Avastin is a fairly commonly used chemotherapy drug that can cause several adverse side effects when it comes to the brain. These include:

• Strokes and transient ischemic attacks (i.e., blood clots in the brain).
• Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy. In September of 2006, Genetech and the FDA issued a warning to physicians that Avastin can cause this syndrome by impairing the brain blood barrier. While rare, this syndrome can be associated with headaches, seizures, confusion, and visual disturbances.

Whenever new symptoms develop, it’s always important to ask if they could possibly be due to a medication you are on. Interestingly, it is estimated that approximately 5% of hospital admissions are due to medication side effects.

Tags: avastin

Posted: Tuesday, February 27th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Categories: Brain, Brain Busters, Smartkit All Posts.