Living With Long-Term Cancer Tablets

Living With Long-Term Cancer Tablets

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Many cancer treatments are now daily tablets. Tamoxifen, letrozole and anastrozole are often taken for five years or more after breast cancer, and generic imatinib is taken every day for chronic myeloid leukaemia. That makes routine and supply just as important as the medicine itself.

Make it a habit: take your tablet at the same time each day, keep a pill organiser, and set a phone reminder. If you miss a dose, check the patient leaflet and never take two at once. Weekly methotrexate is the exception: for arthritis and psoriasis it is taken once a week, not daily.

For more practical tips, this article explains what to expect in the first months.

What you may notice: hot flushes, joint stiffness and tiredness are common with hormone tablets. Aromatase inhibitors can thin the bones, so many people have bone scans and regular check-ups. Tell your care team about chest pain, sudden breathlessness, leg swelling or unusual bleeding promptly.

Never run out. Reorder when you still have two or three weeks of tablets left, so a delay never interrupts treatment. Generic tablets contain the same active ingredient as the brands and usually cost far less. A valid prescription is required for every order of a prescription medicine.

There is click here more information in this guide.

This is general information, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any medicine.

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