What should I tell my care team before I take this medication?
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Irregular heartbeat or rhythm
- Kidney disease
- Lung disease
- Mental health condition
- Scarring or thickening of the lungs
- Seizures
- Suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempt by you or a family member
- An unusual or allergic reaction to lorlatinib, other medications, foods, dyes, or preservatives
- Pregnant or trying to get pregnant
- Breast-feeding
What may interact with this medication?
Do not take this medication with any of the following:
- Apalutamide
- Certain medications for seizures, such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, mephobarbital, phenobarbital, primidone
- Enzalutamide
- Lumacaftor; ivacaftor
- Mitotane
- Ranolazine
- Rifampin
- Rifapentine
- St. John's wort
This medication may also interact with the following:
- Bosentan
- Certain antibiotics, such as clarithromycin or troleandomycin
- Certain antivirals for hepatitis, such as boceprevir or telaprevir
- Certain antivirals for HIV, such as cobicistat, indinavir, lopinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, tipranavir, efavirenz, etravirine
- Certain medications for fungal infections, such as fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole
- Conivaptan
- Estrogen or progestin hormones
- Grapefruit juice
- Midazolam
- Modafinil
This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.
What should I watch for while using this medication?
Visit your care team for regular checks on your progress. It may be some time before you see the benefit from this medication.
This medication may make you feel generally unwell. This is not uncommon as chemotherapy can affect healthy cells as well as cancer cells. Report any side effects. Continue your course of treatment even though you feel ill unless your care team tells you to stop.
Talk to your care team if you wish to become pregnant or think you might be pregnant. This medication can cause serious birth defects if taken during pregnancy or for 6 months after the last dose. A negative pregnancy test is required before starting this medication. Estrogen and progestin hormones may not work as well while you are taking this medication. A barrier contraceptive, such as condom or diaphragm, is recommended. Talk to your care team about reliable forms of contraception. Do not father a child while taking this medication and for 3 months after the last dose. Use a condom when having sex during this time period.
Do not breast-feed while taking this medication and for 7 days after the last dose.
This medication may cause infertility. It is usually temporary. Talk to your care team if you are concerned about your fertility.
Avoid taking medications that contain aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, or ketoprofen unless instructed by your care team. These medications may hide a fever.
Be careful brushing or flossing your teeth or using a toothpick because you may get an infection or bleed more easily. If you have any dental work done, tell your dentist you are receiving this medication.
This medication may increase your risk of getting an infection. Call your care team for advice if you get a fever, chills, sore throat, or other symptoms of a cold or flu. Do not treat yourself. Try to avoid being around people who are sick.
This medication can increase bad cholesterol and fats (such as LDL, triglycerides) and decrease good cholesterol (HDL) in your blood. You may need blood tests to check your cholesterol. Ask your care team what you can do to lower your risk of high cholesterol while taking this medication.
This medication may increase blood sugar. The risk may be higher in patients who already have diabetes. Ask your care team what you can do to lower your risk of diabetes while taking this medication.
This medication may cause thoughts of suicide or depression. This includes sudden changes in mood, behaviors, or thoughts. These changes can happen at any time but are more common in the beginning of treatment or after a change in dose. Call your care team right away if you experience these thoughts or worsening depression.