Very helpful post. Thanks.
Quick question. Is a TKI break customary when switching TKIs? I brought that up to my oncologist, but he didn't seem to think it was necessary. I gave myself a 1 day break anyways, because I know Gleevec's half-life is in the 18-24 hr. range. I figured it couldn't hurt. It was just a day...
I wish I had researched a little more. Maybe I would had tried the half dose route instead. I hear that you cannot split the pills in half, so that would have required a slightly different prescription, but oh well.
Boy, that first day was rough. Took the pill on Sunday night at about 9, and then got a great night's sleep prior to getting up at 5:20 the next morning for work. I got out of bed and noticed that I was soaked with sweat. Stepped in the shower, let the hot water hit my head, and had a head-rush so bad I almost fell through my shower curtain. Hot water on my head still makes my head pound, so I haven't washed my hair in a few days; Don't tell anyone. As I drove to work, I was sweating so bad that it was running into my eyes, despite open windows and 40-degree temps. Pounding headache all day, eating Tylenols like TicTacs. Full 8 hrs of work, during which I puked into an empty cardboard box after getting dizzy while driving a forklift backwards, followed by 5 hours of class lectures. Just a day I won't soon forget. These TKIs are no joke.