FDA: Cancer patients may feel 'drunk' from docetaxel

The intravenous chemotherapy drug docetaxel, which is used to treat various cancers, including head and neck cancers, may cause patients to feel "drunk," according to a drug safety alert issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.

Docetaxel contains ethanol (also known as alcohol), which "may cause patients to experience intoxication or feel drunk during and after treatment," according to the FDA warning. The agency is revising the labels of all docetaxel products.

Docetaxel is marketed as a generic and as brand name products, including Taxotere (Sanofi-Aventis) and Docefrez (Sun Pharma Global).

The alcohol content of docetaxel should be taken into consideration when prescribing or administering the drug to patients, particularly in those whom alcohol intake should be avoided or minimized and when using it in conjunction with other medications, the FDA warned.

Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.