xeloda and tykerb
 

hi this is my first post here. i started xeloda today and wed. will start tykerb. i was told to take xeloda after breakfast and dinner but when is the best time to take tykerb. if i take it at bedtime can i take something to help me sleep or for anxiety? i don't know if it's my imagination or not but tonight it almost seems as if my hand and feet and a little tingly and achy. se's that soon? i'd appreciate any input anyone can share with me. thanks

Xeloda and tykerb
 

Hi,
I have never taken those drugs, but I would advise you to read the inserts and any other literature that came with your medicine. There might be some advice about that. I take medicine that has notices about making me drowsy or dizzy at night. Please talk to your doctor about it. He or she can get the answers for you.

Many of us who have been on this combo for a while (myself for 18 months) have found that taking Tykerb at bedtime is preferable, especially in the first couple of months when you might suffer from the 'my body will need a little time to get used to this' diarrhea. Taking it at night seems to have helped some with the nighttime version of that side effect. I do take occasional Lunesta for help on my occasional sleep challenged nights.

I take Xeloda with breakfast and dinner, and Tykerb at least one hour after my dinner meal - either a little while before bed or right at bed time.

My diarrhea only lasted sporatically for about 6-8 weeks... and a disciplined healthy diet has helped me avoid any more diarrhea.

You might be feeling a little hand foot syndrome, but I also think there might be a little psychosomatic effect that can happen when you have valid side effect anxiety. Just my opinion...

I have had a great experience and tremendous results on this combo with very little side effect. Best of luck. Let us know how you are doing!

Hi -
Since Tykerb must be taken on an empty stomach I take mine first thing in the am while I have my coffee. I wait one hour and then can eat. When I took xeloda - I took it after breakfast and again after dinner. If this is your first experience with chemo it's unlikely that you'll have side effects this quickly. I never had probs w/hand foot from the ty/xeloda combo. I have been on tykerb for well over a year and sometimes have weird tingly stuff but nothing lasting or impacting. I had a lot of trouble with runs at first from tykerb and found that starting slowly worked better for me. I started at 3 pills for about 5 days then 4 pills for about a week and then up to full dose - 5 pills daily. Good luck. It's a very well-tolerated and successful combo!