Capecitabine

What is Capecitabine?

Capecitabine is a chemotherapy medication that treats colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and stomach cancer.

This medicine is also available under brand name Xeloda. It is important to take Capecitabine as directed by a doctor.

Xeloda breast cancer medication is effective in treating breast cancer that has not improved after treatment with other drugs.

It was approved by the FDA in 1998 for treatment of breast cancer and in 2005 for colorectal cancer treatment.

To know about capecitabine cost per pill, you can check a licensed online pharmacy.

Doctors can prescribe you Xeloda alone or in combination with other medicines to treat different types of cancers.

Several patients prefer Capecitabine because it is an effective oral chemotherapy for cancer.

Medical uses of Capecitabine

Doctors recommend Capecitabine tablet for treating different types of cancers:

• Pancreatic cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Stomach or esophageal cancer
• Breast cancer

How does Capecitabine work in your body?

Capecitabine is an anticancer medicine that gets converted into a 5-flurouracil chemical in your body.

This chemical further hampers synthesis of genetic materials i.e. RNA and DNA in cancer cells, interfering with their growth.

In this way, growth of cancer cells is slowed down, finally killing them.

How to take Capecitabine?

Capecitabine is available in tablet form that is taken by mouth with a glass of plain water.

It is mainly taken twice a day in morning and in evening for 2 weeks, followed by a week break before repeating cycle of next dosage.

Swallow tablet as a whole within 30 minutes after having your meal without crushing, splitting, or chewing it.

In case, you have difficulty swallowing tablet whole then you can take your doctor’s advice.

Make sure to read the patient information leaflet provided with medicine itself to understand Xeloda properly.

If there is any confusion or doubt about this medication or its dosage then discuss it with doctor.

Your doctor can suggest you take Capecitabine 500mg in a treatment cycle. So, follow doctor’s direction strictly.

Dosage of this medicine is based on your medical condition, weight, and response to treatment.  

Do not increase your dose or use this medicine more often or for a longer time than prescribed by a doctor.

Remember by increasing dosage, your condition will not improve faster instead risk of experiencing side effects will increase.

In case, you vomit after taking a dose then do not take another dose at that time. At your regular time, continue with next dosage.

Your doctor might adjust dose of Capecitabine tablet or stop treatment for some time depending on your body’s response to treatment.

• Missed dose

In case, you miss a dose then skip missed dosage. Continue taking your next dose at a regular time and check with doctor once.

Just to catch up on missed doses, do not try to take double doses of Capecitabine at same time.

• Overdose

Give your doctor a call right away if you overdose. Symptoms of overdose include nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, red urine, black or tarry stools.

Precautions and warnings for Capecitabine

Before you take Capecitabine, inform your doctor if you are allergic to it or 5-fluorouracil or have any other allergies.

This medicine can also contain some inactive ingredients which might cause allergic reactions or other problems.

Before starting treatment with this medicine, inform doctor about your medical history, especially of:

• A certain enzyme deficiency
• Blood disorders like bone marrow suppression
• Liver problems
• Heart issues like coronary artery disease and heart failure
• Kidney disorders

Capecitabine might make you more likely to get infections or can make existing infections worse.

Try staying away from anyone who has an infection that can easily spread like flu, chickenpox, and measles.

Inform doctor that you are using Capecitabine before having any vaccinations or immunizations.

Also, avoid coming in contact with people who have recently received live vaccines like flu vaccine inhaled through nose.

This medicine can make you feel dizzy. Avoid consuming alcohol because it can make you feel more dizzy.

Do not drive, operate heavy machines, or do anything that demands attention unless you can do it safely.

If you are pregnant or plan for pregnancy then let your doctor know. During treatment with this medicine, do not get pregnant.

Since this medicine might get absorbed through skin and lungs & harm an unborn baby, pregnant women should not handle Capecitabine.

It is unknown whether this medication passes into breast milk. During therapy and for one week following the last dosage, breastfeeding is not advised.   

People taking Capecitabine along with certain blood thinners like warfarin might have a high chance of experiencing serious bleeding.

Side effects of Capecitabine

Nausea, loss of appetite, weakness, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, headache, trouble sleeping, or changes in taste are some common side effects.

Nausea and vomiting might be serious. In some cases, your doctor can prescribe medicine that prevents or relieves nausea & vomiting.

Having several small meals, not eating before treatment, or limiting activity can decrease some of these effects.

Some common side effects of Capecitabine tablet include:

• Rash
• Fever
• Hair loss
• Hand and foot syndrome
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Fatigue
• Change in taste

Get emergency medical help, if any side effects of this medicine persist or become worse with time.

Interactions

• Drug-drug interactions

Drug interaction can change working mechanism of Capecitabine or decrease its effects.

There are some medicines that interact with Capecitabine and must be avoided such as:

• Oxaliplatin
• Metronidazole
• Calcium leucovorin
• Allopurinol
• Cimetidine
• Warfarin
• Brivudine
• Phenytoin

• Drug-food interactions

Capecitabine is known to interact with alcohol and increase your chance of experiencing dizziness.

• Drug-disease interactions

Capecitabine must not be given to patients with heart, liver, or kidney problems, glaucoma, stomatitis, bleeding disorder, or infections.

Storage

This medication should be kept out of direct sunlight and moisture and kept at room temperature.

Also, keep Capecitabine away from children and pets.

Frequently asked questions about Capecitabine (FAQs)

• Do you need to use an effective birth control method during treatment with Capecitabine?

Yes, during treatment with Capecitabine, it is important to use birth control method because this medicine might harm an unborn baby.

Women need to continue using these methods for at least 6 months after final dose.

Men taking Capecitabine whose partners might become pregnant should use effective birth control during treatment and for 3 months after last dose.

• How long must I take capecitabine for?

Duration of treatment with Capecitabine mainly depends upon nature of illness and individual response to treatment.

Generally, it is given as a series of treatment cycles and each of these cycles lasts for complete 21 days.

Doctors recommend this medication for 14 days followed by a rest period of 7 days.

Make sure to continue taking this drug for full prescribed time suggested by doctor.

• Can Capecitabine make you tired?

Yes, Capecitabine Xeloda can make you feel tired and weak as these are most common side effects of this medication.

It is also possible that this medicine affects your ability to drive or operate heavy machines.

• What type of medicine is Capecitabine?

Capecitabine is an anti-cancer chemotherapy medicine. It is classified as an antimetabolite.

However, Capecitabine is not a cytostatic medication due to which it gets converted into an active anti-cancer drug after getting absorbed by body.

• Capecitabine remains in your bloodstream for how long?

This medicine has a short half-life. After you take a dose, capecitabine stays in your body for only 4 hours.

• Does Xeloda kill cancer?

Capecitabine does not kill cancer but it helps in blocking cancer cells from making their own genetic material and proteins.

This further prevents cancer cells from dividing and growing in your body.