Living With Long-Term Cancer Tablets

Several common cancer medicines are now daily tablets. Letrozole, anastrozole and tamoxifen 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.

Make it a habit: take your tablet at the same time more info each day, keep a pill organiser, and set an alarm. 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.

To read more about day-to-day life on treatment, 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 advice on calcium and vitamin D. Report chest pain, sudden breathlessness, leg swelling or unusual bleeding straight away.

Order ahead. 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 required for every order of a prescription medicine.

There is more information here.

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