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How Long Can a Person Take Xeloda?

Xeloda is the brand names of a drug called capecitabine that is used to treat specific types of cancer. Inside of your bodies, the chemical capecitabine is turned into another chemical called 5-fluorouracil, or 5-FU for short. 5-FU interacts with cancer cells in such a way that it causes them to stop growing. Xeloda stops some tumors from getting bigger and can sometimes make tumors smaller. Xeloda is a potent drug that should never be given to children or taken by anyone other than the patient to whom it has been prescribed.

  1. Approved Uses

    • Xeloda is used to treat metastatic breast and colorectal cancers. The drug is also used to treat stage II colon cancer. When treating colon cancer, Xeloda is usually used after surgery to remove the tumor. Xeloda is often combined with the drug docetaxel when used to treat breast cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Xeloda to treat breast cancer in 1998, colorectal cancer in 2001 and colon cancer in 2005. The possibility of using Xeloda to treat other types of cancers is being investigated.

    How to Take Xeloda

    • Xeloda is a pill that is taken in the morning 30 minutes after breakfast and in the evening 30 minutes after dinner. It is important to swallow Xeloda pills whole rather than chewing or crushing them. The pills should be swallowed with water. Xeloda is available in both 150-milligram and 500-milligram doses. Your doctor may want you to use a combination of both dosages, so always make sure you are taking the right pill. If you forget to take a pill, skip it and take your normal dose at the next scheduled time.

    How Long to Take Xeloda

    • Some drugs, including Xeloda, are taken in a 21-day cycle. In this cycle, you will take Xeloda for 14 days and then take nothing for seven days. The seven days in the cycle that you do not take Xeloda are known as a rest period. Your doctor will decide how many 21-day cycles are best for you based on your unique situation.

    Side Effects

    • Xeloda is a form of chemotherapy and as such may cause many of the side effects associated with chemotherapy. Side effects may include diarrhea, upset stomach, stomatitis, dehydration, constipation, fatigue, weakness, fever, insomnia, headaches, muscle pain and hair loss. It is also common for people taking Xeloda to experience painful swelling in the hands or feet. Talk to your doctor about ways to control and minimize your side effects. The side effects of Xeloda may be different if you are taking it in combination with other drugs.

    Contraindications

    • Women who are pregnant or nursing should not take Xeloda. People who are allergic to any of the ingredients in Xeloda or who lack the DPD enzyme should also not take Xeloda. So that your doctor can adjust your Xeloda dosage and monitor you as needed, you need to tell her if you take blood thinners, Dilantin or folic acid. It is also important for your doctor to know about any heart, liver or kidney problems you may have.

    When to Stop Taking Xeloda

    • You should immediately stop taking Xeloda and call your doctor if you lose your appetite or vomit more than once in a 24-hour period. If you have diarrhea at night or if you have more than four bowel movements in a day, you need to stop taking Xeloda and call your doctor right away. You also need to cease treatment and contact your doctor if you have pain and swelling in your hands and feet that is severe enough to interfere with your normal daily activities, have swelling, pain and sores in your mouth, or if you have a fever of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

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