Before taking amifostine,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to amifostine or any other drugs. tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention medications for high blood pressure. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney disease, chest pain (angina), irregular heartbeats, heart failure, a stroke, or a mini-stroke. women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should tell their doctors before they begin taking this drug. You should not plan to have children while receiving chemotherapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. you should know that the most common side effect of amifostine is a decrease in blood pressure, which may start while the drug is being given and lasts about 6 minutes. You will be told to lie on your back and your blood pressure will be checked regularly during your treatment. Your doctor may order fluids to be given by injection into a vein to help improve your blood pressure.
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