10 replies to this topic

[MarieC]

Hi all, I take Prilosec at night, but I think I need something to take during the day that will coat the stomach when taking other pills. I think my stomach lining is irritated with this Gleevec.  What can be taken to coat the lining of the stomach that can be bought over the counter, in a liquid form.  Something  like Mylanta, or Tums etc. or something else on the market.    I don't know if the ingredients in some of these products will interfere with the Gleevec. Can anyone help me out as to what some of you use?  I do not get to see my Onc until early Oct. This stomach irritation is not getting better.

I take Gleevec in the morning after breakfast.

Thanks

MarieC

[Trey]

I would not take acid neutralizers with the TKI drugs since they are absorbed best in an acidic stomach (normal status for the stomach).  Food, but not milk for some people, usually works well to "coat" the stomach.  Higher fat foods (even in small amounts) may ease the irritation for more sensitive stomachs. 

[LivingWellWithCML]

Marie,

Other parts of my GI tract have been challenged by Gleevec 400mg, but I've never had any obvious irritation with my stomach - so maybe elements of my routine could be helpful.  I *always* take Gleevec with a Vitamin C supplement (Trey's recommendation for promoting acidity), and foods that have helped prepare my stomach are bananas, oatmeal, and egg whites.  Especially the bananas bit - it almost feels like it's creating a natural coating in my stomach as it's broken down (who knows).  I let my stomach start working on that stuff w/ the Vitamin C for about 15 minutes or so, then I put the Gleevec down with 1/2 glass of water.

I've been trying to get my GI tract to feel a bit better -- here are some things that I've recently experimented with that might be helpful.  At the moment, I'm avoiding a medication-solution for this:

• Rather than after breakfast, I've recently been taking a full 400mg dose between 2 - 3pm - usually an hour or so *after* I've eaten lunch.  My stomach feels pretty good around that time of day, and I find that I don't need much food with the dose (just a couple of crackers and a glass of water).
• Scoring the 400mg dose and taking 200mg after breakfast, and 200mg later in the afternoon (not sure if that was easier on my stomach or not, but I've tried that several times over the past couple of years).
• Dissolving the 400mg pill in an 8 oz glass of water (takes about 30 minutes), and drinking it.  It's pretty nasty, but I tried it one time last week and my whole stomach/GI felt much better than usual!  If you try it, then you have to drink the full glass of water, then fill it back up 1/2 way and stir it good around the edges of the glass to snag any remaining medication that might've stuck to the sides of the glass.

[GerryL]

The banana will help with potassium levels as well.

[MarieC]

Trey, CML in Atl, and Gerry L, thank you all for the information, it has given me more incite into what may help me.  The banana thing is helping, and waiting 15 min before taking the Gleevec has helped too. 

  I was wondering tho, what do you all take if you have a headache or beginnings of a cold, what kind of aspirins are we allowed to Take?   I used to take Tylenol when I had a cold, but now don't know if that interferes with the Gleevec. Thanks for your help  I am so afraid of catching a cold, don't know how to cope if that happens.

I have a ton of Questions, Please be patient.Thanks.

MarieC

[Trey]

Tylenol is hard on the liver, and some studies imply that ibuprofen (Motrin) can interfere with TKI drug uptake, so I think aspirin or naproxen (Aleve) are better alternatives.

[LivingWellWithCML]

Yup.  I abandoned Ibuprofen after that study came out, so I only use Aleve for inflammation, pain relief, or feverish-like symptoms.  I think NyQuil makes a good night-time cold medicine that doesn't have the Tylenol ingredient, but still works well for cold symptoms .... Also helps with sleep.

I remember getting really nervous when I caught my first cold while on treatment - my whole family caught it, but I got over it faster than everyone else!  Fortunately, it's no big deal .... When we are responding well to treatment, we are still going to catch a bug from time to time.

[GerryL]

I can't take aspirin as it makes me vomit - so still take Tylenol and Ibuprofen. My first specialist said it was okay to take Tylenol (paracetamol here in Australia) as long as your liver function was okay. For me, as long as you're not having to take these things constantly the occasional one should be okay. Ibuprofen is hard on the stomach, so you shouldn't take too much of it anyway.

[jjg]

My liver numbers have often been just a little elevated, ALT and/or AST in the 60s on either glivec or tasigna. Last visit I specifically asked my doc what that meant in terms of taking panadol (Tylenol) and she said that it would mean that instead of recommending a max of 8 tablets a day it would be 6. These daily recommendations are for one off events not long term usage. Obviously it depends on exactly how stressed or unstressed your liver is.

With tasigna I seem to have periods of headaches that rarely last very long but that might sum up to a few hours a day, but for weeks on end. I'd been avoiding taking anything for them mainly because they often only last 5 mins at a time but next time I have on of these cycles (one always assumes there will be a next time :-S) I think I'll be more proactive and relaxed with taking  panadol... And hopefully less grumpy.

[MarieC]

Trey, Dan,GerryL & jjg, good information to add to my list of answered questions now.  As a rule, I have always used tylenol, and never thought about reading the ingredients on the bottle.  Now with this Gleevec pill, you have to read everything and hope it does not interfere with the pill.  What a dilemma!  I always thought Aleeve was a strong pill to take if you have arthritis etc. My sister in Fla. takes that for her arthritic knee, and swears by it, that is why I thought it was a strong pain reliever.

Dan, the NyQuil you mentioned is interesting about no Tylenol in it,and is good for sleep and help with a cold  too! OH  ,for an all night sleep without interruptions!  

I very rarely get headaches, but used Tylenol when I had or felt a cold coming on, and right now I am scared of getting a cold or infection and tend to stay away from crowds etc.  This sickness has taken over my every thought, I know in time I will be a regular old lady Sr. Citizen again, but first just let this stomach be normal again without feeling sick with everything I put into it.      I hope that kind gentlemen upstairs is listening!

Thank you all for you input.

MarieC

[GerryL]

Hi MarieC,

Once your white cell count is back in the normal range (CHR), you shouldn't suffer any more colds than you did before. I rarely get a cold or virus (touch wood) - same as I was before diagnosis.