Bendeka Side Effects

Generic name: bendamustine

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on Sep 26, 2024.

Note: This document provides detailed information about Bendeka.

Applies to bendamustine: intravenous powder for solution, intravenous solution Side Effects associated with bendamustine. Some dosage forms listed on this page may not apply specifically to the brand name Bendeka.

Applies to bendamustine: intravenous powder for solution, intravenous solution.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly. Blood tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Your doctor may do tests to make sure you are not pregnant before starting this medicine. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant while you are receiving this medicine and for at least 6 months after stopping it. Men should continue to use birth control for at least 3 months after the last dose of this medicine. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away.

Some men who use this medicine have become infertile (unable to have children). Talk with your doctor before using this medicine if you plan to have children.

Bendamustine can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection (eg, pneumonia). It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting. If this occurs, there are certain precautions you can take, especially when your blood count is low, to reduce the risk of an infection or bleeding:

• If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor right away if you think you are getting an infection or if you have fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, painful or difficult urination, trouble breathing, or unusual bleeding or bruising.
• Check with your doctor immediately if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising, black, tarry stools, blood in the urine or stools, or pinpoint red spots on your skin.
• Be careful when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical doctor, dentist, or nurse may recommend other ways to clean your teeth and gums. Check with your medical doctor before having any dental work done.
• Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands and have not touched anything else in the meantime.
• Be careful not to cut yourself when you are using sharp objects such as a safety razor or fingernail or toenail cutters.

This medicine may increase your risk of developing a serious and rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Check with your doctor if you have weakness on one side of the body, clumsiness, blurred vision, changes in thinking, memory problems, confusion, or personality changes.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis and infusion reactions, which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have chest tightness, chills, cough, fast heartbeat, fever, hives, hoarseness, itching, puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue, rash, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or unusual tiredness or weakness after you receive the medicine.

This medicine may cause a serious type of reaction called tumor lysis syndrome. Your doctor may give you a medicine to help prevent this. Call your doctor right away if you have a decrease or change in urine amount, joint pain, stiffness, or swelling, lower back, side, or stomach pain, a rapid weight gain, swelling of the feet or lower legs, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Serious skin reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) may occur during treatment with bendamustine (the active ingredient contained in Bendeka) Tell your doctor right away if you have black ,tarry stools, blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, chest pain, chills, cough, fever, joint or muscle pain, painful or difficult urination, red irritated eyes, red skin lesions, often with a purple center, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth, swollen glands, trouble breathing, unusual bleeding or bruising, or unusual tiredness or weakness while receiving this medicine.

Check with your doctor right away if you have pain or tenderness in the upper stomach, pale stools, dark urine, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or yellow eyes or skin. These could be symptoms of a serious liver problem.

This medicine may increase your risk of getting other cancers, including myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloproliferative disorders, acute myeloid leukemia, bronchial carcinoma, and non-melanoma skin cancer (eg, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma). Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about this risk.

This medicine may cause a permanent depression (necrosis) under the skin at the injection site. Contact your doctor right away if you have depressed or indented skin, blue-green to black skin discoloration, or pain, redness, or peeling of the skin at the injection site.

Bendamustine may cause some people to feel unusually tired or weak. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.

Do not smoke tobacco while you are using this medicine.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Serious side effects of Bendeka

Along with its needed effects, bendamustine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking bendamustine:

Other side effects of Bendeka

Some side effects of bendamustine may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

For healthcare professionals

Applies to bendamustine: intravenous powder for injection, intravenous solution.

Hematologic adverse events

• Very common (10% or more): Decreased lymphocytes (up to 99%), decreased leukocytes (up to 94%), decreased hemoglobin (up to 89%), decreased neutrophils (up to 86%), decreased platelets (up to 86%), lymphocytopenia (up to 74%), neutropenia (up to 45%), thrombocytopenia (up to 39%), anemia (up to 38%), leukopenia (up to 37%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Febrile neutropenia, hemorrhage, lymphopenia
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Hemolysis
• Postmarketing reports: Pancytopenia^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Very common (10% or more): Nausea (up to 77%), diarrhea (up to 42%), vomiting (up to 40%), constipation (up to 31%), stomatitis (up to 21%), abdominal pain (up to 14%), dyspepsia (up to 14%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (up to 11%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Dry mouth, upper abdominal pain, abdominal distension, oral candidiasis
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hemorrhagic esophagitis^[Ref]

