meatie wrote:Xeloda is an oral form of 5-FU. Any difference in side effects between them?
Hi Meatie.
I did a lot of research between these two as my Oncologist wanted me to do 5-FU, but I felt really strongly that I did not want to have a port or go the pump route, and I needed to keep working. The research that I did both here and in studies that compared the two said that:
A) Regardless of which type of chemo you take, chances are you will have some side effects. Some can be fairly mild, others not so much. Xeloda seems to cause more hand/foot syndrome, although many people don't get it at all. I had it a bit, but not really that bad. I ended up with some discoloration on the bottoms of my feet and an occassional blistery feeling. Upping my water intake seemed to take care of it. From what I've read on other posts, the 5-FU seems to cause more of the cold sensitivity, first bite syndrome and a couple of other side effects. You can read up on these by searching for both in the topics of the posts. My personal opinion is that everyone is different in how their body handles different drugs. What one person experiences may be completely different than another. So if you're leaning one way, try it, and if it doesn't work well with your system you can always switch to the other.
B) Xeloda (oral) is just as effective as 5-FU (IV). In fact, some studies seem to imply the oral is more effective because it turns into 5-FU directly in the liver and passing into the colon, rather than having to travel through the entire body via the bloodstream first. If you search for the previous posts that compare the two, they should have links to these studies. If you can't find them, drop me a private message and I'll be glad to point you to them.
C) Xeloda is digested, so if you are on a drug like Omeprazole (Prilosec) or Cimetidine (Tagamet) for acid reflux, it may impact your body's ability to absorb the drug. The standard recommendation is to not take acid reducers within 2 hours before or after taking Xeloda.
All that being said, I found that taking a pill felt much less invasive and more "normal" to me, which allowed me to keep my spirits up. Also, being the primary source of income and the insurance provider for my family, the need to make sure I didn't spend all my sick and vacation time doing infusion visits was important. I decided to go with Xeloda. May people don't want to have to keep track, or take pills every day. For them, the 5-FU is the way to go. The important thing is to remember that this is your life, and you will be making decisions about it with the "guidance" of your doctors, but ultimately it's up to you. Do what is right for you, but be informed.
I hope this helps!
Hugs and Prayers,
Tracy