Key takeaways

  • Common side effects of Ibrance include low blood cell counts, nausea, fatigue, hair loss, and infection.
  • Neutropenia, a severe drop in white blood cells, is the most common side effect and typically appears 15 to 22 days after starting treatment.
  • Other serious side effects include an increased risk of infection, thrombocytopenia, anemia, and lung-related issues.

Ibrance (palbociclib) is a targeted therapy known as a kinase inhibitor that works by slowing down cancer cell growth. It’s prescribed for certain types of breast cancer in adults.

As with other drugs, Ibrance can cause side effects, such as nausea, hair loss, and low levels of certain types of blood cells.

This article outlines the side effects you may experience and how to manage them.

The most common side effects of Ibrance are often temporary, lasting a few days to weeks. If the side effects last longer than that, bother you, or become severe, be sure to talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Common side effects include:

These are just a few of the more common side effects reported by people who took Ibrance in clinical trials of the capsules and tablets:

If you’re receiving a combination of medications, you may experience different side effects, including:

  • Ibrance with Inavolisib and fulvestrant: High fasting blood sugar levels, lower blood levels of calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium, and headaches.
  • Ibrance with Trastuzumab and endocrine therapy: Muscle spasms and skin itching

How to manage side effects

You can manage some of Ibrance’s common side effects, such as mild stomach upset or mouth sores, by taking your capsules or tablets whole with food. They often improve on their own over time.

To manage low blood cell counts like neutropenia, your healthcare team will perform routine blood tests before and during your treatment cycles to catch changes early.

If any side effects persist or become severe, your doctor can prescribe supportive care, temporarily pause treatment, or reduce your dosage

Experiencing side effects? After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug, it tracks and reviews its side effects. If you develop a side effect while taking this medication and want to report it to the FDA, you can visit MedWatch or call 800-FDA-1088.

Ibrance may cause serious, life threatening side effects including:

Severe neutropenia

Neutropenia is a severe drop in neutrophils (white blood cells) that increases your risk of serious infections. Symptoms can include:

Thrombocytopenia

Thrombocytopenia is low levels of blood cells called platelets. Symptoms can include:

  • unusual bruising or bleeding
  • nosebleeds or bleeding in your gums
  • prolonged bleeding from cuts
  • blood in your urine or stool

Anemia

Anemia is low levels of red blood cells. Symptoms can include:

  • bleeding or bruising more easily than usual
  • dizziness
  • nosebleeds
  • shortness of breath
  • weakness

Lung-related side effects

These include pneumonitis or interstitial lung disease (ILD). Symptoms include:

  • new or worsening chest pain
  • cough
  • trouble breathing

Allergic reaction

Allergic reaction wasn’t reported in studies of Ibrance, but it is possible. Symptoms include:

If you develop serious side effects while taking Ibrance, call your doctor right away. If you think you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

Breast cancer resources

Visit our dedicated hub for more research-backed information and in-depth resources on breast cancer.

Neutropenia, the most common side effect, typically first appears around 15 to 22 days after starting treatment. Other mild side effects can begin early in therapy and last from a few days to weeks.

It’s possible. There were rare reports of eye-related side effects in Ibrance’s clinical trials of the drug’s capsules and tablets. These side effects included:

  • blurred vision
  • dry eye
  • increased tear production

None of these side effects were serious or caused people to stop taking the drug.

Ibrance and chemotherapy share the following side effects:

  • hair loss
  • nausea and vomiting
  • fatigue
  • infection
  • thrombocytopenia (low levels of blood cells called platelets)
  • anemia (low levels of red blood cells)
  • decreased appetite

Chemotherapy can also cause dry nails, dry skin, and hearing loss.

Learn more about the side effects of chemotherapy.

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If you’re starting Ibrance and want to prevent or manage side effects, here are some next steps:

  • Take your dose with food at the same time daily: To minimize stomach upset, always swallow your tablet or capsule whole with a meal or snack at roughly the same time each day. Avoid all grapefruit products.
  • Attend all blood test appointments: Complete blood count (CBC) monitoring before treatment and on specific days during your cycles allows your medical team to spot low white blood cell levels early and adjust your dose if necessary.
  • Practice invention prevention and mouth Care: Wash your hands frequently, stay away from crowded spaces or people who are sick, and use a soft toothbrush with gentle mouth rinses to protect your gums and prevent mouth sores.
  • Report warning symptoms right away: Contact your doctor immediately if you experience a fever, chills, a new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, unusual bleeding, or severe fatigue.
  • Learn more: For more information on Ibrance or similar treatments, check out these articles:

Disclaimer: While Medical News Today strives for factual, comprehensive, and current drug information, this article is not a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional’s expertise. Always consult a doctor before taking or discontinuing any medication. Drug information is subject to change and may not cover all uses, directions, precautions, warnings, interactions, reactions, or adverse effects. The lack of a warning does not guarantee a drug’s safety, effectiveness, or appropriateness for all patients or specific uses. Learn more about our approach to content integrity.