The Challenges of Taking Xeloda

Xeloda is an interesting drug..it is given in tablet form and the patient takes it at home...twice a day, with meals.

Back when I was researching this, I thought that it was probable that although it is much easier for the patient (you don't have to drive to a chemo center, sit and wait to be called in, then sit and wait for the IV to deliver the chemo), it is also easy for the patient to make mistakes in taking the drug.

For instance, one thing I noticed is that although all the manufacturer's information say to take the drug within 30 minutes of completing a meal, some of the women taking it have waited for an hour afterward to take it.  This is problematic because the drug is metabolized and if it isn't taken with a meal and plenty of water, it isn't likely to do what it is supposed to.

In addition, it is easy to forget to take it after your meal...I have had guests and I've forgotten to take the tablets with me when we went out to dinner.  Even after they were gone, I forgot tonight to take them, and then had to eat something else in order to take the tablet.  If I gain weight with this, it won't be because of any steroids, rather that I am eating when I am not hungry in order to take the pills appropriately.

The last thing which happened is that I thought I understood the directions on how to take it.  I was told to take 2,000 mg twice a day within 30 minutes of eating.  Well....for the first session (two weeks) I took a total of  4 pills, when I was supposed to be taking four pills in the morning, and four in the afternoon.  I realize that it is possible for mistakes to be made in dosing when one is getting an IV, but I suspect that this kind of mistake (either taking too low a dose or missing a dose) is far more prevalent when taking drugs at home.

I'm not sure what the answer is for this...You'd think having a huge pill box with 7 days worth of "slots" with "AM" and "PM" on it would jar my memory...in fact, I set the box in front of me tonight with dinner....and promptly forgot to take them.  Thank goodness for apple pie. :)

So, double check your prescriptions and make sure that you are taking the appropriate amount....at least I took my medicine....even if it was only a half dose.