Capecitabine User Reviews & Ratings (Page 2)

• BC ...
• May 18, 2016

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer, Metastatic "I am thankful this drug didn't kill me! After taking this drug for 8 days, the side effects started and went from bad to worse... blisters on hands and feet, as well as every fold in my skin turned black, and I had severe diarrhea that ended up putting me in the hospital for 6 days. The medicine reacted to my colon, and it was wide open, couldn't hold anything down. Lost 17 pounds in 7 days, although the weight loss was welcomed, I wouldn't suggest going about it this way. I stuck it out for the full 14-day regimen, and my doctor believes that with taking the drug for the first cycle, hopefully, it shrunk some of the tumors that are in my jaw, spine, collarbone, and left femur. New treatment coming after I recover from Xeloda!"

• app...
• April 9, 2015

Capecitabine for Stomach Cancer "My father suffered from CA esophagus stage IIA. It was a very difficult situation, he suffered from 13 cm of length in the esophagus, and after 3 chemotherapy sessions of epirubicin, oxaliplatin, and Xeloda tabs, there was an amazing reduction in size, down to 2 cm only. Then we had the operation, and again the same backup plan with 3 chemo sessions and Xeloda. It's almost 3 years, and he is safe. I'm happy, thank God."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2021

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer, Metastatic "My family member did 2 weeks of this drug. Was so fatigued, couldn't eat, and was underweight to start with. Hospitalized with green diarrhea and later discovered bowel damage. She later died. This treatment is dangerous at the prescribed levels. She may have fared better at a much lower dose."

• And...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2014

For Colorectal Cancer "Only on my 3rd week of this medicine, but finding it far less intrusive than the Folfox (5FU) treatment I had 4 years ago via drip and permanent line, with a pump for 48 hours each treatment. Some thinning of hair, not really noticeable, and lots of my friends have less hair than me anyway! I'm a keen runner and cyclist, and do find that I can't push myself as hard anymore, get very short of breath on uphills. But at least I'm still able to lead an active lifestyle, hill walking causes no trouble at all. Feel slightly nauseous quite frequently, but not been sick yet, and brush my teeth half a dozen times a day to ensure no soreness (which I had with 5FU). Slight soreness on soles of feet, particularly after long runs or walks."

• Gee...
• October 6, 2020

For Breast Cancer "I am about to start breast cancer treatment #5 out of 6. Hooray!!! So far, side effects have been very minimal. A very low grade 1 on the hand and foot syndrome (but also contribute that to the job I do, on my feet 8 hours a day, I am a cashier), no blisters. Digestive the only thing, a bit of stomach cramping. Minimal fatigue, but still able to work 40 hours a week and hike twice a week (on my days off to make sure I don’t overdo it on my feet). I am a faithful drinker of water and lotion on my hands and feet. I’m 2 weeks on / one week off 3000mg, 3 pills morning, 3 pills night. Hasn’t affected my blood work. THANKFUL for that. It pays off that I went into this journey very healthy and young (46) with no other health conditions."

• Roz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 2, 2017

Capecitabine for Colorectal Cancer "I am in my 2nd month of taking Xeloda after going through 36 rounds of chemotherapy since 2013. My intake of Xeloda is 3 pills every twelve hours for 7 days and off 7 days. The side effect I am experiencing is the discoloration of the inside of my hands and the bottom of my feet, they also tingle and are painful at times. I am often tired and have also had pain in my shoulder and chest. I don't know if this medicine will keep the cancer from coming back, but I'd rather deal with these side effects than the chemo."

• Liz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2016

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer "Xeloda has brought my TMs down slowly but consistently. However, when I changed to the Mylan brand (insurance made me switch to the Accredo mail order), I had a horrible experience after one cycle. The other products/binders in this brand included lactose and a combination similar to Miralax. I became lactose intolerant and dehydrated due to severe diarrhea. Also had severe myalgia and arthralgia. I am now back on the Teva brand and seem to be doing well."

• Hea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2022

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer, Metastatic "I had an allergic reaction on IV Cyclophosphamide, so my oncologist replaced it with the oral chemo pill Xeloda: 3 tablets 2x/day. I was advised to protect myself from the sun if I go out and report diarrhea exceeding 4x and the rest of the side effects on the packet. This drug gave me the following side effects: 1) stomach cramping and pain 2) diarrhea 3) heart palpitations 4) purple to black tongue 5) swelling of my buccal mucosa 6) sores on my lips, nose, and side of my eyes 7) swollen reddish face 8) feeling so cold and at times with chills 9) generalized body malaise 10) sensitivity to pepper, ginger, and anything spicy, my innards feel like it’s burning. I went through chemotherapy seven years ago, but this medicine tops it. I pray to God there’s another alternative."

