 percent of people (see Doxorubicin and Hair Loss)
- Vomiting -- up to 71.2 percent
- Nausea (without vomiting) -- up to 15.5 percent (see Chemotherapy and Nausea)
- Weight gain -- up to 14.4 percent (see Doxorubicin and Weight Gain)
- Weight loss -- up to 8.6 percent
- Leukopenia (low levels of certain white blood cells called leukocytes) -- up to 3.7 percent.
Doxorubicin often causes discoloration of the urine, which may look like blood in your urine. However, this is normal and is not dangerous.
