Therapeutic Category
- Antineoplastic Agent, Alkylating Agent
- Antineoplastic Agent, Alkylating Agent (Nitrosourea)
Medication Safety Issues
Sound-alike/look-alike issues:
Lomustine may be confused with bendamustine, carmustine
High alert medication:
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) includes this medication among its list of drug classes (chemotherapeutic agent, parenteral and oral) which have a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm when used in error (High-Alert Medications in Acute Care, Community/Ambulatory Care, and Long-Term Care Settings).
Administration issues:
Lomustine should only be administered as a single dose once every 6 weeks; serious and fatal adverse events have occurred when lomustine was inadvertently administered daily. The manufacturer and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) recommend prescribing, dispensing, and administering only enough capsules for a single dose (ISMP 2014).