LAPATINIB
(la PA tin ib) Brand: Tykerb
What is the most significant information I must know about lapatinib?
• Do not use lapatinib if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby.
• Till you take lapatinib, speak your doctor if you have heart malady, liver malady, an electrolyte imbalance (low potassium or magnesium), or a private or family history of Long QT syndrome.
• To create certain you can safely take lapatinib, your heart function will need to be checked till you start treatment. Your liver function will need to be checked each 4 to 6 weeks during treatment.
• Take lapatinib on an empty stomach.
• Take this medicine for the entire length of time predesigned by your doctor.
What is lapatinib?
• Lapatinib is a cancer medication.
• Lapatinib is used together with other medication called capecitabine (Xeloda) or letrozole (Femara) to treat a determined type of advanced breast cancer that has spread to another parts of the body.
• Lapatinib is often given after another cancer medications have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.
• Lapatinib may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.
What must I discuss with my health care provider till taking lapatinib?
• You must not use lapatinib if you are allergic to it.
• To create certain you can safely take lapatinib, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:
· liver disease;
· an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood); or
· a private or family history of Long QT syndrome.
• FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use lapatinib if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn child. Use effective birth control, and speak your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.
• It is not known whether lapatinib passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing child. You must not breast-feed while you are taking this medication.
How must I take lapatinib?
• Take exactly as predesigned by your doctor. Do not take in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.
• This medicine comes with patient instructions for safety and effective use. Follow these directions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. Be certain to also read the medicine manual or patient instructions for capecitabine (Xeloda) or letrozole (Femara).
• Take lapatinib on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour till or 1 hour after a meal.
• The normal doze of lapatinib is equal to 5 or 6 tablets given at one time. The number of tablets you take will depend on your condition and whether you are also taking capecitabine (Xeloda) or letrozole (Femara).
• Do not crush a lapatinib tablet. Swallow the pill intact. The medication from a crushed or broken pill can be dangerous if it gets on your skin. If this occurs, wash your skin with soap and water and rinse thoroughly.
• You may swallow every lapatinib tablet one at a time, but take the entire doze (all 5 or 6 tablets) at the same time every day.
• Lapatinib is generally taken together with capecitabine (Xeloda) in a 21-day cycle. Lapatinib is given once daily for all 21 days in a row, and capecitabine is given twice daily for only the first 14 days of the cycle. This 21-day cycle is then repeated before your doctor decides that lapatinib is no longer an appropriate treatment for your condition. Follow your doctor's instructions.
• Capecitabine (Xeloda) should be taken with food or within 30 minutes of eating.
• Lapatinib is generally taken together with letrozole (Femara) daily for as long as you continue to take letrozole.
• Take lapatinib for the full predesigned length of time. This medicine is generally continued unless your condition gets worse or you have serious side effects.
• Your heart function will need to be checked till you start treatment with lapatinib. To be certain this medicine is not causing deleterious effects, your liver function will need to be checked each 4 to 6 weeks. Visit your doctor regularly.
• Store lapatinib at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Hold the bottle tightly closed when not in use.
What happens if I miss a dose?
• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.
What happens if I overdose?
• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.
What must I avoid while taking lapatinib?
• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with lapatinib and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Avoid using these commodity while taking lapatinib.
What are the possible side effects of lapatinib?
• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Stop using lapatinib and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
· quick or pounding heartbeats;
· extreme dizziness or weary feeling;
· feeling like you might pass out;
· severe diarrhea;
· dry cough, feeling short of breath;
· white patches or sores internal your mouth or on your lips;
· nosebleeds; or
· nausea, pain in your upper stomach, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
• Smaller serious side effects may include:
· mild diarrhea, upset stomach;
· pain or redness on the palms of your hands or the soles of your feet;
· dry skin, mild rash;
· unusual hair loss; or
· problems with your fingernails or toenails.
• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What another drugs will affect lapatinib?
• Much drugs can interact with lapatinib. Adown is just a partial list. Speak your doctor if you are using:
· bosentan (Tracleer);
· conivaptan (Vaprisol);
· dexamethasone (Decadron, Hexadrol);
· digoxin (Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);
· imatinib (Gleevec);
· isoniazid (for treating tuberculosis);
· midazolam (Versed);
· sirolimus (Rapamune) or tacrolimus (Prograf);
· St. John's wort;
· rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate), or rifapentine (Priftin);
· an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), levofloxacin (Levaquin), pentamidine (NebuPent, Pentam), and others;
· an antidepressant such as nefazodone, amitriptylline (Elavil, Vanatrip), citalopram (Celexa), desipramine (Norpramin), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), and others;
· antifungal medicine such as itraconazole (Sporanox) or ketoconazole (Nizoral);
· a barbiturate such as phenobarbital (Solfoton);
· heart or blood pressure medicine such as diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem), felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Nifedical, Procardia), or verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan);
· heart rhythm medication such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), disopyramide (Norpace), propafenone (Rythmol), quinidine (Quin-G), sotalol (Betapace), and others;
· HIV or AIDS medications;
· medication to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting, such as dolasetron (Anzemet) or ondansetron (Zofran);
· medicines to treat narcolepsy;
· medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, such as clozapine (FazaClo, Clozaril), haloperidol (Haldol), pimozide (Orap), or ziprasidone (Geodon);
· migraine headache medication such as sumatriptan (Imitrex);
· narcotic medicine such as methadone (Dolophine, Methadose); or
· seizure medicine such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), felbamate (Felbatol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenytoin (Dilantin), or primidone (Mysoline).
• This list is not complete and there are much another drugs that can reason serious or life-threatening medical problems if you take them together with lapatinib. Speak your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal commodity. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor. Hold a list of all your medicines and show it to any healthcare provider who treats you.
Where can I get more information?
• Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about lapatinib.
Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.
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