Pemetrexed Side Effects and Warnings

What are the precautions when taking this medicine?

• Take folic acid 1 week before, during, and for 3 weeks after your treatment.

• Your healthcare provider will give you a vitamin B 12 shot 1 week before and every 9 weeks during your treatment.

• Take a medicine that will help prevent a skin rash 3 days during treatment. Talk with healthcare provider.

• If you have kidney disease, talk with healthcare provider.

• Tell dentists, surgeons, and other healthcare providers that you use this medicine.

• Check medicines with healthcare provider. This medicine may not mix well with other medicines.

• Talk with healthcare provider before using other: aspirin, aspirin-containing products, blood thinners, garlic, ginseng, ginkgo, ibuprofen or like products, pain medicines, or vitamin E.

• You may bleed more easily. Be careful. Avoid injury. Use soft toothbrush, electric razor.

• Use birth control that you can trust to prevent pregnancy while taking this medicine.

What are some possible side effects of this medicine?

• Risk of infection. Avoid people with infections, colds, or flu.

• Anemia, low white blood cell count, and low platelet count.

• Feeling tired or weak.

• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard, sugar-free candy, or chewing sugar-free gum may help.

• Not hungry.

• Mouth irritation. Frequent mouth care with a soft toothbrush or cotton swabs and rinsing mouth may help.

• Sore throat.

• Swelling.

• Diarrhea.

• Skin irritation.

Reasons to call healthcare provider immediately

• If you suspect an overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency department immediately.

• Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Signs or symptoms of infection. These include a fever of 100.5 degrees or higher, chills, severe sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough, increased sputum or change in color, painful urination, mouth sores, wound that will not heal, or anal itching or pain.

• Chest pain or pressure.

• Difficulty breathing.

• Severe nausea or vomiting.

• Severe diarrhea.

• Unusual bruising or bleeding.

• Feeling extremely tired or weak.

• Any rash.

• For females, if you become pregnant while taking this medicine.

• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.