Capamed 500mg Tablet

Capamed 500mg Tablet is used in the treatment of cancer of breast, colon, and rectum. It may be also used to treat other conditions, as determined by the doctor. It is used alone or in combination with some other medicine as a part of chemotherapy.

Capamed 500mg Tablet should be taken with food within 30 minutes after eating a meal. Your doctor will decide what dose is necessary and how often you need to take it. This will depend on what you are being treated for and may change from time to time. You should take it exactly as your doctor has advised. Taking it in the wrong way or taking too much can cause very serious side effects. It may take several weeks or months for you to see or feel the benefits but do not stop taking it unless your doctor tells you to.

The most common side effects of this medicine include vomiting, weakness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This medicine may reduce the number of blood cells (decrease white blood cells) in your blood, thereby, increasing the susceptibility to infections. Regular blood tests are required to check your blood cells along with heart, liver, and blood uric acid levels.

Before taking it, tell your doctor if you have liver, or kidney problems or are taking any medicines to treat infections. Many other medicines can affect, or be affected by, this medicine so let your doctor know all medications you are using. This medicine is not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. The use of effective contraception by both males and females during treatment is important to avoid pregnancy.

Cancer of colon and rectum

Breast cancer

Take this medicine in the dose and duration as advised by your doctor. Swallow it as a whole. Do not chew, crush or break it. Capamed 500mg Tablet is to be taken with food.

Capamed 500mg Tablet is an anticancer medication. Inside the body, this medicine gets converted into 5-fluorouracil (chemical). This chemical hampers the synthesis of genetic materials (RNA and DNA) in the cancer cells, thereby interferes with their growth. This slows down the growth of cancer cells and eventually kills them.

Q: What if you forget to take this medicine?
A:

Capamed 500mg Tablet is used alone or in combination with other medicines for the treatment of colon, rectum or breast cancers.

It is oral chemotherapy, hence it is preferred by many patients.

It should be taken within 30 minutes after eating a meal.

The dose and the number of treatment cycles needed will depend on the type and stage of cancer that is being treated.

It may cause dizziness and tiredness. Don’t drive or do anything requiring concentration until you know how it affects you.

Frequency of hair loss is much less compared to other chemotherapy drugs.

Do not take it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Your doctor may regularly monitor your blood cells during treatment with this medicine. Inform your doctor immediately if you notice signs of infection such as fever, sore throat, rash or severe diarrhea.

Inform your doctor immediately if you start to have side effects such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, mouth sores, chest pain or loss of appetite.

Capamed 500mg Tablet is used alone or in combination with other medicines for the treatment of colon, rectum or breast cancers.

It is oral chemotherapy, hence it is preferred by many patients.

It should be taken within 30 minutes after eating a meal.

The dose and the number of treatment cycles needed will depend on the type and stage of cancer that is being treated.

It may cause dizziness and tiredness. Don’t drive or do anything requiring concentration until you know how it affects you.

Use a reliable contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy while you are taking this medicine.

Frequency of hair loss is much less compared to other chemotherapy drugs.

Do not take it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Your doctor may regularly monitor your blood cells during treatment with this medicine. Inform your doctor immediately if you notice signs of infection such as fever, sore throat, rash or severe diarrhea.

Inform your doctor immediately if you notice any signs of infection such as fever, sore throat, rash or severe diarrhea.

Inform your doctor immediately if you start to have side effects such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, mouth sores, chest pain or loss of appetite.

Q. Should Capamed 500mg Tablet be taken with or without food?

Capecitabine should be taken within 30 minutes after finishing a meal. Swallow tablets as a whole (do not cut or crush) with water. Consult your doctor if you cannot take the whole tablet. If Capamed 500mg Tablet needs to be crushed or cut, it should be done by a trained professional using appropriate equipment and safety procedures.

Q. Do I need to use birth control method while using Capamed 500mg Tablet?

Yes, birth control methods are a must while using Capamed 500mg Tablet, as this medicine may harm your unborn child. Females should continue using these methods for 6 months after the final dose. On the other hand, men using these medicines whose partners can become pregnant should use effective birth control during treatment and for 3 months after the final dose.