• che...
• April 4, 2016

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer, Metastatic "I've been on Xeloda for 5 months. I have extreme traveling pains. Once I woke up at 3 am, and my right hand felt like someone had stabbed me with a knife, and the knife was still in it. This lasted for 3 days. Next, it was my left leg at the hip joint. I couldn't walk on it. Lots of pain when I moved it. It lasted about 4 days. Next was in my jaw joint. Painful swelling, couldn't bite down on anything... another 3-day episode. The pain is horrible. I go for scans in two weeks to see why my tumor markers went up. Could be from the inflammation Xeloda is causing, could be Xeloda is not working for me and the cancer is spreading. Will know soon."

• Ver...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 21, 2021

For Colorectal Cancer "My husband was started on 1500 mg twice a day of this while also receiving radiation for rectal cancer when he developed life-threatening problems. It causes dehydration, horrible diarrhea, weakness, and fatigue, kidney functions declined (he has kidney problems), and the combo with radiation caused severe radiation burns internally and enteritis. He recovered from the first infection, started the chemo/rad combo again, his dose of this was dramatically decreased to 500 mg twice a day and continued his radiation. He got sick again in a little over a week and again ended up in the hospital with enteritis and blood infection! To make a long story short, he had a heart attack from this medicine! Thankfully he was in the hospital with these other infections and was rushed to a larger hospital where two stents were put in his right coronary artery and there will be another stent procedure on the left side very soon. This is a horrible medicine and cannot take any chemo now!"

• LIN...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 7, 2023

For Colorectal Cancer "My mother, who is now 92 y.o., was diagnosed with originally stage 3 rectal cancer. The first scan after surgery came back negative for cancer. Three months later, the scan showed recurrent cancer in the rectum and mets to her liver-three lesions. Initially, she was given 2000 mg per day, two tabs in the am and pm, one week on and one week off. A follow-up scan showed all lesions had shrunk. She developed neuropathy in her hands and feet. Ulcers were treated by a wound doctor while the oncologist gave her a 5-week holiday to allow for the ulcers to heal, which they did. The oncologist reduced her dose to 1500 mg, 1 in the am, 2 in the pm, one week on, one week off. She is now on her second cycle. She is fatigued, weak, has vision problems, and is anemic. She received iron infusions. She has good days and bad days. Most likely, she will be on this regimen for life. However, she has sleep apnea, which is being addressed in hopes of helping with the fatigue. It is difficult to delineate what are Xeloda side effects."

• ted...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 18, 2017

For Colorectal Cancer "85-yr-old white male in good health. Although symptomless, I failed two fecal occult blood tests (at home). When I came to after the follow-up colonoscopy, the doctor told me, 'You have an appointment with a surgeon tomorrow morning.' A week later, I had a resection of the descending part of my large intestine, eliminating a good-sized tumor. Because two of the removed 18 lymph nodes also tested positive, I was rated stage 3b (possible undetectable 'mini-metastases'), so my oncologist put me on capecitabine as adjuvant therapy. Three pills, 2x a day, two weeks on, one off for 6 months. Because of a bad rash on my forearms, he cut me back to two pills. Still some fatigue and dry fingertips. Finished 4 weeks ago. Success? Testing starts soon."

• mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2021

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer "I have HER2 neu positive and BRCA gene mutation associated with triple breast cancer diagnosis. I’ve been on capecitabine for several months. First series of treatments lasted 2 months before neuropathy and skin peeling began on hands and feet. Mouth sores and acne around the mouth area were pretty severe. Stopped treatment for 4 weeks and skin fluffing subsided. Adjusted a different medication I was taking with the capecitabine and started back on treatment. Within 4 weeks, hand and feet issues started again. May need to decrease dosage."

• CLG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 24, 2022

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer "The doctors at a top cancer hospital prescribed my mother Xeloda as a “clean up” drug just in case she had any stray cancer cells remaining in her system. She had already undergone chemotherapy (including the red devil), surgery, and radiation for stage 2 breast cancer, no lymph nodes. She was nervous about taking the drug even though it was considered a “mild” drug and ultimately decided to take it because the docs said the algorithm told them to give it to her and it was supposed to increase her chances of never getting breast cancer again from 75% to 90%. Unfortunately, she took it, and about two weeks in, she developed mouth sores, sepsis, and passed away in the hospital from a stroke a week later. The doctors were clueless that Xeloda suppresses your white blood cell count and that there is an antidote to Xeloda that would have saved her life. Look it up! Xeloda took my mom’s precious life. Be extremely careful with this drug."

