What are the possible side effects of bevacizumab?
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Some side effects may occur during the injection. Tell your caregiver if you feel dizzy, light-headed, short of breath, chilled, sweaty, or have a headache, chest pain, wheezing, or swelling in your face.
Bevacizumab can make it easier for you to bleed. Call your doctor or seek emergency medical attention if you have:
- easy bruising, unusual bleeding (nose, mouth, vagina, rectum), or any bleeding that will not stop;
- signs of bleeding in your digestive tract --severe stomach pain, bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds; or
- signs of bleeding in the brain --sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body), sudden severe headache, problems with vision or balance.
Bevacizumab can cause a rare but serious neurologic disorder affecting the brain. Symptoms may occur within hours of your first dose, or they may not appear for up to a year after your treatment started. Call your doctor at once if you have extreme weakness or tiredness, headache, confusion, vision problems, fainting, or seizure (blackout or convulsions).
Some people receiving bevacizumab have developed a fistula (an abnormal passageway) within the throat, lungs, gallbladder, kidney, bladder, or vagina. Call your doctor if you have: chest pain and trouble breathing, stomach pain or swelling, urine leakage, or if you feel like you are choking and gagging when you eat or drink.
Also call your doctor if you have:
- pain, swelling, warmth, or redness in one or both legs;
- chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder;
- missed menstrual periods;
- kidney problems --puffy eyes, swelling in your ankles or feet, urine that looks foamy;
- heart problems --swelling, rapid weight gain, feeling short of breath;
- low white blood cell counts --fever, mouth sores, skin sores, sore throat, cough, trouble breathing;
- signs of any skin infection --sudden redness, warmth, swelling, or oozing, or any skin wound or surgical incision that will not heal; or
- increased blood pressure --severe headache, blurred vision, pounding in your neck or ears.
Side effects may be more likely in older adults.
Common side effects may include:
- nosebleed, rectal bleeding;
- increased blood pressure;
- headache, back pain;
- dry or watery eyes;
- dry or flaky skin;
- runny nose, sneezing; or
- changes in your sense of taste.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.