Starting Tagrisso: What time of day do you take it? With food?

Thank you Mathew! Your message made me laugh and smile. My cancer hasn’t metastasized (thankfully) to other parts of my body other than 1 lymph node that they removed during surgery. But now, the plan is to take this for 3 years to prevent recurrence. I’m hoping that is the case. Like you, I plan to live a long time. I told my oncologist 40 more years is the goal!!

I've been on Tagrisso since December 2020. Since the beginning, I've taken it two hours away from food, usually mid-morning between breakfast and lunch. My cancer metastasized to my brain, requiring brain surgery, so I was initially on other medications I had to take first thing in the morning and before going to bed, and I was paranoid about potential interactions. By now, when I forget, I can take it right before a meal with no negative side effects. Also, my oncologist has become an expert on Tagrisso and says it doesn't interact with anything else I'm taking or have taken.

Every body is different, but I feel mine went through an adaptive phase. For example, early on, my sodium level fell to 126, and my glucose was at 50 an hour after breakfast. My glucose had been a rock solid 95-101 since 2017, before my first round of cancer. As a guy, I was cautioned not to get anyone pregnant while taking Tagrisso or for 4 months after stopping. After my wife and I stopped laughing, we guessed that it takes the body around 4 months to adapt to the presence or absence of Tagrisso.

Tagrisso doesn't leap into your bloodstream and track down cancer cells like a heat-seeking missile. It's a cumulative effect over time. I agree with your doctor that the time of day doesn't matter; just be consistent.

Friggin' side effects. Initially, diarrhea that had me taking 2 Imodium a day. After 6 months, that was gone. My most consistent and ongoing side effect is brittle nails that chip and split easily. 10 mg Biotin a day has helped a lot, and I try to remember to rub Vitamin E into my nails after a shower.

3 years cancer free, so it's worth it! I still plan to live forever or die trying. 🙂 Best of luck to you!

Hello, I take my Tagrisso first thing in the morning after breakfast. I have not experienced any immediate digestive (or other) effects. Side effects vary from person to person so just keep track of what changes you might be experiencing and inform your oncologist.
Good luck!

Thank you!

Oh wow! That’s sounds like progress! Good luck!!