Your doctor will ask you to have a blood test before treatment and every week for the first 8 weeks of treatment. You may need to continue taking the blood tests at least every month after treatment with Lenmid ends. Frequent blood tests are important as Lenmid may decrease the blood cells that help fight infection (white blood cells) and help the blood to clot (platelets).

Lenmid may cause side effects which include diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, dizziness, change in ability to taste, and pain or burning of the tongue, mouth, or throat. The medicine may also cause decreased sense of touch, burning or tingling in the hands or feet, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, depression, and joint, muscle, bone, or back pain. You may also experience sweating, dry skin, abnormal hair growth in women, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, decrease in sexual desire or ability or painful, frequent, or urgent urination. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away.

People with multiple myeloma (a form of cancer that begins in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell) who receive melphalan (chemotherapy) and a blood stem cell transplant with the addition of Lenmid have a higher risk of developing new cancers. These types of cancers may include certain blood cancers (acute myelogenous leukemia or AML) and a type of lymphoma called Hodgkin lymphoma. Talk to your doctor about your risk of developing new cancers if you are taking Lenmid.

Lenmid may be taken with or without food. Always take it exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not crush, cut or chew the capsules. Swallow it whole with water. You should take Lenmid at about the same time on the scheduled days.

Women who can become pregnant must use two acceptable forms of birth control for 4 weeks before they begin taking Lenmid. Continue using contraceptives during your treatment, including the times when your doctor tells you to temporarily stop taking Lenmid, and for 4 weeks after your final dose. In men, Lenmid may pass into the semen while they are on treatment. Therefore, men must always use a latex condom every time they have sexual contact, even if they have had a vasectomy (surgery that prevents a man from causing a pregnancy). Use the contraceptive while you are taking Lenmid, during any breaks in your treatment, and for 4 weeks after your final dose.

The serious side effects of Lenmid include difficult breathing or swallowing, hoarseness or swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs. Some of the serious side effects may also include seizures, rash, skin pain, fast, slow, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or blistering, peeling, or shedding skin. It may also cause swollen glands in the neck, muscle cramps, pain in the upper right part of the stomach, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark colored urine, tiredness, or bloody, cloudy, or painful urination and increased or decreased urination. Call your doctor immediately if you get any of these side effects.

Yes, Lenmid is given to dialysis patients after the dialysis is done. However, the doctor may adjust the dose if needed in patients undergoing.