Elspar comes as a liquid that is injected into muscle (IM) or a vein (IV) by a healthcare professional at a medical facility. It is usually given three times a week.
Notice:
Elspar (generic: asparaginase) will no longer be available in the U.S. after December 31, 2012. If you are currently receiving this medication, you should talk to your doctor to discuss switching to another treatment.
Do not receive Elspar if you are allergic to asparaginase or pegaspargase (Oncaspar).
Serious allergic reactions can occur in people who receive Elspar. The risk of serious allergic reactions is higher in people who have previously received Elspar or similar medicines. Get emergency medical attention if you develop hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. You may have an allergic reaction to this medication at any time, even if you previously received Elspar without reaction.
Blood clotting problems can occur with Elspar therapy including a serious condition in which a vein of the brain becomes clotted. Tell your doctor right away if you experience sudden headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech or balance.
Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), sometimes severe or causing death, can occur with Elspar therapy. Severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back as well as nausea and vomiting may be signs of pancreatitis. Tell your doctor right away if you experience these symptoms.
Glucose intolerance, or impaired insulin secretion and impaired suppression of liver glucose output, has occurred with Elspar use.
Elspar may cause damage or injury to the liver (hepatotoxicity). Tell your doctor right away if you experience yellowing of the skin or eyes or dark colored urine.
This medicine has caused a certain disorder of the body’s nervous system called posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), which may lead to symptoms of headache, seizures, changes in vision, confusion, as well as hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist). If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately.
The Elspar dose your doctor recommends will depend on your height and weight. The usual recommended dose is Elspar 6,000 International Units/m² intramuscularly (IM) or intravenously (IV) three times a week. When Elspar is given by intravenous infusion (IV) it must be given over a period of at least 30 minutes.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Elspar will harm your unborn baby.
Active ingredient: asparaginase
Inactive ingredient: mannitol
No Elspar drug interactions have been identified, however, you should tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Not all drug interactions are known or reported and new drug interactions are continually being reported.
Before receiving Elspar, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions including if you:
- are allergic to Elspar, pegaspargase (Oncaspar), or any other medicines
- have or ever had pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), liver disease, diabetes, blood clots, or severe bleeding
- are pregnant or breastfeeding
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Elspar is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.
Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Elspar there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Elspar.
Elspar is usually administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting making it unlikely for an overdose to occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.
Contact your doctor or seek emergency medical attention right away if you experience any of the following serious side effects:
- swelling of the face, arms or legs, with or without pain in the arm or leg
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- severe headache, seizures, confusion, hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
- chest pain
- severe abdominal (stomach) pain that begins in the stomach area, but may spread to the back
- excessive thirst or urination
- yellowing of skin or eyes
- dark colored urine
Other more common, less severe side effects of this medication include:
- nausea
- vomiting
- loss of appetite
- weight loss
- tiredness
- fever
- chills
- headache
- dizziness
This is not a complete list of Elspar side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Elspar is a prescription medicine approved for use with other chemotherapy drugs to treat a certain type of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL; a type of cancer of the white blood cells).
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.