Hi Millie and all, All of the current TKI drugs carry a risk of a heart arrhythmia called Long Q/T syndrome. This refers to the length of time between the Q wave and T wave as seen on an EKG. Some people have this problem congenitally, but it can also be caused by medications, both prescription and over the counter. If the length of time becomes long enough it can cause a fatal arrhythmia. This was the case in the clinical trials of Tasigna.
While they generally believe now that it may have involved patients already having an arrhythmia of some type, they still believe that in the right circumstances Tasigna by itself or in combination with other drugs that can elongate the Q/T wave can cause this fatal arrhythmia, and it still carries the black box warning of such. This is the entire reason for the food warning. They believe that if Tasigna is absorbed too quickly that will lead to this arrhythmia, and taking it with food can cause it to absorb too quickly. The other risk is taking it with other prescription and OTC meds that also elongate the Q/T wave interval, like some antihistimines. While each drug by itself might not elongate the wave interval enough to be a problem, together they can sometimes become immediately fatal. Here is the real thing to know...it is NOT okay to think that as long as I only take a small amount once and a while it won't be a problem, such as the occasional anti-nausea med (both compazine and zofran/ondansetron are dangerous). The problem is not with the ones you take regularly without a problem, it is the once and a while scenario, as there has been no way to monitor the situation. If you are already taking a drug that is contraindicated, and you are taking it at the same time every day, and you were carefully screened with EKG's when you started the Tasigna, then you are probably okay until and unless anything changes. If you change the time of day you take that drug or increase the dose of either that drug or Tasigna you could be in trouble. Unfortunately that risk can result in sudden death! But, of course, so can driving down the freeway...so the moral of this story is to take precaution and make sure that all your doctors are cross checking medication before prescribing...INCLUDING AND ESPECIALLY ANTIBIOTICS and that you are monitored carefully if any changes are made. Don't expect your doctors to automatically know this. It is your job to be informed and to inform them! A really good site to check for interactions is www.drugs.com. They have an entire list of drugs contraindicated with Tasigna, or you can put your personal list in and check for interactions. I keep it bookmarked in my smart phone and can look it up right in the doctors office. Before I started Tasigna a week ago I was already taking a drug that was contraindicated, that unfortunately I could not stop. So we looked at the timing...half life, etc. and have monitored my EKG carefully...four times last week. If I am good today, we will drop to weekly, then monthly. I have been fine! But if I add any other contraindicated drug or increase the dosage of either we would have to increase testing also. I also wear a medical ID bracelet that warns of this problem, to avoid accidents if I have an accident! While this precaution is worse in Tasigna, it does apply to all TKI's at some level so using an interaction checker like www.drugs.com and alerting your doctor that there may be a risk you should be checked for is a good thing. It only takes two minutes to do an EKG! Sort of like buckling up before getting on the highway. Speaking of which, safe travel if you are traveling for the holiday...and Happy Thanksgiving to all! Fight on, Peg -- -- [CMLHope] A support group of http://cmlhope.com ------------------------------------------------- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CMLHope" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CMLHope --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CMLHope" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