• jan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 17, 2016

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer, Metastatic "My husband is on it and is extremely fatigued, and I mean tired to where he can't walk without getting out of breath. He also coughs constantly and brings up white foamy phlegm. L girl, you said your mom passed soon after taking the drug. I'm so sorry. Did she have issues with lungs and/or cough? I hope you see this, but I'm not sure you will since we can't message people on here apparently."

• Rah...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2021

Capecitabine for Breast Cancer, Metastatic "My mother developed severe side effects to Xeloda after taking two cycles of this drug. She passed away within two months. I truly believe she would still be with us had she not started this toxic treatment."

• Jon...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2019

For Breast Cancer "Just started on Xeloda 3000 mg 3 x 500 mg in AM and 3 x 500 mg in PM. MBC stage 4 did not respond to Ibrance or Piqray. Hope this Xeloda works. 3 doses taken so far with no side effects. I have heard horror stories about losing finger and toenails. Any suggestions?"

• pat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 25, 2025

Capecitabine for Colorectal Cancer "This drug has a safety warning as of Dec 2022 that oncologists are supposed to share risks if a patient is DPD deficient (1 in 20 people are) and inform patients that there is DPD deficiency testing available. My oncologists did not share risks if DPD deficient or inform me of DPD deficiency testing. I learned from a patient advocacy group to ask for DPD deficiency testing and not start treatment without the results. My oncologists pushed back and did not want to give me this test - said it wasn't in the guidelines. I pushed back and said I am not doing treatment until I receive results from a DPD deficiency test. The results came back and I am DPD deficient. The oncologist reduced my dose. The first round of 2000 mg per day could not be finished due to white blood cell count. I will start again in a week. Get DPD deficiency test before treatment with Xeloda. The advocacy group that helped me was Advocates for Universal DPD/DPYD Testing - all who have lost a loved one who was not tested."

• oma...
• July 19, 2008

For Colorectal Cancer "My mum was on this medication for approximately 12 months. Compared to the Folfox-4 protocol, this medication delivers the same effectiveness with significantly less side effects in addition to the convenience of being in tablet form. The only side effect that caused mum to discontinue the treatment was decreased white blood count causing reduced immunity (similar to other protocols)."

• gpa...
• June 8, 2020

For Breast Cancer, Metastatic "I have metastatic breast cancer that spread to my liver and bone. My oncologist said it's inoperable. I've been on capecitabine and a new experimental chemo drug called tesataxal for approximately 10 months now. I'm on my 13th cycle. So far, my tumors are stable, some have shrunk. I'm getting a little anxious and was wondering how long I need to continue taking this drug. The protocol requires me to take it for 2 years. I'm asking if anyone has other alternatives to speed up the process?"

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 5, 2024

For Colorectal Cancer "I had colon cancer that metastasized to the liver. I am on IV and capecitabine. Day one is IV and 3 pills in the morning and 3 pills in the evening. I have needle pain in my fingers and have mild paralysis in my hands. I also have fatigue. I am on a 14-day on and 1-week off. The IV is only on day one. I think the majority of my symptoms are the results of the IV because I start feeling better 5 days after the IV even though I am still taking the capecitabine. The lack of appetite and fatigue continues. My insurance denied my scan, so the doctor and I do not know the impact it is having on the cancer masses."

• TLa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2020

For Breast Cancer, Metastatic "My mom has taken this medication, capecitabine, for 4 sessions (2 weeks + 1 week break) now, and it was 1 tablet (500 mg) am and 1 tablet (500 mg) pm for 3 sessions. After the first session, she was not able to do most of her daily chores as she used to, but by the third session, she had a tummy so swollen (2x its original size). In the fourth dose, when it was 2 tablets (500 mg) am and 2 tablets (500 mg) pm, things just got out of hand with an exploding tummy, not being able to eat or walk, and excessive belching, passing less urine, trouble breathing, and severe leg, feet, back, and shoulder pain. I think this medication hits pretty hard on elderly people."

• joe...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 28, 2024

For Pancreatic Cancer "I have been on Xeloda for 9 years. When I was heavier, I had no side effects. But when I lost weight intentionally, I had hand tightening, it may have been from another drug. My pancreatic cancer has been stable, no growth."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2020

For Pancreatic Cancer "The same med was given to my father with pancreatic cancer. His cancer was considered carcinoid tumors and was originally told he would die of old age before the cancer would get him. Unfortunately, when he took this med, his cancer spread like wildfire and lived a month after he was given this drug."

• Eba...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2021

"My father took this chemo pill after he was diagnosed with cancer in his adrenal gland. He started his first set of pills mid-January, and by March 18th, he was rushed to the hospital with septic shock. The chemo pills perforated his colon, and bacteria was leaking into his bloodstream. He passed away on March 22nd, roughly 2 months after taking his first pill. DO NOT TAKE THESE PILLS!!!"