What should I tell my care team before I take this medication?
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
-Cancer
-Heart disease
-Hepatitis
-High cholesterol
-Infection such as tuberculosis (TB) or other bacterial, fungal, or viral infections
-Low blood counts (white cells, platelets, or red blood cells)
-Smoke tobacco cigarettes
-Stroke
-An unusual or allergic reaction to ruxolitinib, other medications, foods, dyes, or preservatives
-Pregnant or trying to get pregnant
-Breast-feeding
What may interact with this medication?
-Azathioprine
-Baricitinib
-Biologic medications such as adalimumab, certolizumab, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab
-Certain antibiotics like clarithromycin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and telithromycin
-Certain medications for fungal infections like fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole
-Certain medications for seizures like carbamazepine, phenobarbital, fosphenytoin, phenytoin, and primidone
-Cyclosporine
-Enzalutamide
-Fedratinib
-Idelalisib
-Lumacaftor; ivacaftor
-Ribociclib
-Rifampin
-St. John's wort
-Tofacitinib
-Upadacitinib
This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.
What should I watch for while using this medication?
Visit your care team for regular checks on your progress. Tell your care team if your symptoms do not start to get better or if they get worse.
You may need blood work while you are taking this medication.
This medication may increase your risk of getting an infection. Call your care team for advice if you get a fever, chills, sore throat, or other symptoms of a cold or flu. Do not treat yourself. Try to avoid being around people who are sick.
Avoid taking medications that contain aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, or ketoprofen unless instructed by your care team. These medications may hide a fever.
Be careful brushing or flossing your teeth or using a toothpick because you may get an infection or bleed more easily. If you have any dental work done, tell your dentist you are receiving this medication.
Talk to your care team about your risk of cancer. You may be more at risk for certain types of cancers if you take this medication.
Do not breast-feed while taking this medication or for 4 weeks after stopping it.
What are the most serious risks of this medication?
This medicine can increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
This medicine increases the risk of blood clots.
This medicine can lower your body’s ability to fight infections. You may get more infections while taking this medicine. Any infection you get could become serious and even deadly.
This medicine may increase the risk of cancer.
This medicine may increase the risk of death in some patients.