Xeloda side effects

[Worldofme]

Hi, been on for 6 cycles before getting terrible stomach pains gi problems diarrhea. Also blisters on my feet. No problems till now. My doctor only wants me to take a week off. The thought of going back on scares me. Does it ever get better?

[barbarac76]

Hi. Sorry to hear you're having bad side effects. I've been on Xeloda since February 2019.

I never had the digestive issues, but I've had the hand/foot syndrome. My schedule has been 7 days on, 7 days off from the start, which is the protocol for my cancer center. My dose was 1500mg in the am and 1500mg in the pm. My onc lowered it to 1500/1000 after I had some severe blisters.

Regarding the redness/blisters on feet, I have learned to limit my physical activities, but not give them up altogether. After a long walk or exercising I soak my feet in cold water for about 1/2 hour, then apply lotion (I use Udderly Smooth Extra Care).

What is your schedule and dose? You can always make changes. I know a lot of women on Xeloda are on a 14 days on, 7 days off schedule. I would not be able to tolerate that.

What is your schedule and dose? Maybe you can adjust. My onc said that around the 6th month mark (and for others, before six months), an adjustment is normal and really helps.

Hope this information helps.

[MacroMom in reply to barbarac76]

So great that Xeloda has worked well for you this long! I was hoping for a longer run but happy that I got seven months out of it. I'm on Abraxane now and doing well...cancer marker is dropping a lot and side effects aren't bad at all. Take care!

[barbarac76 in reply to MacroMom]

Hi Patty,

So glad to hear you're doing well on Abraxane and that the side effects aren't that bad. Very encouraging to hear. Hearing about your experience with Abraxane eases my fears about IV chemo and the unknown.

May you have a long run with Abraxane!

Barbara

[MacroMom]

I agree with everything Barbara wrote! I was also on 7 days on/7 days off, 1350mg am and pm. My oncologist was involved with a study at Sloane Kettering in NY that showed this schedule to be as effective as 14 on/7 off, with fewer side effects.

My only other suggestion from my ND oncologist is taking Vit B6 (300 mg/day). I found keeping my feet as cool as possible important too...the cold soak Barbara suggests helped me too. And it was about six months (and a trip to a warm climate) before I had problems with the foot syndrome.

Hope the Xeloda is kicking back your cancer too.

[SusieIM]

sorry to hear about your symptoms. I also was having a hard time on Xeloda. If you continue having a hard time, I would let your doctor know, how difficult it is. In my opinion is your doc should give you a little more than a week to rest and lower your dosage some (that's what mind did, I could tell she was hoping I could tolerate the 3000 a day dosage but it was getting very difficult so she will lower it some). I go back on my meds this coming Wednesday. Hang in there, as I say I would talk with your doctor.

Hugs

[BangorBelle56]

Anybody got tips for tummy pains Due to Xeloda. I have them everyday even though I am one week on one week off. Gettingsuch good results but this is hard going. Much worse than Taxol. .

[hope4mbc in reply to BangorBelle56]

I spoke to my oncologist yesterday about mild stomach pains. She indicated that if the pains became severe that they would prescribe something for me. You might want to touch base with your oncologist to see if there is something that could be prescribed for you.

[Bubbles001 in reply to BangorBelle56]

Drinking ginger tea helped my nausea when I first started Xeloda. It’s worth a try.

[rubyc1234]

I was on Xeloda for a year and a half and never once had the hand/foot syndrome. However, my gut and GI system sure suffered. I had a lot of stomach pains, gas to no end, and diarrhea. I was burping a lot too. I lived with it as best I could and found eating small meals more frequently was better than large meals. Overall, it was manageable but not pleasant.