Alimta Information and Uses

Alimta

Last Updated: 08:31am 06.18.13 by Beth Bolt, RPh

Alimta Overview Follow Medication

Alimta (generic: pemetrexed) is a prescription medication used to treat mesothelioma (a form of cancer) and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Alimta belongs to a group of drugs called antifolate antineoplastic agents, which help stop cancer cells from multiplying.

This medication comes in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) over 10 minutes every 3 weeks by a healthcare professional.

Common side effects of Alimta include fever, diarrhea, and nausea.

Uses of Alimta

Alimta is a prescription medicine used to treat mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the tissue that lines your lungs, stomach, heart, and other organs. Alimta is also used to treat a certain kind of lung cancer called nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer. This cancer occurs when malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the lung.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Side Effects of Alimta

Call your doctor right away if you have a fever, chills, diarrhea, or mouth sores. These symptoms could mean you have an infection.

Common side effects of Alimta are:

nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
low blood cell counts including:
- low red blood cells.
- low white blood cells.
- low platelets
tiredness
mouth, throat, or lip sores
loss of appetite
hair loss
rash

Talk with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about any side effect that bothers you or that doesn't go away.

This is not a complete list of Alimta side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Alimta Interactions

Tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Alimta and other medicines may affect each other causing serious side effects.

Especially, tell your doctor if you are taking medicines called “nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs” (NSAIDs) for pain or swelling. There are many NSAID medicines. Tell your doctor if you are taking:

ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil)
naproxen (Naprosyn) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan)
diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren)
indomethacin (Indocin)
nabumetone (Relafen)
oxaprozin (Daypro)
celecoxib (Celebrex)
meloxicam (Mobic)
etodolac (Lodine)
ketoprofen (Orudis)
ketorolac (Toradol)

This is not a complete list of Alimta drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Alimta Precautions

Most patients taking Alimta will have side effects. Sometimes it is not always possible to tell whether Alimta, another medicine, or the cancer itself is causing these side effects. Call your doctor right away if you have a fever, chills, diarrhea, or mouth sores. These symptoms could mean you have an infection which may be severe and could lead to death.

Talk with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about any side effect that bothers you or that doesn't go away.

Alimta Food Interactions

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Alimta there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Alimta.

Inform MD

Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you have kidney disease.

Tell your doctor if you are allergic to Alimta or any other medication.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Alimta and Pregnancy

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Alimta falls into category D. Alimta can cause harm to the unborn baby. Women should use effective contraceptive measures to prevent pregnancy during treatment with Alimta.

Alimta and Lactation

It is not known whether Alimta can pass into human milk. Many drugs can pass into human milk, and because of the potential for serious reactions in nursing infants from Alimta, a decision should be made to stop nursing or stop the use of this drug. The importance of the drug for the mother should be taken into account.

Alimta Usage

Alimta is slowly infused (injected) into a vein by a healthcare professional. The injection or infusion will last about 10 minutes. You will usually receive Alimta once every 21 days (3 weeks).

It is very important to take folic acid and vitamin B12 during your treatment with Alimta to lower your chances of harmful side effects.

You must start taking 400-1000 micrograms of folic acid every day for at least 5 days out of the 7 days before your first dose of Alimta.
You must keep taking folic acid every day during the time you are getting treatment with Alimta and for 21 days after your last treatment.
You can get folic acid vitamins over-the-counter. Folic acid is also found in many multivitamin pills. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for help if you are not sure how to choose a folic acid product.
Your doctor will give you vitamin B12 injections while you are getting treatment with Alimta. You will get your first vitamin B12 injection during the week before your first dose of Alimta, and then about every 9 weeks during treatment.

Your doctor will prescribe a medicine called a “corticosteroid” to take for 3 days during your treatment with Alimta.

You will have regular blood tests before and during your treatment with Alimta. Your doctor may adjust your dose of Alimta or delay treatment based on the results of your blood tests and on your general condition.

Alimta Dosage

Combination use in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma:
- Alimta is given on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle. It will also be given with cisplatin beginning 30 minutes after Alimta is given.
Single-Agent use in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer:
- Alimta is given on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle.
Dose Reductions: Dose reductions or discontinuation may be needed based on toxicities from the prior cycle of therapy.

Alimta Overdose

Alimta is usually administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting making it unlikely for an overdose to occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.