Informational only — Not medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider.

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Community data Updated 23 hours ago

Vinblastine Sulfate

Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Prescription
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Indications

Vinblast is a cytotoxic medicine that stops cell growth at the metaphase stage of cell division. It affects rapidly dividing cells much more than normal cells. Like vincristine, it seems to work by binding to the microtubular proteins of the mitotic spindle, which prevents them from polymerising.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Nobody has settled exactly how Vinblastine works, but it seems to bind to critical microtubular proteins of the mitotic spindle, or to crystallise them. Either way, the proteins can't polymerise properly, and the cell is held at metaphase arrest. At high concentrations, Vinblastine also has complex effects on nucleic acid and protein synthesis.

It is also reported to interfere with amino acid metabolism. It blocks the cell from using glutamic acid, and this in turn inhibits purine synthesis, the citric acid cycle and the formation of urea. Vinblastine has some immunosuppressive activity as well.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

There isn't much information on using Vinblastine during pregnancy, but the drug may cause foetal toxicity when given to a pregnant woman. In animals, it causes resorption of foetuses, and the offspring that survive show gross foetal abnormalities. No adequate and controlled studies of Vinblastine in pregnant women have been done so far. So it should be used in pregnancy only in life-threatening situations or severe disease, where safer drugs can't be used or don't work.

Women who could become pregnant should be advised to avoid pregnancy while they are receiving the drug. If Vinblastine is given during pregnancy, or the patient becomes pregnant while taking it, she should be told about the potential hazard to the foetus.

Breast-feeding

It isn't known whether Vinblastine passes into human milk. Because it could cause serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, a decision should be made either to stop nursing or to stop the drug, taking into account how important the drug is to the mother.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: The usual dose of VinBLAStine sulphate for adults, the elderly and children is 6 mg/m2, and it is normally given no more often than once every seven days. For testicular tumours, the dose may be raised to 0.2 mg/kg on each of two consecutive days, repeated every three weeks. To reduce the chance of the drug leaking outside the vein, it is suggested that the mini-bag infusion and the needle be rinsed with venous blood before they are withdrawn. The dose should not be diluted in a large volume of diluent (that is, 100 to 250 ml), and it should not be given into a vein over a long period (30 to 60 minutes or more). Both of these often irritate the vein and make extravasation more likely. Thrombosis is also more likely in some limbs, so it is considered inadvisable to inject a solution of VinBLAStine sulphate into an arm or leg where the circulation is impaired or may be impaired. Examples are a compressing or invading neoplasm, phlebitis or varicosity.

Side Effects & Interactions

Side Effects

No side-effect data recorded yet.