A Patient's Guide to Long-Term Oral Cancer Treatment

A Patient's Guide to Long-Term Oral Cancer Treatment

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Many cancer treatments are now daily tablets. Tamoxifen, letrozole and anastrozole are often taken for five years or more after breast cancer, and imatinib is taken every day for chronic myeloid leukaemia. Keeping a steady routine matters as much as the tablet.

Small habits help: take your tablet at the here same time each day, use a weekly pill box, and set an alarm. If you miss a dose, follow your leaflet and never take two at once. Weekly methotrexate is the exception: for arthritis and psoriasis it is taken once a week, not daily.

For more practical tips, see this patient-friendly guide walks through the essentials.

Side effects to watch: hot flushes, joint stiffness and tiredness are common with hormone tablets. Letrozole and anastrozole can thin the bones, so many people have bone scans and advice on calcium and vitamin D. Report chest pain, sudden breathlessness, leg swelling or unusual bleeding promptly.

Order ahead. Reorder when you still have two or three weeks of tablets left, so a delay never causes a gap. Generic tablets contain the same active ingredient as the brands and can make long-term treatment more affordable. A valid prescription is required for every order of a prescription medicine.

More detail is available in this article.

This article is for general information only. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any medicine.

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