Hydroxyurea - The Medication Currently being used

Hydroxyurea is the medication that Rassie is currently on to lower his white count.  It seems to be doing it's job.  Rassie's white count initially started out at 358,000.  As of this past Friday it was down to 150,000. 
We did have a bump in the road this past Tuesday.  Rassie's white count went up instead of down.  His dosage had to be upped from 4 pills a day to 6 pills a day.  Which means 2,000 mg a day to 3,000 mg a day.  I am very thankful for hydroxyurea right now and its ability to lower Rassie's white count so that he can be home with us, his family.

I have been researching hydroxyurea.  There are lots of articles out there. They do not all relate to CML so I kept searching until I found one that did.  I wanted a better understanding of what this medication is doing for Rassie.   Here is an article I found on WebMD that helps to explain it in much better terms than me.

Hydroxyurea
Generic Name: Hydroxyurea                    Brand Name: Droxia, Hydrea
Hydroxyurea is available as a pill you can swallow. It is also known as hydroxycarbamide.

How It Works
Hydroxyurea keeps cancer cells from growing. It is used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and, rarely, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). It is sometimes used to treat sickle cell disease or other cancer.

Why It Is Used

Hydroxyurea is used to treat CML and CLL because it works fast and does not cause many side effects.

How Well It Works
CML and CLL can cause your white blood cell count to get too high. Hydroxyurea can reduce white blood cell counts within 1 or 2 days. It can be used during pregnancy in many cases.

Side Effects
Side effects of hydroxyurea are generally mild and can include:

•  Low blood counts, which may increase the risk of infection and bleeding.  
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Loss of appetite.
• Diarrhea.
• Hoarseness.
• Fever or chills.
• Mouth sores (stomatitis).
• Blackening of the fingernails and toenails.
• Skin ulcers (uncommon side effect).
• Rashes.

What To Think About
Hydroxyurea should be used only under the supervision of a medical oncologist or hematologist. He or she will monitor your blood counts regularly.

Hydroxyurea is still an experimental treatment in children. Long-term effects of the drug on children are not yet known.