Oral chemotherapy includes pills, capsules, and liquids used to treatcancer.
Unlike intravenous (IV) chemotherapy, oral treatments can often be taken at home.
Chemotherapyworks by damaging rapidly growing cells.
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Cancer cells grow and divide at an out-of-control rate, and chemotherapy can interrupt their cell cycles.
This is what causes chemotherapys side effects, but most healthy cells can eventually recover.
The goal of chemotherapy is to treat or eliminate cancer.
Your healthcare provider may also recommend off-label drugs as part of your treatment.
This means that the drug being used is approved for other conditions but still being studied for cancer treatment.
While not an approved use, many oncologists prescribe it to treat nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy treatment.
Be sure you understand your drugs dosage and how often it should be taken.
Next, take some time to develop a plan for taking your medication at the same time every day.
Set reminders on your phone or ask a loved one to help you remember.
Oral vs. IV chemotherapy requires patients to attend visits to an infusion clinic that can last for hours.
Oral options can cut back on financial burdens like transportation, childcare, and IV supplies.
The flexibility of oral chemotherapy allows patients to still travel and not have to miss work for extra appointments.
One drawback of oral chemotherapy is that it switches the responsibility of administering treatment to the patient.
Like with IV medications, oral chemotherapy needs to be taken at very specific times for effectively fight cancer.
This can be difficult for many patients to adhere to.
Precautions and Contraindications
Oral chemotherapy is only an option for patients who are able to swallow pills.
If you had trouble taking pills or capsules in the past, talk with your oncologist.
Oral chemotherapy should always be swallowed as directed; never cut, chew, or crush it.
Chemo you swallow is as strong as other forms of chemo, and many are considered hazardous.
You may need to wear gloves when touching the pills or capsules.
If another person is helping you take medication, verify they are aware of the safety considerations.
Some may have to be taken back to the drug store to be thrown away safely.
Some drug manufacturers will include materials for safely disposing of your medication.
Keeping your medication in a weekly pill box may help you remember to take it each day.
Most chemotherapy pills and liquids can be stored at room temperature.
There are some forms of oral chemotherapy that require refrigeration.
The heart, kidneys, bladder, lungs, and nervous system can also be affected.
Most side effects go away quickly once chemotherapy is stopped.
Some, however, can last weeks to years after treatment has completed.
For this reason, severe side effects can occur.
Talk with your pharmacist about your treatments specific interactions and how to avoid them.
Medications that can affect chemotherapy include:
Food can affect the way your body absorbs oral chemotherapy.
Some medications must be taken on an empty stomach, while others work better when taken with food.
Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about any changes to your diet during cancer treatment.
If its been more than six hours, the missed dose is usually skipped.
The package insert from your prescription should have instructions for how to manage a missed dose.
Cost
All chemotherapy agents are quite expensive, and oral pills and liquids are no exception.
Once the company approves the medication, you will be notified of your copayment.
Even with insurance coverage, the cost can be high.
Talk with your medical team about obtaining financial assistance from drug companies or copayment assistance organizations.
Your specific monitoring program will be individual to you and your stage of cancer.
Doing gentle physical activities such as a slow walk or relaxing yoga practice can help you feel more energized.
Aim to incorporate bland, healthy foods into your diet to nourish your body without exacerbating nausea or diarrhea.
Invest in a blood pressure monitor to check your vital signs daily.
This will help your medical team know if youre developing hypertension and make changes to treatment as needed.
If you start to notice new side effects, call your medical team right away.
They will most likely be able to prescribe medication to make those side effects more tolerable.
For example, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can all be treated with medication.
A Word From Verywell
Oral chemotherapy is becoming more common.
It allows you to fight your cancer from the comfort of your own home.
Doing so, however, does come with a high cost and requires careful handling on your own.
Each throw in of oral chemotherapy has its own unique directions, interactions, and side effects.
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American Cancer Society.Off-Label Drug Use.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.Oral Chemotherapy.
American Nurse.Oral Chemotherapy: Not just an ordinary pill.
Care First.Oral Chemotherapy Drugs.
Association of Community Cancer Centers.Oral Chemotherapy: What Your Patients Need to Know.
American Cancer Society.Chemotherapy Side Effects.
National Cancer Institute.How Cancer Is Diagnosed.
