TARCEVA

Sadly enough, my days with Tarceva have come and gone within less than 3 short years. Something I never thought I would say, "I miss you, Tarceva!" I will tell you that it was definitely a love/hate relationship. Though most people close to me only heard the "hate" side, I really was aware, as many are not, of what a true blessing that this targeted therapy drug was and is to those with NSCLC with the EGFR positive mutation or pancreatic cancer. I felt like it was time for me to write down and document a few of my experiences for those who are curious or those lucky enough to qualify for this drug on your own cancer journey.

First of all, what the heck is Tarceva?? Well, it is a chemotherapy drug. Chemotherapy isn't a treatment; it is any drug that is used in the treatment of cancer. Tarceva happens to come in a pill form that you take at home every single day. It must be taken on an empty stomach 2 hours after any food and 1 hour before food is ingested. Funny, but I never even asked "why" and as "google happy" as this one lady is, I never even researched it. I did happen to stumble across the information by accident in search of something else and had to pause for a second and say, "ah ha! Very interesting.." So, the thing is, the Tarceva works best in your system doing what it needs to do if it doesn't have to compete with food to do it. That's pretty simple, but the fact is if you have food in your system it may possibly not fight the cancer, so take it as directed.. EVERYDAY!! I still hear my oncologist saying this to me in his hard to understand foreign accent, "take your Tarceva everyday!"
I guess people give themselves a break sometimes and in that short amount of time the cancer can and probably will rear its very ugly head and re-occur. TAKE THE MEDICINE!!

So, now you're wondering: if it's just a pill why would someone need to give themselves an unauthorized break, right? Well, that pretty little white pill comes with a big punch all of its own, my friend.
Here is a short list of the common side effects with some of my own thoughts attached to it:

nausea, (after a couple of years I experienced this on a regular basis)

stomach upset, (only if you eat food..smile..wink,wink)

vomiting, (on few occasions)

loss of appetite, (food became optional especially without facilities close by)

weight loss, (only because of the daily diarrhea and upset stomach)

diarrhea, (nearly every single day, suddenly and without warning!)

mouth sores, (didn't suffer from this)

dry skin, (extremely! a kind of dryness that even though you apply lotion your skin still peels!)

acne, (horrid rashes with pox as if you're 15 years old again covering most of your body!)

dry eyes, (YES!!)

eye irritation, (it was usually from the long lashes that would grow sideways into my eye)

unusual eyelash growth, (the thickest and longest lashes that you will EVER experience!) 

tired feeling. (yeah, it leaves you ready for a nap most days..)

Hair changes (this is a huge understatemen, go HERE to see more about hair

I know this list may be a little intimidating if you're just beginning or about to start taking the drug Tarceva (also known as erlotinib) Honestly, after the initial couple of months your body does adjust somewhat and you will adjust your lifestyle accordingly and it can be a very lovely time in your cancer journey. Take it from me, after 2 1/2 years on Tarceva I was sad to learn that my cancer had mutated and the drug was no longer fighting for me. Goodbye my friend and hello to possibilities!
(Also known as genetic testing)

Good luck to anyone and everyone who is able to embark on the Tarceva journey. Of course I do not wish this on my worst enemy, but if you have non small cell lung cancer with the EGFR positive mutation or pancreatic cancer, it's a great treatment option!

I share several of my experiences with the side effects of this drug in other posts which you can find on this blog. Also, there is a great online group of Tarceva Diva's in the Lung cancer section of the    Inspire.com community for all people using this treatment.

Feel free to ask me any questions