6 replies to this topic

[mdszj]

Hello All

Maybe someone can help me with this.  I am currently on 100 mg Sprycel - the standard 100 mg pill taken once a day.  However I also have a bunch of extra leftover 50 mg pills from a little while back when I started back up on it using a reduced dosage.  I am going to take them (2 per day) just to use them up, which will then give me a few extra 100 mg pills as a "fudge factor" for when I need to order more.   Between the CVS drugstore and the hemo/onc office where I go, at least one time they messed up the new order process, which caused a week or so delay before I got my new batch of pills. 

Anyway I thought I read somewhere that you get more benefit from taking half the dosage 2 times per day compared to the whole dosage once per day.  Maybe that was from reading about Tasigna, I cannot remember.  Can anyone tell me if this is the case?  Or does it not really matter, as long as you take the same total dosage?

thx for any info Mike

[Marnie]

Hi, mdszj. . .

I don't have an answer for you.  I'm guessing that the entire dosage in a 24-hour time period is the important factor.  I'll be interested in hearing from others, as well, as I have some extra smaller dosage pills, the same as you.

Marnie

[jjg]

http://www.druglib.c...d_20090618.html

These results demonstrate that dasatinib 140 mg once daily has similar efficacy to dasatinib 70 mg twice daily but with an improved safety profile.

Also for Ph+ ALL

http://www.druglib.c...l_20100300.html

Notably, none of the differences between the two schedules was statistically significant. Compared with the 70 mg twice daily, dasatinib 140 mg once daily had similar overall efficacy and safety in patients with imatinib-resistant or intolerant Ph+ ALL.

I guess these studies say you can do what ever suits you most, particularly if you are not having trouble with side effects.

Sprycel does have a pretty short half life so even with a 12 hr schedule the concentration will drop low before the next dose.

[CallMeLucky]

I would not suggest taking two pills at separate times.  While you are taking a reduced amount, trials showed that Sprycel  twice a day dosing resulted in more negative side effects than once a day dosing.  I would highly recommend you take them together and if you have any doubts discuss with your doctor.

[mdszj]

marnie/jjg/call me

thx for your replies - from what I have read here it sounds like there is not necessarily any great advantage to splitting the dosage so I am just going to take the whole 100 mg once per day.  With my luck I would probably forget one of them anyway, this way its easier to keep track of.

Later Mike

[Trey]

If the 50mg pills are not close to expiration you might want to save them in case you need to take 50mg per day due to temporary side effects, illness, etc. 

[mdszj]

Trey -

Sorry I forgot to mention that there is about 1 month till expiration on them.  But that was actually why I saved them and waited till around now - just in case of some bad side effect showing up.  I think I still have around 30 pills, so that should take me ~ 15 days to use them up, which should take me to within about 2 weeks of their expiration.

ALso luckily I have not been feeling any significant side effects, and am hopefully not planning to any time soon (there, I just jinxed myself!).

thx Mike