Hi to everybody.
From November 09 -when my 35 years old boyfriend was diagnosed with MCL- I’m reading this interesting forum and I thank you for the precious information you share. I’m interested in Imatinib side effects and interactions with other drugs and I ask your help.
Our consulting said that after three months therapy imatinib is working well, but life changed completely. From the first day of imatinib administration continue dizziness, dypnea, pain at the chest left side, tachycardia, throat constriction, stomach swelling, and so on occurred.
I have to say that my boyfriend has heart problems (arrhythmia and a past history of atrial fibrillation) and to keep arrhythmia under control, propafenone is required. However its life before imatinib was ok, travels, sport… only after the first day of Imatinib these side effects appeared. Unfortunately we had not the physicians support (both doctors look for their field and don’t care or don’t know about possible medicines interactions).
We don’t know if these heavy side effects are due to imatinib or to the interactions of the two drugs. So I made a search on the literature available on the web and I only found that probably imatinib may increase blood concentration of drugs as propafenone, but I don’t fin any evidence of this. The only thing we know is that to have a medical test (NMR) my boyfriend interrupted imatinib assumption for a day and in that day he told he felt very well as before starting imatinib. We don’t know what to do. MCL consultant tell the problem is not imatinib, the heart consultant doesn’t know what to suggest and I’m very worried, because even if imatinib seems to work, I fear imatinib may further damage heart.
Does anyone have any experience of the above side effects due to imatinib or experience of interactions with other drugs?
Many thanks for a kind support.
Cinzia
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imatinib side effects and interactions with other drugs
Dear Cinzia, I am sorry to hear your boyfriend has such worrying side effects. Please let me know where he is being treated. His doctors really do need to communicate with an expert CML clinician who has treated a lot of patients over the years. This way they might learn exactly what is causing the effects.
You might be correct when you say that the two drugs interact in some way. You say your research shows that IM increases the concentration of drugs like propafenone and if this is the case then that could be that that drug is cause of increased side effects. Maybe his heart consultant should try to decrease the dose of propafenone which would make sense if IM is causing the concentration to increase... that would mean it would be like increasing the dose. I will ask around to see if anyone knows more of such interactions.
Best wishes,
Sandy