Lapatinib and Alcohol/Food Interactions

Take lapatinib on an empty stomach 1 hour before or 1 hour after a meal unless otherwise directed by your doctor. This will make it easier for your body to absorb the medication. The lapatinib dose is administered once daily and should not be divided. The usual dose of lapatinib is equal to 5 tablets. You may swallow each tablet one at a time, but take the entire lapatinib dose at the same time each day. If you are receiving therapy with lapatinib you should be advised to avoid grapefruits and grapefruit juice. Grapefruit can raise the levels of lapatinib in your body and lead to dangerous side effects.

HER2 inhibitors - CHF

Decreases in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) have been reported with agents that block HER2 activity. Patients who have received prior anthracyclines, those who received anthracycline after stopping therapy with agents that block HER2 activity, or patients who received prior radiotherapy to the chest area may be at higher risk of decreased LVEF. Therapy with these agents should be administered cautiously in patients with a previous history of heart conditions. Evaluate cardiac function before, during, and upon completion of treatment. Withhold or discontinue therapy with agents that block HER2 activity as appropriate, and for a confirmed clinically significant decrease in left ventricular function, or if the LVEF has not improved or has declined further. It is recommended to monitor overall cardiac function and LVEF by echocardiogram or MUGA scan as appropriate.