Trametinib (Mekinist®)

Pronounced: [tra-ME-ti-nib]

About Your Medication

  • Trametinibis an oral medicine that your doctor prescribed for the treatment of your cancer. Please take your trametinib as directed by your prescriber.

How to Take Your Medication

  • Take your trametinib at approximately the same time each day
  • Take on an empty stomach - at least 1 hours before or 2 hours after eating
  • Trametinib should be taken without food
  • Swallow tablets whole with water. Do not break, chew, or dissolve tablets.
  • If you miss a dose of trametinib, take the medicine as soon as you remember on that day.
  • Do not take two doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose.

Tell Your Healthcare Provider if you have any trouble taking your trametinib, including:

  • Trouble swallowing pills
  • Forgetting to take doses
  • Trouble affording your medications
  • Throwing up pills
  • Side effects

Important Precautions

  • Trametinib may be harmful to an unborn child. If sexually active with a partner that is pregnant or who may become pregnant during and for several weeks after treatment, two forms of contraception must be used (a condom and another effective form of birth control).
  • Trametinib may pass into breast milk and could potentially harm nursing infants. Do not breastfeed while taking trametinib.
  • New second cancershave been observed with trametinib therapy. This risk may be higher if dabrafenib is taken with trametinib.

What foods and drugs may interact with my trametinib?

Please talk to your healthcare provider at your cancer clinic before starting or stopping any medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements, because some of these may interact with your trametinib.

Storage, Handling, and Disposal

It is important to keep these safeguards in mind when storing and handling oral anticancer therapy to keep you and your caregivers safe.

  • Store refrigerated at 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F). Do not freeze.
  • Keep in original bottle. Do not place medication in pill boxes.
  • Do not remove desiccant.
  • Protect from moisture and light.
  • Keep the medication out of reach from children and pets.
  • Return expired, damaged, or unused trametinib to a pharmacy or hospital for disposal. Do not discard into the garbage or toilet, or anywhere that children or pets may have access.

Trametinib (Mekinist®) Side Effect Summary

This list does not include all possible side effects of trametinib. If you have an unusual symptom, call the clinic. Below are the most common side effects:

  • Edema – Swelling/rapid weight gain

What are your symptoms? / What can you do…
Mild swelling, only visible when looking closely, not interfering with activities /
  • Ask your clinic about special stockings
  • Wear loose clothing and shoes that are not too tight
  • Keep your legs elevated when you are sitting or resting
  • Weigh yourself regularly
  • Avoid salty foods, including canned soups, chips, bacon, and ham. Don’t add extra salt or soy sauce to your food. Check food labels for sodium content, and try to limit yourself to less than 2 grams of sodium per day.

Moderate swelling, clearly visible, not interfering with daily activities /
  • Try to manage using the measures listed above
  • If you have rapid weight gain (more than 5 pounds in one week), call the clinic
  • If you have any difficulty breathing or chest tightness, call 911 or proceed to your local emergency room

Severe swelling, interfering with your daily activities /
  • Call the clinic
  • If you have any difficulty breathing or chest tightness, call 911 or proceed to your local emergency room

  • Rash -an itchy or red appearance on the skin.

What are your symptoms? / What can you do…
Mild Rash – covering less than 10% of your body (an entire leg is about 10% of your body surface area); no symptoms such as itching, burning or tightness /
  • Avoid direct sunlight (cover exposed areas of skin and use sunscreen)
  • Use antihistamines (anti-itch) medicines prescribed by the clinic
  • Apply non-scented lotion to areas of dry skin
  • The clinic may provide you with additional prescription creams or lotions to apply to the rash

Moderate Rash - covering about 10%-30% of your skin (an entire leg is about 10% of your body surface area); with or without symptoms such as itching, burning or tightness; limiting some of your daily activities, but able to care for yourself /
  • Try to manage using the measures listed above
  • The clinic may provide you with additional oral medications to help manage the rash
  • If not improved within a few days, or you are unable to care for yourself, Call the clinic

Severe Rash – covering more than 30% of your skin (an entire leg is about 10% of your body surface area); with or without symptoms such as itching, burning or tightness; limiting your ability to care for yourself /
  • Call the clinic

  • Diarrhea – frequent and/or watery bowel movements

What are your symptoms? / What can you do…
Mild diarrhea – stools are more loose/watery or you are having 1-3 more stools per day than usual /
  • Stay well hydrated
  • Avoid fatty, greasy, spicy foods that may increase your risk for diarrhea
  • Avoid caffeine and alcohol
  • Eat small, frequent meals; foods that are easy on the stomach include bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast
  • Use your antidiarrheal medicine, loperamide (Imodium®) 4 mg at the onset of diarrhea, then 2 mg every 2 hours until diarrhea-free for 12 hours
  • If diarrhea is not improving after 48 hours of treatment with your antidiarrheal medicine, or you are having trouble staying hydrated, call the clinic

Moderate diarrhea - you are having 4-6 more stools per day than usual; you are still able to perform your normal daily activities /
  • Try to manage using the measures listed above.
  • If diarrhea is not improving within 24 hours, or you are having trouble staying hydrated, call the clinic

Severe diarrhea – you are having 7 or more stools per day than usual, or you are having trouble staying hydrated or performing normal daily activities, or you are not making it to the bathroom in time /
  • Stop taking the trametinib and call the clinic

Below are some less common side effects of trametinib.

Less Common Side Effects / What Can I Do? / When to Call the Clinic?
Eye Problems /
  • You cancer clinic will monitor.
/
  • Eye pain, swelling, or redness or any changes in vision such as flashes of light, blurred vision, floaters in your field of vision, or light hurting your eyes

High Blood Pressure
Onset within ~ 3 weeks /
  • Depending on your specific treatment plan, you may be instructed by your clinic to monitor your blood pressure daily at home, especially during the first 6 weeks of therapy
/
  • Blood pressure over 150/90 or
less than 100/60 or as instructed by your clinic provider
Heart Failure /
  • You cancer clinic will monitor.
/
  • Feeling like your heart is pounding or racing, shortness of breath, swelling of ankles and feet, lightheadedness

Lung Disease
(pneumonitis) /
  • You cancer clinic will monitor.
/
  • If you have new symptoms such
as wheezing, shortness of breath, or a new cough

Who to Call With Questions?

If you are having an emergency, call 911

Who to Call With Questions?

If you are having an emergency, call 911

Who to Call With Questions?

If you are having an emergency, call 911

Who to Call With Questions?

If you are having an emergency, call 911

Copyright 2017 Michigan Oncology Quality Consortium, All rights reserved. V.12-14 MOQC-7.31.2018

MOQC makes no representations or warranties and explicitly disclaims the appropriateness or applicability of the MOQC Content to any specific patient's care or treatment. Any clinician seeking to treat a patient using the MOQC Content is expected to use independent medical judgment in the context of individual clinical circumstances of a specific patient's care or treatment.