Capecitabine practical question of what time to take

Hi Phantomguzzler. Treat each day as a separate treatment so after breakfast and after tea is fine. I was told that a snack was ok so used to get up and have a couple of biscuits on a weekend if I didn’t fancy an early breakfast but you could check that with the nurses?

Take care

Karen x

Thanks Karen, I will do that, its not a continuous 12 hour cycle but twice in 24 hours 10 to 12 hours apart, I have reset my way to think about this.

My oncologist told me it is a continuous cycle: the 12 hour intervals are to keep the concentration in your blood as constant as possible. Having the tablets at 11-13 hour intervals may not make that much of a difference, so it could be just fine, but I think calling the nurse to be sure would be a good idee. 

Thanks. I am going to ask the nurse and might ask the pharmacist too what is more important keeping a 12 hour continuous cycle over 14 days or taking the tablets with a meal as opposed to a small snack. What you have in your stomach ie small snack or full stomach after a meal will surely affect absorption and how much is in your system as much as the timing of taking the medication. I don't know how people eat a full meal at 12 hour intervals though. The best i can do I think is breakfast at 7.30, tablets by 8am and dinner at 6pm tablets by 6.30...but theat leaves 13-13.5 hours before the next tablet.

I had them with breakfast at 7:15, and 15-30 min after dinner (which I was told was fine) at 19:15.

I  don’t think you have to wait 30 minutes: my  instructions were to have them at most 30 minutes after food, so you could have your morning tablets at 7:30 rather than 8. 

I just took my 4 capsules twice a day, twelve hours apart, at 7am (after a piece of toast & cup of tea,) & then 7pm, following supper.

Hey I just started taking Capecitabine Wednesday evening and I’m a bit like this on when to take, obviously I know 12 hours apart but I struggle to eat late now I go to bed quite early, so do you rec just eating snack would be enough to take with them, so have my main meal earlier on in the day then a snack with the meds x

Hi

I had the same dose 2 years ago. I remember having a slice of toast at 7am, then the Tabs, Then again, at 7 - 8pm, after my supper. I think that 10 - 12 hours is fine.

Marianne

Wicked maybe I’ll start setting my alarm for 7 then going back to bed x 

Hi, I was told by the nurse 11 - 12 hours apart is fine. I found them difficult to take because of them being so big. I could feel the four morning tablets were still stuck in my throat when the next one's were due. I told the nurse about this and was advised to dissolve them in water stirring for 15 minutes and add blackcurrant juice because they tasted bitter. I did this for 8 days, and couldn't take them any longer because of the taste. I contacted the nurse and was told to stop taking them. When I go back to the hospital next month I am hoping to get some smaller one's.