Rilutek

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Miss

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Does anyone taking Rilutek " break" the rules. Our prescription says no food for 3 hour before and 2 hours afterwards. Not possible. My husband eats small amounts throughout the day. He never has a 5 hour period while awake that he eats and drinks nothing.
 
I was told no food for 2 hours before and 1 hour after. That might be a little easier. I read the original study of rilutek that led to the recommendation, and the main thing they were worried about was fat. Fat in the stomach substantially reduced the amount of medication that got into the blood. So if you can't arrange a 3 hour window of no food, you might at least see if you could minimize fat consumption during this interval.
 
This page from the National Institutes of Health agrees with the 2 hour / 1 hour rule. Sounds like your pharmacist misunderstood it.

PubMed Health - Riluzole
 
In the morning(6:30am)it is on an empty stomach, and he doesnt eat until at least 9am, but his 6:30 pm pills are taken before dinner usually. We do it at this time, as we were also told 12 hours apart.
 
Miss, I break the rules all the time. Maybe I'm wasting my time and money but when you can't swallow the pill and have to crush it to go through the peg tube it is a lot harder and more work to schedule the 12 hours apart and on an empty stomach thing. I get up at 9:30 and it is 10:30 before I get out of my room and then I have my first "meal" and I take my Rilutek with that. After that my goal is to never have an empty stomach. I take the second dose of the "wonder drug" at my last meal at 10:30 pm.

Lori, I didn't know that there even was a 6:30 am :lol::lol:
 
I have teenagers that will sleep in if I do not get them up. Sometimes the pills are later than 6:30 if Les doesn't wake up. The main rule we follow is 2 pills a day.
 
Thanks Barry! I'm not going to worry about it anymore! I'm just going to do the best I can. I'm not sure it's doing anything anyway! I just started giving him 2 pills a day. He has been convinced they make him tired, and his ALS Dr. doesn't seem to think it matters.
 
Just to add to the 'puzzle'...My husband is on decaffinated tea/coffee because caffine is another thing that affects the absorption of Rilutek.

Love to all
Woollyback
 
I broke all the rules with Rilutek. If I was still up partying I'd wash it down with red wine. Probably not wise but it didn't kill me or my liver.

AL.
 
First nuero I had in 9/09 had me on 3 a day. That was until Jan when the clinic (and insurance) dropped me to 2 a day. I actually misread the instructions and was taking them with meals those first few months. Now I try to take them first thing and before bed, when my stomache is most empty, but that is hit or miss. I agree with Barry - I'm more concerned with keeping my weight up than following the letter of the law with rilutek.
 
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