Questions for those of you who have been on just Xeloda

abrub
abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
edited February 2012 in Colorectal Cancer #1
A friend has been advised to go on Xeloda only (2 weeks of pills, 1 week off) as adjuvant chemo for his appendix cancer, and was wondering about Xeloda-specific side effects and ways to deal with them. I had Folfox + Avastin, so my experience was quite different from what he will be experiencing.

What can you tell me about the specifics of Xeloda? Is chemo-brain a common occurrence with it?

Also, how was the Xeloda handled by insurance? Is it under the Prescription rider, or handled separately?

Thanks in advance for any info you can give me. I'll share all with him.

Alice

Comments

  • jjaj133
    jjaj133 Member Posts: 867 Member
    #2
    Hi Alice, I finished 8
    Hi Alice, I finished 8 months of Xeloda in November. I did well and the side effects were occasional diarrhea,& fatigue in the 8th month i started to develop foot syndrome. I already had neuropathy from the infusion chemo a year before, so the dr. stopped it a month sooner. All in all i found Xeloda the lesser of all the evils.
    Good luck to your friend. He is lucky to have you.
    Judy
  • Jaylo969
    Jaylo969 Member Posts: 824 Member
    #3
    xeloda only
    Hi Alice,

    After 5 rounds of Folfox I was taken off it and put on Xeloda only. I had such a hard time with the Folfox that I really never knew if my chemo brain and horrid fatigue was from it or the Xeloda or maybe/probably a combo of all.I know for sure that the foot problems were from Xeloda but that can be managed usually.

    Xeloda is considered a prescription and requires a co-pay. Mine was $60.00 x 2 because I was taking 2 different strengths, thus 2 co-pays.The manufacturer helped on the co-pay and is worth investigating.After the first Rx they offered to pay $50.00 toward the co-pay for I think it was 6 months max.

    All in all I guess I did well enough on Xeloda.
    Best wishes to your friend.

    -Pat
  • have2believe
    have2believe Member Posts: 134
    #4
    hand cream and vitamin b6
    I was told vitamin b6 helps w/the hand/ foot syndrome. Also make sure to use lots of lotion. Xeloda did not treat my mom very kindly.

    I just learned about a new website which I found quite helpful. It shows you what people have said about their experiences of drugs through online discussion boards/ forums.

    http://treato.com/
  • son of hal
    son of hal Member Posts: 117
    #5
    I did Xeloda for six weeks
    I did Xeloda for six weeks and had almost no side effects. I remember reading to NOT have any Magnesium supplements including in a multi-vitamin. There is some sort of reaction possible. My onc. never said anything but only confirmed it when I asked about it. I don't think I had any chemo-brain but maybe I forgot already.;) I occassionaly have one or two fingers go numb and turn white when exposed to cold but who knows if it's from that.
    It was very effective for me and completey did away with the tumor so I wish him best of luck with it.
    Take care, CJ
  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    #6
    Thanks, All!
    I've copied your replies into a message for Mark. Thank you.

    I think this will make his decision easier. Xeloda alone sounds much more doable than when combined with the Oxaliplatin monster.

    If anyone else posts thoughts/comments, I'll forward those as well.

    With much appreciation,
    Alice

    PS - my photo shows me curling. I'm just back from 2 major tournaments - one in St. Paul, MN, consisting of 32 teams, and one in Albany, NY consisting of 16 teams. Both teams I was on (different teams for each competition) did quite well. In the past 10 days, I've curled in 11 games (including 2 club league games) plus 2 singles matches. My team won 7 of the games and I won both of my singles. Today, my body is exhausted! No curling till tomorrow!
  • lauragb
    lauragb Member Posts: 370 Member
    #7
    I was on Xeloda for my
    I was on Xeloda for my original treatment of chemo and radiation for 5 weeks. I had no issues with it in that short term. I am now on Xeloda-only for adjuvant therapy after dropping the oxaliplatin. I was just losing too much weight to continue it. I am finishing my second Xeloda-only cycle and do have hand/foot syndrome. My feet in particular are red and burning. It started on day 10 of 14. I feel like I have chemo brain but I was also thrown into surgical/radiation menopause so I'm not sure what is what. The ole attention span and short term memory just ain't what they used to be. Time will tell how this will go. I do have fatigue but it is manageable. Other than that, I find the Xeloda quite tolerable compared to the nausea and diarrhea of Folfox.

    I am lucky that my prescription insurance pays for most of the Xeloda since it is rather expensive.
  • rlridings
    rlridings Member Posts: 42
    #8
    limotil w xeloda
    I found that I cramped when I took the pills so I started taking Limotil at the same time and that cured the cramps which helped a lot
  • pepebcn
    pepebcn Member Posts: 6,331 Member
    #9
    rlridings said:

    limotil w xeloda
    I found that I cramped when I took the pills so I started taking Limotil at the same time and that cured the cramps which helped a lot

    Hand foot syndrome is one of the most common issue of
    Xeloda, also stomach issues ave been frequently reported but over all is a relatively easy and manageable drug.

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