Medications for Lung Cancer

Anti-nauseants

Common names include:

• Prochlorperazine (Compazine)
• Metoclopramide]]> (Octamide, Metoclopramide Intensol, Reglan)
• ]]>Odansetron]]> (Zofran)
• ]]>Granisetron]]> (Kytril)

Anti-nauseants, also called anti-emetics, are given to help treat nausea and vomiting that may be caused by ]]>chemotherapy]]> , ]]>radiation]]> , or ]]>surgery to treat cancer]]> . Prochlorperazine can be taken by mouth, injection, or a suppository. Ondansetron and granisetron can be taken orally or as injections; metoclopramide is usually given by injection.

Common side effects include:

For prochlorperazine:

• Blurred vision, change in color vision, or difficulty seeing at night
• Fainting
• Loss of balance control
• Restlessness or need to keep moving
• Shuffling walk
• Stiffness of arms or legs
• Trembling and shaking of hands and fingers

For metoclopramide:

• ]]>Diarrhea]]> (with high doses)
• Drowsiness
• Restlessness

For odansetron:

• ]]>Constipation]]>
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Headache

For granisetron:

• Abdominal pain
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Unusual tiredness or weakness

Corticosteroids

Common names include:

• Dexamethasone]]> (Cortastat, Dalalone, Decadrol, Decadron, Decaject, Dexacorten, Dexamethasone Intensol, Dexasone, Dexone, Hexadrol, Mymethasone, Primethasone, Solurex)
• ]]>Prednisone]]> (Cordrol, Deltasone, Liquid Pred, Meticorten, Orasone, Prednicot, Prednisone Intensol, Pred-Pak, Sterapred)

Corticosteroids help to minimize inflammation and to relieve pain due to inflammation. You may experience pain and inflammation for a variety of reasons, such as:

• Bone pain from cancer that has spread to your bones
• Edema (fluid build up in cells) caused by tumors or treatment

Common side effects include:

• Increased appetite
• Indigestion
• Nervousness or restlessness

Painkillers—Narcotics

Common names include:

• Hydrocodone (Dilaudid, Hydrostat)
• Methadone]]> (Astramorph PF, Duramorph, Kadian, MS Contin, OMS Concentrate, Oramorph SR, Rescudose, RMS Uniserts, Roxanol)
• ]]>Oxycodone and acetaminophen]]> (Percocet)

Narcotics act on the central nervous system to relieve pain. These drugs can be very effective; however, they must be used with great caution because they can be mentally and/or physically addicting. If you are going to take one of these drugs for a long period of time, your doctor will closely monitor you.

Percocet is a combination medication. A narcotic analgesic and acetaminophen used together may provide better pain relief than either medicine used alone. In some cases, lower doses of each medicine are necessary to achieve pain relief.

The most common side effects of narcotics include:

• Dizziness, light-headedness, or feeling faint
• Drowsiness
• Nausea or vomiting

Blood Stem Cell Support Drugs

Common names include:

• Filgrastim]]> (Neupogen)
• ]]>Epoetin]]> (Epogen, Procrit)

During cancer treatment, blood cells can be destroyed along with cancer cells. Filgrastim helps your bone marrow make new white blood cells. White blood cells help your body fight infection. Therefore, filgrastim helps to reduce your risk of infection.

Epoetin helps your bone marrow to make new red blood cells. Low red blood cell levels can lead to ]]>anemia]]> . Therefore, epoetin helps reduce your risk of anemia. Epoetin is quite effective, but it has a two-week delay between the injection and when your red blood cell count really starts to come back. It is not used as a “quick fix” for a low red blood cell count; a ]]>blood transfusion]]> is usually performed if you need to recover your red blood cell count more quickly.

Both filgrastim and epoetin are given by injection in your doctor's office.

Common side effects include:

For filgrastim:

• Headache
• Pain in arms or legs
• Pain in joints or muscles
• Pain in lower back or pelvis
• Skin rash or itching

For epoetin:

• Cough, sneezing, or sore throat
• Fever
• Swelling of face, fingers, ankles, feet, or lower legs
• Weight gain

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Common names include:

• Ibuprofen]]> (Advil, Bayer Select Ibuprofen, Dolgesic, Excedrin IB, Genpril, Haltran, Ibren, Ibuprohm, Medipren, Midol IB, Motrin, Nuprin, Q-Profen, Rufen, Trendar)
• ]]>Naproxen]]> (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan, Naprosyn)

NSAIDs are used to relieve pain and inflammation. You may experience pain and inflammation for a variety of reasons, such as:

• Bone pain from cancer that has spread to your bones
• Edema (fluid build up in cells) caused by tumors or treatment

Common side effects include:

• Stomach cramps, pain, or discomfort
• Dizziness, drowsiness, or lightheadedness
• Headache
• Heartburn, indigestion, nausea, or vomiting