Hydroxyurea is chemotherapy, Nagla. You can refer to the precautions and toxicity involved in taking drugs like hydroxyurea by googling many sites. I’m not trying to scare anyone. Check out cancer.org, for one. Look for an article named “Special precautions when taking chemo by mouth.” It is a subtitle under “Chemotherapy Safety.” It explains the danger and proper handling. I don’t know much about anagrelide except that it isn’t actually considered to be a chemotherapy drug, although it is sometimes a form of chemotherapy. (Please keep in mind that I’m not any kind of authority on these matters. I’m just a nurse-patient who tries to keep informed; it really isn’t the field I practiced in).

Thank you for the tips! I have a special place I put the bottle, still in the warning labelled bag to make sure it doesn't come in contact with anybody. I use gloves to handle the bottle and the pills, and use disposable cups for taking the Hydroxy. I've started to do a baking soda swish after taking the medicine in hopes of preventing mouth sores. I will be asking my doctor for more information today regarding using shared bathrooms, showers etc. I don't feel like the pharmacy fliers address enough concerns. If there are things I don't need to be worrying about as much, that would be very nice! Have a blessed day! 🙂

Oh my stars! What an oxymoron?!? Don’t touch it etc…but poison yourself daily? Im so sorry, guys. I take Jakafi daily which has its own issues but nothing like you guys are describing when hydroxide.😓

Guess I’ll just have to mention the old codgers who chain smoke cigarettes all their lives and die at 100 yrs. Some of us just defy the odds, ‘ya think?

The precautions to take with hydroxyurea are important for people to know when they are taking this medication. This applies to anyone handling the medication, particularly women of childbearing years. HU is a teratogen, a mutagen, a carcinogen, and potentially a leukemogenic agent. Here are the handling instructions.
https://www.oralchemoedsheets.com/sheets/Hydrox...

For those who are sexually active, there are additional recommendation. HU passes into semen and vaginal secretions. While the risk is relatively low, there is risk of exposure to HU on genital tissues with unprotected sex,
http://ethrombo.blogspot.com/2017/10/taking-che...

There is a risk of hypogonadism for men taking HU, which may decrease fertility. This is usually, but not always, reversible. There are recommendations from some sources to consider sperm banking for men who want to ensure they can have children in the future. Mena and women are advised to use effective birth control while on HU due to the significant risk to the pregnancy. Women on HU after birth should not breast feed.

Ideally, patients should receive all of the above information and more prior to imitating treatment with HU.