Whenever your doctor prescribes a treatment, tell him or her if:
- You've taken the drug before (even if you had no unusual reaction)
- You had an unusual or allergic reaction to this drug
- You have or have had any other medical conditions, including:
- Diabetes
- Gout
- Heart disease (or abnormal heart rhythms or congestive heart failure)
- A head injury
- Infection
- An immune deficiency
- Kidney disease
- Kidney stones
- Liver disease
- Marrow depression
- Low serum magnesium or potassium
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
- A history of alcoholism
- You've recently been exposed to varicella (chicken pox) or herpes zoster (shingles)
- You've had an unusual or allergic reaction to any foods such as lactose or egg whites, preservatives, dyes, E. coli-derived proteins, albumin or retinoid (vitamin A) preparations
- You've ever been treated with radiation therapy or other cancer therapies (some cancer drugs may increase the effects of other medications or radiation therapy
- You take any vitamins, minerals, herbs or other supplements
- You're planning a family or have any concerns about intimacy, birth control, fertility, pregnancy or breastfeeding
- You take any other drugs (prescription or over-the-counter)
- You use illegal or street drugs, which can increase the toxicity of certain cancer drugs
- You're a smoker