See also Warning section.
Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, change in taste, decreased appetite, dry/cracked/thickened skin, watering eyes, swelling around eyes, numbness/tingling of arms/legs, or tiredness may occur. In some cases, drug therapy may be necessary to prevent or relieve nausea/vomiting/diarrhea. Eating several small meals or limiting activity may help lessen some of these effects. If these effects last or get worse, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
This medication may cause patchy or complete hair loss and changes in hair/skin color. These effects are not harmful. However, talk to your doctor for more details since changes in skin color may also be a sign of a more serious condition.
Remember that this medication has been prescribed because your doctor has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.
Tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, including: headache, rash/blisters on palms of hands/soles of feet, sores/pain on the tongue/mouth, easy bruising/bleeding, cold/heat intolerance, pain/redness/swelling of arms or legs, black/bloody stools, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, coughing up blood, slow wound healing, jaw pain, toe/joint pain, signs of low blood sugar (such as hunger, shakiness, fast heartbeat, sweating), symptoms of heart failure (such as shortness of breath, swelling ankles/feet, unusual tiredness, unusual/sudden weight gain), mental/mood changes (such as decreased alertness, irritability, nervousness), vision changes (such as decreased vision).
This medication may raise your blood pressure. Check your blood pressure regularly and tell your doctor if the results are high. Your doctor may control your blood pressure with medication.
Sunitinib sometimes causes side effects due to the rapid destruction of cancer cells (tumor lysis syndrome). To lower your risk, your doctor may add a medication and tell you to drink plenty of fluids. Tell your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as: signs of kidney problems (such as painful urination, cloudy/pink/bloody urine, change in the amount of urine), muscle spasms/weakness.
Get medical help right away if you have any very serious side effects, including: trouble breathing, chest/jaw/left arm pain, sudden/severe back pain, weakness on one side of the body, trouble speaking, severe dizziness, fainting, fast/slow/irregular heartbeat, seizures.
Sunitinib has rarely caused very serious (possibly fatal) skin reactions. Get medical help right away if you develop symptoms of serious skin reactions, including: rash, hot/peeling/blistering/painful skin, red/purple skin.
This medication may lower your ability to fight infections. This may make you more likely to get a serious (rarely fatal) infection or make any infection you have worse. Tell your doctor right away if you have any signs of infection (such as sore throat that doesn't go away, fever, chills, cough).
A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, get medical help right away if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including: rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing.
This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
In the US - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch.
In Canada - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345.