EMEND® (aprepitant): Patient Information

EMEND and EMEND for Injection are used in adults to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by certain anticancer medicines. EMEND and EMEND for Injection are always used with other medicines that treat nausea and vomiting.

EMEND and EMEND for Injection are not used to treat nausea and vomiting that you already have.

EMEND and EMEND for Injection should not be used continuously for a long time (chronic use).

Important Safety Information

• Do not take EMEND if you are taking Orap (pimozide), Seldane (terfenadine), Hismanal (astemizole), or Propulsid (cisapride). Taking EMEND with any of these medicines could cause serious or life-threatening problems. Do not take EMEND if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in EMEND.
• Do not take EMEND for Injection if you are taking Orap (pimozide) or Propulsid (cisapride). Taking EMEND for Injection with these medicines may cause serious life-threatening reactions. Do not take EMEND for Injection if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in EMEND for Injection.
• Before you take EMEND or EMEND for Injection, tell your doctor if you have liver problems.
• Before you take EMEND or EMEND for Injection, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant because it is not known if EMEND or EMEND for Injection can harm your unborn baby. Women who use birth control medicines containing hormones (birth control pills, skin patches, implants, and certain IUDs) should also use a backup method of birth control during treatment with EMEND or EMEND for Injection and for up to 1 month after using EMEND or EMEND for Injection to prevent pregnancy.
• Before you take EMEND or EMEND for Injection, tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding because it is not known if EMEND or EMEND for Injection passes into your milk and if it can harm your baby. You and your doctor should decide if you will take EMEND or EMEND for Injection, or breastfeed. You should not do both.
• EMEND and EMEND for Injection may affect how other medicines work, including chemotherapy. Other medicines may affect how EMEND or EMEND for Injection works. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you are taking or plan to take, including prescription or nonprescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements.
• If you take the blood-thinner medicine warfarin sodium (Coumadin or Jantoven), your doctor may do blood tests after you take EMEND or EMEND for Injection to check your blood clotting.
• EMEND for Injection may cause serious side effects, including sudden allergic reactions. Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have flushing or redness of your face or skin, or trouble breathing during or soon after receiving EMEND for Injection.
• EMEND capsules also may cause serious side effects, including allergic reactions such as hives, rash, itching, redness of the face or skin, and trouble breathing or swallowing. If you have any of these signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction after taking an EMEND capsule on Day 2, do not take the other EMEND capsule on Day 3 and call your doctor right away.
• The most common side effects of EMEND are tiredness, nausea, hiccups, constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, headache, and hair loss. These are not all the possible side effects of EMEND.
• The most common side effects of EMEND for Injection are hiccups, weakness or tiredness, changes in liver function blood test results, headache, constipation, loss of appetite, indigestion, diarrhea, and belching.
• Infusion site side effects with EMEND for Injection may include pain, hardening, and redness or itching at the site of infusion. Swelling (inflammation) of a vein caused by a blood clot can also happen at the infusion site. Tell your doctor if you get any infusion site side effect.
• These are not all the possible side effects of EMEND or EMEND for Injection.