How long did you have side effects from Tagrisso?

@soldieron Thanks so much for sharing. How much Keifer do u drink per day?? blessings to all Happy Thanksgiving.
rlf66

I began Tagrisso 80mg on August 1. Normal for the first week. After that the diarrhea started and was severe. I took Imodium daily but then got backed up. Never been constipated my whole life. After 5 days I had a hard movement. Then I decided to only take Imodium when eating out and just suffer at home. Doctor said no, frequent diarrhea can cause a host of problems on its own. Kept getting worse. The dose was reduced to 40mg. That helped a little but still came. A friend suggested Kefir. It's been helping. I have soft stools and occasionally watery. I will combine it with drinking Kefir. I have to take Tagrisso for three years so this is a journey. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I began Tagrisso 80mg on August 1. Normal for the first week. After that the diarrhea started and was severe. I took Imodium daily but then got backed up. Never been constipated my whole life. After 5 days I had a hard movement. Then I decided to only take Imodium when eating out and just suffer at home. Doctor said no, frequent diarrhea can cause a host of problems on its own. Kept getting worse. The dose was reduced to 40mg. That helped a little but still came. A friend suggested Kefir. It's been helping. I have soft stools and occasionally watery. I will combine it with drinking Kefir. I have to take Tagrisso for three years so this is a journey. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I was on it for 7 weeks and developed pneumonitis & had to stop taking it. I had stage 3 with 6 chemotherapy & 30 days of radiation. I was cancer free in February but have another scan next month. I can't take any immunotherapy drugs. I would be grateful if I could have stayed on it and had mild side effects. The odds aren't good for me.

@sierranevadagal395, I was diagnosed with the EGFR Exon 19 mutation, Stage 2b, in 2018. In 2020, my cancer metastasized to my brain, and I had brain surgery, radiation, and started taking Tagrisso, 80mg, daily in December 2020. I'm still taking it daily.

I initially was taking 2 Immodium a day to control the diarrhea. After a couple/few months, I dropped to one a day and eventually stopped altogether. Now I take Metamucil every morning to stay regular!

The next most commonly reported side effect is a skin rash, but I've only experienced that once in the last four+ years. My dermatologist prescribed a cream that eliminated the rash within days.

The most persistent side effect I still experience is nail splitting. I take 20 mcg daily which keeps that under control. Since Biotin is also good for hair and skin, one side effect is that I have to shave and trim my nails a lot more often! My oncologist assures me Biotin doesn't interfere with any medications I'm taking, but you should check with yours before taking anything regularly.

Oh, and early on, I had to take Tagrisso away from food: at least 2 hours before and after eating, or I my stomach would object. Over time, that side effect has also gone away.

As a guy, one warning with Tagrisso is to not get anyone pregnant for 4 months after stopping, so I'm guessing that's about how long it takes the average body to adapt. But every body is different.

Hang in there. The side effects do wear off with time.