Hello
My husband has just starting taking Regorafenib. He was told to take it with a light meal, with less than 30% fat but doesn't actually know why.
He thinks for personal reasons it would be better to take the tablets with his lunch. He hasn't needed to watch his weight or follow any diets in his life so this comes as a bit of a different experience for him. What would happen if he were to have a lunch that were more than 30% fat without him actually knowing for sure?
Many thanks
Karen
Hi KarenR
Thanks for getting in touch with us. My name is Tricia and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.
I hope any treatment your husband has had so far has gone well and the ongoing treatment is tolerated with minimal side effects.
Drugs are absorbed in different ways in our body and there are many factors dependant on the drug and the way it is taken to achieve the best absorption and effect of the drug. Therefore, there is often recommendation as to whether a drug should be taken on an empty stomach or with food, timing, or avoidance of certain foods while on a medication.
There may be a Boots Macmillan information pharmacists available locally if your husband wants to see if they can discuss in more detail how this particular medication gets absorbed.
As you say in the case of Regorafenib it is recommended that it is taken with a light low fat meal so it is important to try and follow that to help with the efficacy of the drug. The recommendation from the drug manufacturers is that the meal contains less than 600 calories and less than 30% fat. Note It is important that he avoids consuming grapefruit juice and St Johns wort while on this medication.
The timing of which meal to take the medication with doesn’t really matter as long as it remains the same time each day. So, if your husband prefers to take it at lunchtime and feels he can have the low-fat meal then that should be fine.
It can be difficult needing to look at a change in diet if you haven’t had to before so I appreciate this will be a different experience for your husband. There are some ideas for having a low-fat meal while taking regorafenib. It might also be helpful to look at low fat diet information and ways to help to eat less saturated fat just to help him get ideas for the meals needed for when he is taking his medication.
There is a Better Health app where you can access a food scanner if that helps with making food choices. And following a healthy, balanced diet is good to have anyway.
I hope this is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in touch at any time.
Sending best wishes,
Tricia
Macmillan Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
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