Anyone taking Tagrisso for Lung Cancer?

Posted by babs1956 @babs1956, Jan 27, 2025

Is There anyone taking Tagrisso And feeling well on it. I’m taking 40 mg of Tagrisso I have a little bit of Dizziness. I was on 80 mg but I developed a lot of bruising on my legs so my doctor put me On 40 mg. Is this a good drug?

Thank you so much,
Barbara

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Profile picture for kugan @kugan

I have been on Tagrisso for 19 months and just discovered this online community. Lung cancer was discovered when I had a long bout of Covid and asked my doctor for a chest x-ray. Surgery and chemo followed, and then my oncologist put me on Tagrisso. So far, so good! I am so relieved to read the comments about the same side effects that I've been experiencing. Splitting fingernails, general tiredness and lack of motivation, and leg cramps. The worst is that I've lately developed restless leg syndrome, which forces me to get up from bed and walk around the house for at least ten minutes before it eases enough to go back to sleep... until the next bout. I don't know if this is a result of Tagrisso; has anyone else experienced this? My PCP prescribed gabapentin for restless legs and I've been taking that for about 5 nights now. It does seem to help. I feel guilty complaining about these minor but annoying side effects when so many of you are dealing with much worse, but there it is. Thank you so much for your comments and encouragement.

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Tagrisso causes cramps in my legs, feet and hands. Very painful. I keep a bottle of Magnesium oil with me at all times. Spray it on the cramp, rub it in, and the cramp is generally gone in a few seconds. Wash your hands good after using, the oil can be irritating if you touch your eyes. I also keep a bar of soap with lavender oil in my bed. I know it sounds crazy but there are many articles on the internet on users of this method. I no longer get cramps at night. For the fingernails, have your Zinc checked. I also take Biotin which helps with nails and hair.

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Profile picture for vking @vking

Tagrisso causes cramps in my legs, feet and hands. Very painful. I keep a bottle of Magnesium oil with me at all times. Spray it on the cramp, rub it in, and the cramp is generally gone in a few seconds. Wash your hands good after using, the oil can be irritating if you touch your eyes. I also keep a bar of soap with lavender oil in my bed. I know it sounds crazy but there are many articles on the internet on users of this method. I no longer get cramps at night. For the fingernails, have your Zinc checked. I also take Biotin which helps with nails and hair.

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@vking Thank you so much! I'll get some magnesium oil and biotin and ask my doctor about zinc levels. I wonder if the magnesium oil would help with restless leg, too? I'll try it and let you know. I'm really grateful to have found this community.

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Not sure about restless leg syndrome. But Magnesium does relax the muscles so it could help. There are some homeopathic supplements that are for restless leg. I use a lot of homeopathic supplements because the dissolve under the tongue and bypass your stomach (Tagrisso does distress my stomach) . Here is one to try: Hyland's Restful Legs PM Tablets

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Profile picture for mamajite @mamajite

@kugan welcome to Mayo Connect - we're glad you found us! it's good to hear you're doing well after surgery and chemo, and tolerating Tagrisso. I haven't had restless leg syndrome, but I hope the gabapentin will help alleviate it for you. don't feel guilty for sharing your experiences - cancer and treatment are hard.

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Thank you so much for your thoughts. The truth is I’m not really doing well on Tagrisso mycologist says we can reduce it to 40 mg because I have these infections on my toes and feet and now I’m on antibiotics which of course make me sick so I’m not sure what the path has but living like this is not living. I am constantly tied to my apartment. I was suffering from restless legs, but now I drink 96 ounces of water every day and that seems to have alleviated the problem. My hair is starting to grow back because I became very very thin in my hair and I it’s just starting to grow back after seven months on Tagrisso . I am losing a tremendous amount of weight and it’s not like I can’t spare it but it’s still dangerous for me to be 30 pounds in just two months but I’m truly trying@mamajite

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Profile picture for kathleenhalligan59 @kathleenhalligan59

Thank you so much for your thoughts. The truth is I’m not really doing well on Tagrisso mycologist says we can reduce it to 40 mg because I have these infections on my toes and feet and now I’m on antibiotics which of course make me sick so I’m not sure what the path has but living like this is not living. I am constantly tied to my apartment. I was suffering from restless legs, but now I drink 96 ounces of water every day and that seems to have alleviated the problem. My hair is starting to grow back because I became very very thin in my hair and I it’s just starting to grow back after seven months on Tagrisso . I am losing a tremendous amount of weight and it’s not like I can’t spare it but it’s still dangerous for me to be 30 pounds in just two months but I’m truly trying@mamajite

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@kathleenhalligan59 I can really empathize. I also kept getting toe infections - and some severe skin rashes to the point my team wanted me to just take an antibiotic forever (which wasn't an acceptible option to me.) I've seen many women post on here that the full strength Tagrisso causes too many side effects. my oncologists have told me that the lower dose (40mg) isn't effective, but I'm skeptical and think this probably needs more study in women.

as far as (not) losing weight - I switched to a mostly vegan diet and that seemed to help. dairy in particular became an issue for me on Tagrisso. make sure your oncologist understands it's becoming too difficult for you and that you need more support from your team.

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Profile picture for kathleenhalligan59 @kathleenhalligan59

Thank you so much for your thoughts. The truth is I’m not really doing well on Tagrisso mycologist says we can reduce it to 40 mg because I have these infections on my toes and feet and now I’m on antibiotics which of course make me sick so I’m not sure what the path has but living like this is not living. I am constantly tied to my apartment. I was suffering from restless legs, but now I drink 96 ounces of water every day and that seems to have alleviated the problem. My hair is starting to grow back because I became very very thin in my hair and I it’s just starting to grow back after seven months on Tagrisso . I am losing a tremendous amount of weight and it’s not like I can’t spare it but it’s still dangerous for me to be 30 pounds in just two months but I’m truly trying@mamajite

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@kathleenhalligan59 i’m sorry to hear this. I’m on Tagrisso too, I was on 80 mg now I’m on 40. When I was on 80 mg my legs were all bruised. But it seems like I’m doing much better on the 40 I think you will too.

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Truthfully, I am gonna go with my oncologist recommendation. I live in Maui and my hospitals in Honolulu, which is a short plane ride away, but my daughter lives there so I stay with her so I’m gonna go talk to him. I called me this week twice to see how I was, but I might have to go down to 40 because it’s truly making my life miserable.

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Profile picture for kathleenhalligan59 @kathleenhalligan59

Truthfully, I am gonna go with my oncologist recommendation. I live in Maui and my hospitals in Honolulu, which is a short plane ride away, but my daughter lives there so I stay with her so I’m gonna go talk to him. I called me this week twice to see how I was, but I might have to go down to 40 because it’s truly making my life miserable.

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I am a little afraid to go down to 40 because I had a late stage lung cancer and I’m just wondering if I should just powered through but they really has no relief of my side effects since the last seven months

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I have stage 4 lung cancer. Doing well on 40 mg

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Profile picture for vking @vking

Not sure about restless leg syndrome. But Magnesium does relax the muscles so it could help. There are some homeopathic supplements that are for restless leg. I use a lot of homeopathic supplements because the dissolve under the tongue and bypass your stomach (Tagrisso does distress my stomach) . Here is one to try: Hyland's Restful Legs PM Tablets

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@vking
Thank you, @vking. I will try the Hyland's tablets. The restless legs are better since my doctor prescribed gabapentin a week ago. The gabapentin makes me a bit groggy in the morning, but walking the house at 3 a.m. did, too!

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