Q. How long do I need to take Capamed 500mg Tablet?

The duration of treatment with Capamed 500mg Tablet depends on the nature of your illness and individual response to treatment. Usually, it is given as a series of treatment cycles, each of these cycles lasts for 21 days. Capamed 500mg Tablet is given for 14 days followed by a rest period of 7 days. You should continue taking this medicine for the time prescribed by the doctor.

Q. What are the side effects of Capamed 500mg Tablet?

The side effects of Capamed 500mg Tablet include stomach pain or upset stomach, constipation, loss of appetite, and change in ability to taste food. It may also cause increased thirst, unusual tiredness or weakness, dizziness, headache, hair loss, skin rash, back, join, or muscle pain. You may also experience red, swollen, itchy, or teary eyes and trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Inform your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe and persist for long.

Q. Does Capamed 500mg Tablet make you tired?

Yes, Capamed 500mg Tablet may make you tired and you may also feel weak, as these are the most common side effects of the medicine. Hence, it is possible that use of Capamed 500mg Tablet may affect your ability to drive or operate machinery.

Q. What is the most important information that I should know about Capamed 500mg Tablet?

It is important to know that Capamed 500mg Tablet can interfere with working of blood thinners like warfarin. This type of interference can cause a change in the rate of clot formation and can cause bleeding that can even lead to death. The risk is higher for cancer patients, especially those who are over 60 years of age. Seek immediate medical help if you experience symptoms like unusual bleeding, vomiting or spitting up blood or brown material that resembles coffee grounds, bloody or black, tarry stools, blood in urine, red or dark-brown urine, or easy bruising.

Q. What kind of drug is Capamed 500mg Tablet?

Capamed 500mg Tablet is an anti-cancer (antineoplastic or cytotoxic) chemotherapy drug. Capamed 500mg Tablet is classified as an “antimetabolite.” Capamed 500mg Tablet itself is not a cytostatic medicine; it gets converted into an active anti-cancer medicine (more in tumour tissue than in normal tissue) only after getting absorbed by the body.

Q. Do I need to get any tests done while on Capamed 500mg Tablet?

The doctor will check you on a regular basis while you are taking Capamed 500mg Tablet to monitor side effects and your response to therapy. You may need to get your blood test done as advised by the doctor to monitor your complete blood count (CBC) as well as the function of kidneys and liver.

Q. What are the serious side effects of Capamed 500mg Tablet?

The use of Capamed 500mg Tablet may cause various serious side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sores in the mouth, swelling, pain, redness, or peeling of skin on the palms and soles of the feet. One may also experience fever, chills, sore throat, or other signs of an infection, swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs, chest pain or pressure, fast heartbeat, dark urine and yellowing of the skin or eyes. Inform your doctor immediately if you experience any such symptoms.

Fatigue

Vomiting

Increased bilirubin in the blood

Abdominal pain

Diarrhea

Paresthesia (tingling or pricking sensation)

Weight loss

Stomatitis (Inflammation of the mouth)

Hair loss

Dehydration

Constipation

Eye irritation

Nausea

Anemia (low number of red blood cells)

Hand-foot syndrome

Fever

Pain

Breathlessness

Low blood platelets

Decreased appetite

Decreased white blood cell count (neutrophils)

Edema (swelling)

Alcohol:CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR

It is not known whether it is safe to consume alcohol with Capamed 500mg Tablet. Please consult your doctor.

Pregnancy:CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR

Capamed 500mg Tablet is unsafe to use during pregnancy as there is definite evidence of risk to the developing baby. However, the doctor may rarely prescribe it in some life-threatening situations if the benefits are more than the potential risks. Please consult your doctor.

Breast feeding:UNSAFE

Capamed 500mg Tablet is unsafe to use during breastfeeding. Data suggests that the drug may cause toxicity to the baby.

Driving:UNSAFE

Capamed 500mg Tablet may decrease alertness, affect your vision or make you feel sleepy and dizzy. Do not drive if these symptoms occur.

Kidney:CAUTION

Capamed 500mg Tablet should be used with caution in patients with kidney disease. Dose adjustment of Capamed 500mg Tablet may be needed. Please consult your doctor.Use of Capamed 500mg Tablet is not recommended in patients with severe kidney disease.

Liver:CAUTION

Capamed 500mg Tablet should be used with caution in patients with liver disease. Dose adjustment of Capamed 500mg Tablet may be needed. Please consult your doctor.Use of Capamed 500mg Tablet is not recommended in patients with severe kidney disease.

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