What is Hydroxyurea?
Category: Prescription Drugs
Most popular types: Hydrea Droxia
Hydroxyurea is an antineoplastic drug used in the treatment of cancer that suppresses the production of blood cell precursors in the bone marrow. It is also used in the treatment of certain leukemias, carcinomas, HIV, and sickle cell anemia.
| Purpose | Patients | Evaluations | Perceived Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential thrombocythemia | 97 | 14 | |
| Polycythemia vera | 78 | 16 | |
| Sickle cell disease | 60 | 3 | |
| Myelofibrosis | 19 | 0 | |
| Acute myeloid leukemia | 10 | 0 | |
| Acute promyelocytic leukemia | 3 | 0 |
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
Side effects
Side effects as an overall problem
| Severity | Evaluations | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 6 | |
| Moderate | 12 | |
| Mild | 5 | |
| None | 11 |
Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Hydroxyurea
| Side effect | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 8 | |
| Fatigue | 7 | |
| Hair loss | 4 | |
| Brain fog | 2 | |
| Hair thinning | 2 | |
| Anxious mood | 1 |
Why patients stopped taking Hydroxyurea
Multiple reasons could be selected
| Reason | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Did not seem to work | 6 | |
| Course of treatment ended | 4 | |
| Doctor's advice | 4 | |
| Side effects too severe | 4 | |
| Other | 3 | |
| Personal research | 2 | |
| Change in health plan coverage | 1 |
Duration
Stopped taking Hydroxyurea
| Duration | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | 1 | |
| 1 - 6 months | 4 | |
| 6 months - 1 year | 3 | |
| 1 - 2 years | 2 | |
| 2 - 5 years | 4 | |
| 5 - 10 years | 2 | |
| 10 years or more | 2 |
What people switch to and from
Patients started taking Hydroxyurea after stopping:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A) | 1 | |
| Methotrexate (Apo-Methotrexate) | 1 |
Patients stopped taking Hydroxyurea and switched to:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Amiloride | 1 | |
| Anagrelide (Agrylin) | 1 | |
| Azathioprine (Imuran) | 1 | |
| Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A) | 1 | |
| Thalidomide (Thalomid) | 1 |
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