Information for caregivers
As a caregiver, you may be called upon to help out with a variety of different needs. These can range from shopping, cleaning, and cooking to bathing, dressing, and paying bills. In some cases, you may be asked to sit in on appointments and help take notes or ask questions.
The following tips are designed to give you some basics to work with. The treatment team will be able to provide you with guidance regarding your loved one's specific needs depending on their treatment regimen.
Educate yourself
Learn as much as you can about your loved one's cancer. This way, you can be a useful sounding board for treatment discussions. Though treatment decisions are the patient's to make, having a knowledgeable friend with whom to discuss things is important. Learning what you can will also help you to anticipate needs that may arise over time, such as managing side effects or scheduling appointments.
Let the patient have control
It is important to anticipate needs, but don't let the patient feel you are taking control of her life. Give her details about how things are being handled and ask for her input. Even small issues like household maintenance and planning out the day are important.
Take care of yourself
Being a caregiver can be stressful. Take some time for yourself in order to avoid burnout. It is important to get enough rest and to take care of your own life issues as they arise. Also, remember that you cannot do everything. Ask others to pitch in as needed.
Check out GlaxoSmithKline's Tykerb® CARES support program to help patients and the healthcare providers who treat them.
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Indication
TYKERB is indicated in combination with Xeloda® (capecitabine) for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose tumors overexpress HER2 and who have received prior therapy including an anthracycline, a taxane, and Herceptin® (trastuzumab).
Important Safety Information
Some women may develop liver damage while taking TYKERB. The cause of this damage is not known. In some cases, liver damage may be severe and may cause death. Your doctor should test your liver before and during treatment with TYKERB to check for signs of liver damage. You should contact your doctor if you have itching, yellow eyes or skin, dark urine, pain in your right upper side of your belly or feel very tired. If you develop liver damage during your treatment, your doctor may tell you to stop taking TYKERB. Before taking TYKERB, tell your doctor if you have liver problems. You may need a lower dose of TYKERB.
Before taking TYKERB, tell your doctor if you have heart problems. As with other treatments for HER2-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer, there have been reports of changes in how the heart pumps blood through the body and how the heart beats. Call your doctor right away if you are short of breath, have rapid heartbeats (palpitations), or feel very tired.
Some people taking TYKERB have reported diarrhea. In some cases, diarrhea can be severe. Call your doctor right away if you have diarrhea. It is important to manage diarrhea with medicine as soon as it begins. Severe diarrhea may need to be treated with electrolytes and fluids given by mouth or by vein. Treatment with TYKERB may have to be delayed for a while or stopped completely.
If you have a dry cough or have shortness of breath, talk with your doctor. These may be signs of inflammation in the lungs.
Women should not become pregnant when taking TYKERB because the unborn baby may be harmed.
The most common side effects reported by patients taking TYKERB and Xeloda were diarrhea; vomiting; feeling sick to your stomach (nausea); feeling tired; red, painful hands and feet; and rash.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines and herbal and dietary supplements.
Because TYKERB is currently indicated to be taken with another medicine called Xeloda, be sure to talk with your doctor about any medicines and supplements that should be avoided when taking Xeloda.
Please see complete US Prescribing Information for TYKERB.
Herceptin is a registered trademark of Genentech, Inc.
Xeloda is a registered trademark of Roche Laboratories Inc.
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