Other

• Very common (10% or more): Fatigue (up to 64%), infectious episodes (up to 37%), pyrexia (up to 36%), chills (up to 14%), asthenia (up to 13%), herpes zoster (up to 12%), mucosal inflammation
• Common (1% to 10%): Pain, infection, herpes simplex, amenorrhea, epididymitis, thirst, cytomegalovirus infection
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Sepsis
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Infertility, multi-organ failure
• Frequency not reported: Septic shock, general physical health deterioration
• Postmarketing reports: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Very common (10% or more): Elevated bilirubin (up to 34%), increased creatinine, increased urea
• Common (1% to 10%): Increased AST, increased ALT, increased alkaline phosphatase
• Frequency not reported: Hepatitis, hepatic failure, gallbladder pain^[Ref]

Metabolic

• Very common (10% or more): Anorexia (up to 24%), decreased weight (up to 20%), dehydration (up to 15%), decreased appetite (up to 13%), hypokalemia (up to 11%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Hyperuricemia, tumor lysis syndrome, hypomagnesemia^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Very common (10% or more): Cough (up to 22%), dyspnea (up to 17%), upper respiratory tract infection (up to 10%), pharyngolaryngeal pain (up to 10%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Nasopharyngitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, wheezing, nasal congestion, pulmonary dysfunction
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Pulmonary fibrosis
• Frequency not reported: Lung neoplasm, lung infiltration, pleural effusion
• Postmarketing reports: Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia, pneumonitis^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Very common (10% or more): Headache (up to 21%), dizziness (up to 15%), dysgeusia (up to 11%)
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Somnolence, aphonia
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Paresthesia, peripheral sensory neuropathy, anticholinergic syndrome, neurological disorders, ataxia, encephalitis
• Frequency not reported: Paraplegia, neuralgia^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Very common (10% or more): Rash (up to 16%), erythema (up to 16%), skin allergic reactions (up to 15%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Pruritus, dry skin, night sweats, hyperhidrosis, alopecia, skin disorders
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Dermatitis, macular-papular rash
• Frequency not reported: Toxic skin reactions, bullous exanthema, urticaria
• Postmarketing reports: Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN)^[Ref]

Psychiatric

• Very common (10% or more): Insomnia (up to 15%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Anxiety, depression^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

• Very common (10% or more): Peripheral edema (up to 14%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Tachycardia, chest pain, hypotension, cardiac dysfunction (palpitations, angina pectoris, arrhythmia), hypertension
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Pericardial effusion
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Myocardial infarction, acute circulatory failure, cardiac failure
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Phlebitis
• Frequency not reported: Vasculitis
• Postmarketing reports: Atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Very common (10% or more): Back pain (up to 14%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Arthralgia, extremity pain, bone pain, myalgia
• Frequency not reported: Sacral pain^[Ref]

Genitourinary

• Very common (10% or more): Urinary tract infection (up to 11%)^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Common (1% to 10%): Hypersensitivity reactions
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Anaphylaxis, anaphylactoid reaction
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Anaphylactic shock^[Ref]

Local

• Common (1% to 10%): Infusion site pain, catheter site pain
• Frequency not reported: Extravasation injury, infusion reactions, injection site reactions^[Ref]

Ocular

• Frequency not reported: Retinal detachment^[Ref]

Oncologic

• Frequency not reported: Pre-malignant and malignant diseases/secondary tumors^[Ref]

Renal

• Frequency not reported: Acute renal failure^[Ref]

See also:

Frequently asked questions

• Are lung nodules common after Bendeka & Rituxan therapy?
• How is Bendeka different to Treanda?
• Why has Bendeka replaced Treanda?
• How often is Bendeka given and how long does treatment last?
• What is Bendeka used for?

Further information

Bendeka side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Note: Medication side effects may be underreported. If you are experiencing side effects that are not listed, submit a report to the FDA by following this guide.

Medical Disclaimer