Emend 3-Day

Generic Name: aprepitant
Other Brand Names: Emend, aprepitant

What is aprepitant?

Aprepitant blocks the actions of chemicals in the body that trigger nausea and vomiting.

Aprepitant is used to prevent nausea and vomiting that may be caused by surgery or cancer chemotherapy.

Aprepitant is given ahead of time and will not treat nausea or vomiting that you already have.

Aprepitant may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

Uses Side Effects Precautions Interactions Overdose
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking aprepitant?

Do not take aprepitant if you are taking any of the following drugs:

  • astemizole (Hismanal);

  • cisapride (Propulsid);

  • pimozide (Orap); or

  • terfenadine (Seldane).

These drugs may cause life-threatening interactions when taken together with aprepitant.

Before taking aprepitant, tell your doctor if you have liver disease. You may not be able to take aprepitant, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment.

FDA pregnancy category B. This medication is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

It is not known whether aprepitant passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take aprepitant?

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor.

Take this medicine with a full glass of water.

Aprepitant can be taken with or without food.

The first dose of aprepitant is usually taken 1 hour before treatment with chemotherapy, or 3 hours before a surgery. Follow your doctor’s instructions.

You may also be given other medicines with aprepitant to further help prevent nausea and vomiting.

Store aprepitant at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose of aprepitant?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Where can I get more information about aprepitant?
Your pharmacist has information about aprepitant written for health professionals that you may read.
What are the possible side effects of aprepitant?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

  • feeling light-headed, fainting;

  • slow heart rate;

  • pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding; or

  • pain or burning when you urinate.

Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur, such as:

  • weakness or tiredness;

  • nausea, vomiting, heartburn, stomach pain;

  • diarrhea or constipation;

  • loss of appetite;

  • hiccups;

  • dizziness;

  • increased thirst or hot, dry skin;

  • headache;

  • ringing in your ears;

  • fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms; or

  • sleep problems (insomnia).

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

What is the most important information I should know about aprepitant?

Do not take aprepitant if you are taking any of the following drugs: astemizole (Hismanal), cisapride (Propulsid), pimozide (Orap), or terfenadine (Seldane). These drugs may cause life-threatening interactions when taken together with aprepitant.

Before taking aprepitant, tell your doctor if you have liver disease. You may not be able to take aprepitant, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment.

Aprepitant can make birth control pills less effective, resulting in pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about the use of a non-hormonal back-up form of birth control (such as condoms, a diaphragm, or spermicides) during treatment with aprepitant.

There are many other medicines that can interact with aprepitant. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other healthcare provider who treats you.

What should I avoid while taking aprepitant?

There are no restrictions on foods, beverages, or activities during treatment with aprepitant unless otherwise directed by your doctor.

What other drugs will affect aprepitant?

Aprepitant can make birth control pills less effective, resulting in pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about the use of a non-hormonal back-up form of birth control (such as condoms, a diaphragm, or spermicides) during treatment with aprepitant.

Before taking aprepitant, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

  • certain cancer medicines such as etoposide (VePesid), irinotecan (Camptosar), ifosfamide (Ifex), imatinib (Gleevec), vinorelbine (Navelbine), vinblastine (Velban), or vincristine (Oncovin, Vincasar);

  • a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);

  • tolbutamide (Orinase);

  • phenytoin (Dilantin);

  • steroid medicine such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Hexadrol) or methylprednisolone (Medapred, Solu-Medrol);

  • midazolam (Versed) or similar medicines such as Valium, Xanax, or Tranxene;

  • antibiotics such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), rifampin (Rifater, Rifamate), or troleandomycin (Tao);

  • HIV medicines such as nelfinavir (Viracept), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), ritonavir (Norvir), atazanavir (Reyataz), or nelfinavir (Viracept);

  • seizure medication such as carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol) or phenytoin (Dilantin);

  • antidepressants such as nefazodone (Serzone) or paroxetine (Paxil); or

  • diltiazem (Cardizem, Cartia, Tiazac).

There may be other drugs not listed that can affect aprepitant. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

What happens if I have an overdose of aprepitant?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Symptoms of an aprepitant overdose may include drowsiness and headache.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Content provided by Multum - Last Updated 2/11/2008