What safety measures should you take when your child is using busulfan?
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) may change the way the body handles busulfan. As a result, your child should try to avoid use of acetaminophen (Tylenol) just before and during the time that busulfan is being given.
Grapefruit or grapefruit juice may affect how the body handles busulfan. Your child should avoid having grapefruit, grapefruit juice, or fruit punches with grapefruit juice at any time while they are being treated with busulfan.
Busulfan can lower the number of white blood cells in the blood temporarily, which increases your child's chances of getting an infection. Your child can take the following precautions to prevent infections, especially when the blood count is low:
- Avoid people with infections, such as a cold or the flu.
- Avoid places that are very crowded with large groups of people.
- Be careful when brushing or flossing your child's teeth. Your doctor, nurse, or dentist may suggest different ways to clean your child's mouth and teeth.
- You and our child shouldn't touch your child's eyes or inside their nose without washing your or your child's hands first.
- Your child's nurse and doctor will review with you what to do in case of fever.
Your child should not receive any immunizations (vaccines) without your child's doctor's approval. Your child or anyone else in your household should not get oral polio vaccine for a period after your child has been treated with busulfan. Tell your child's doctor if anyone in your household has recently received oral polio vaccine. Your child should avoid contact with anyone who has recently received this vaccine. Other live vaccines that your child should not get include measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), and chicken pox vaccine.
Busulfan can lower the number of platelets in the blood, which increases your child's risk of bleeding. You can take the following precautions:
- Be careful not to cut your child when using a razor, fingernail scissors, or toenail clippers.
- Your child should be careful when shaving or waxing.
- Your child should avoid contact sports where bruising or injury could occur.
- Before your child has surgery, including dental surgery, inform the doctor or dentist that your child is taking busulfan.
Check with your child's doctor or pharmacist before giving your child any other medicines (prescription or non-prescription or herbal products).