You are here

Starting dose for Tasigna/Nilotinib

Categories:

Hi All

I saw my doctor today and I'm switching from 400mg of Imatinib (which has got me to around 2% in 14 months)  I'm resistant to Imatinib and need to switch to Nilotinib.  However I've just picked up my prescription and my starting dose is 800mg per day.

Looking at other threads, 600mg starting dose seems more common?

Could anyone share their thoughts on this?  I'd much rather start at a lower dose and increase if I have to.  I did have quite a few side effects on Imatinib and I'm not keen to experience a sudden onset of even harsher ones if I can avoid it! 

Many thanks!

*** EDIT:  Just to say, I found out that 800 is the starting dose for those resistant to a previous TKI.  600 is for the newly diagnosed.  Moderator/s can delete this thread if they wish to *** (15/6/22)

Although my diagnosis was along time ago and in the early days of both imatinib and nilotinib. I was moved over to Nilotinib in a similar situation to you and was prescribed 800mg of Nilotinib but as more information arose about the toxicity of it i was told it was safer to drop it to 600mg which is what happened to me. I thought that was the new normal dose but as i say that was in the early days of Nilotinib and research may have changed decisions on doses since.

I was moved to Nilotinib April 12th after 11 years on Imatinib. The imatinib started to fail. I am on 800mg and I can tell you the first 3 weeks was hell. I even dropped to 600 for a day even 400. I want to reach CMR so I am going to stay on 800 for as long as I can. The side effects have reduced and my oncologist says I am in good shape as most people can’t stay on the 800 for long. Now I take 800 for 5 days then drop 1 day to 600, which is 200 in the morning and 400 in the evening, then back to 800. I take 400mg about twice a month. What annoys me with Tasigna is that it costs an arm and a leg but they only give you enough for 28 days so that robs one of almost a full month within a year. So I try to extend the 28 pills to last a month. This gives my body a little break from the constant 800mg. This is tough in July and August where you have back to back 31 day months. Try to stay as long as you can so you can reach CMR. Good luck.