The passing of comedian Babe Cabita due to aplastic anemia has made this disease increasingly known to the public. Alongside information about this disease, content has emerged on one of the social media platforms mentioning a brand of headache medication that is said to cause aplastic anemia. Instantly, the public became alarmed because headache medication is commonly consumed.
When asked for a response regarding this information, Professor Zullies Ikawati, an expert from the UGM Faculty of Pharmacy, explained that the information is not entirely accurate, although some types of medication potentially cause aplastic anemia. According to her, cases of aplastic anemia due to drug consumption are rare.
“Incidents of aplastic anemia due to medication are rare. Medications for headaches are only used for short periods, if necessary,” said Professor Ikawati on Friday (Apr. 19).
To Professor Ikawati’s knowledge, the post-marketing drug surveillance agency in Indonesia has not encountered reports of aplastic anemia incidents due to drugs. Moreover, headache medications circulating in Indonesia, according to her, have received approval from BPOM and are safe to use.
“As long as they are used according to the instructions. The information on the packaging regarding the risk of causing aplastic anemia indeed needs to be included according to BPOM regulations, even though the incidents are sporadic, about 1 case per 1 million users,” she said.
Professor Ikawati urged the public not to worry about consuming headache medications, even though there is information about the side effects of aplastic anemia on the packaging.
However, if experiencing continuous headaches that do not improve with regular headache medication, she recommends consulting a doctor as it may be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition.
Furthermore, routinely monitoring the side effects of any medication used, mainly if used for long periods or in high doses, is important.
“If experiencing suspicious symptoms like unusual fatigue, easy bruising, or frequent infections, it is crucial to contact a doctor immediately,” she explained.
Although rare, Professor Ikawati acknowledged that there are indeed some drugs reported to pose a risk of causing aplastic anemia. However, it should be noted that incidents of aplastic anemia due to drug use are very rare and occur only in chronic use with high doses and not necessarily in everyone.
Some drugs reported to pose a risk of causing aplastic anemia include the antibiotic Chloramphenicol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as indomethacin, and phenylbutazone, which can potentially cause aplastic anemia, although cases are rare.
This group of antibiotics, including sulfasalazine and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, has also been associated with aplastic anemia. Besides, anticonvulsant drugs used to treat epilepsy, such as carbamazepine and phenytoin, can cause aplastic anemia.
Not only that, thyroid drugs such as propylthiouracil and methimazole used to treat hyperthyroidism, cytotoxic and chemotherapy drugs, antiretroviral drugs in some cases, and medications used to treat HIV/AIDS have been reported to cause aplastic anemia.
Aplastic anemia is when the bone marrow cannot produce enough new blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The bone marrow, which is the soft tissue found inside large bones and functions to produce blood cells, is affected.
The symptoms of aplastic anemia can vary, but the common ones include fatigue and weakness due to a lack of red blood cells, easy bruising, or bleeding due to a lack of platelets that help blood clotting.
Being susceptible to frequent or severe infections due to decreased white blood cells. Frequently experiencing dizziness or fainting and experiencing swelling in certain areas, such as ankles, feet, or other areas.
The exact cause of aplastic anemia is often unknown. Some factors that may play a role include autoimmune disorders and exposure to chemicals such as pesticides or organic solvents, which can damage the bone marrow.
Certain medications, including chemotherapy and certain antibiotics, can also damage the bone marrow. Additionally, exposure to high-dose radiation can damage bone marrow cells.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Image: Freepik