Info - Common Side Effects of Tafinlar and Mekinist

TAFINLAR -

Main side effects:
Fever
Fatigued
Thickening of skin
Warts
Rash
Headache
Joint or muscle aches
Cough
Hair loss
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Low blood pressure 

Avoid:
Chamomile. Inhibits enzymes and might make side effects last longer
Grapefruit, it interferes

Notify if:
Bleeding like stool, urine, gums
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Swelling
Feeling lightheaded
Visual issues like blurred, eye pain, or swelling
Blood sugar increase, like increased thirst or urination
Skin rash is bad like peeling, loosening or hand/ foot skin reaction like numbness and blistering
Little to no urination 

Storage:
Store at room temperature 

MEKINIST - 

Main Side Effects:
Fever
Rash
Nausea
Fatigue
Bleeding
Skin cancer
Blood clot
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Cough, shortness of breath
Dry skin
Swelling
Joint or muscle pain
Low sodium

Notify if:
Tarry stool
Chest pain
Clubbing fingers
Rash
Visual issues
Fever
High blood pressure
Blood sugar changes
Basically, always notify them of anything unusual at all. 

Storage:
Store in refrigerator, not in the door compartments 

*This is not a complete list of side effects. Your pharmacist should include written drug information for each drug. In addition, you can look on the Novartis website. 

Tips:
Take great care of feet with creams. Moisturize daily
Avoid cleaning products or wear gloves and shoes, no flip flops
Avoid pregnancy. Birth control might not work well
Can affect fertility

Note:
You will need to see various specialists regularly for checkups regarding side effects. This includes a cardiologist for your heart, a dermatologist for your skin, and an ophthalmologist for your eyes. 

These specialists will help inform your oncologist if you have any serious side effects in that part of the body. 

In addition, you need monthly blood tests to check your kidneys and other things. And every other month, you'll likely need CT or PET scans. 

These checks will helps insure that you can continue on the drugs and the drugs are not damaging your body.