Living With Long-Term Cancer Tablets

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

Small habits help: take your tablet at the same time each day, use a weekly pill box, and set a phone reminder. If you miss a dose, follow your leaflet and never take two at once. Methotrexate is different: for arthritis and psoriasis it is taken once a week, not daily.

For more practical tips, read the full guide here walks through the essentials.

What you may notice: hot flushes, joint stiffness and tiredness are common with hormone tablets. Aromatase inhibitors can reduce bone density, so many people have bone scans and advice on calcium and vitamin D. Report chest pain, sudden breathlessness, leg swelling or unusual bleeding straight away.

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

More detail is available in this article.

This article is for general information only. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any medicine.