Emend

Generic Name: aprepitant (a PREP i tant)
Brand Names: Emend, Emend 3-Day

What is Emend?

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

It is used together with other medications to prevent nausea and vomiting that may be caused by surgery or cancer chemotherapy.

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

Emend may also be used for other purposes not listed here.

Important information bout Emend

Do not take Emend 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 Emend. Before taking Emend, tell your doctor if you have liver disease. You may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use this medication. Emend can make birth control pills less effective, resulting in pregnancy. This effect can last for up to 28 days after your last dose of this medication. 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 Emend and for at least 1 month after your treatment ends.

There are many other medicines that can interact with Emend. 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.

Before taking Emend

Do not take Emend if you are allergic to aprepitant, or if you are taking any of the following drugs:

astemizole (Hismanal);
cisapride (Propulsid);
pimozide (Orap); or
terfenadine (Seldane).

The drugs listed above may cause life-threatening interactions when taken together with Emend.

Before taking Emend, tell your doctor if you have liver disease. You may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use this medication. FDA pregnancy category B. Emend 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 Emend 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 Emend?

Take Emend 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. Follow your doctor's instructions.

Take this medicine with a full glass of water.

Emend can be taken with or without food.

The first dose of Emend is usually taken 1 hour before treatment with chemotherapy, or 3 hours before a surgery. You may also need additional doses for a couple days after your chemotherapy treatment. Follow your doctor's instructions.

You may also be given other medicines with Emend to further help prevent nausea and vomiting. This medication is not for long-term use.

This medication comes with patient instructions for safe and effective use. Follow these directions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.

Store Emend at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Call your doctor for instructions if you forget to take your medicine within the prescribed length of time before your chemotherapy or surgery.

What happens if I overdose?

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

Overdose symptoms may include drowsiness and headache.

What should I avoid while taking Emend?

Follow your doctor's instructions about any restrictions on food, beverages, or activity while you are using Emend.

Emend side effects

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.

Less serious Emend side effects may include:

nausea, vomiting, heartburn, stomach pain;
diarrhea or constipation;
loss of appetite;
hiccups;
increased thirst or hot, dry skin;
weakness, dizziness, tired feeling;
headache;
ringing in your ears;
fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms; or
sleep problems (insomnia).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may also occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect Emend?

Emend can make birth control pills less effective, resulting in pregnancy. This effect can last for up to 28 days after your last dose of this medication. 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 Emend and for at least 1 month after your treatment ends.

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

diltiazem (Cardizem, Cartia, Tiazac);
tolbutamide (Orinase);
a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
midazolam (Versed) or similar medicines such as Valium, Xanax, or Tranxene;
an antidepressant such as nefazodone (Serzone) or paroxetine (Paxil);
an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), rifampin (Rifater, Rifamate), or troleandomycin (Tao);
certain cancer medicines such as docetaxel (Taxotere), etoposide (VePesid), irinotecan (Camptosar), ifosfamide (Ifex), imatinib (Gleevec), pactlitaxel (Onxol, Taxol), vinblastine (Velban), or vincristine (Oncovin, Vincasar);
HIV medicines such as nelfinavir (Viracept), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), or ritonavir (Norvir);
seizure medication such as carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol) or phenytoin (Dilantin); or
steroid medicine such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Hexadrol) or methylprednisolone (Medapred, Solu-Medrol).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with Emend. 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.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about Emend.

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.