tykerb side effects

[sarah]

Has anyone had bleeding nails??? and if so, have you solved it?
thanks
Sarah

[Shell]

Sarah-

I was on tykerb for 5 months and never had that problem. Could it be from anything else?

Regards,

[Odette]

Hi Sarah,

I had bleeding nails while on Taxotere/Herceptin and even four months after I was off I still had trouble with the nails. I attributed the problem to the Taxotere not to the Herceptin though.
Under the toenails was bleeding especially after a longer shower. I was always scared that one of the toenails would just come loose, fall out - ugh. It did not happen though. Sometimes I put a (flexible fabric) band aid on the toe it seemed to help.

Good luck, I hope your nails will be OK. What does your doctor and nurse say?

Best wishes,

Odette

[sarah]

I've been told recently it may be the Xeloda not the Tykerb that's causing the bleeding fingers.

[hutchibk]

Sarah - I bet it is Xeloda, due to the hand/foot syndrome. It might be how that manifests for you...

[julierene]

My onc recommended B6, vitamin E, and utterly smooth lotion for the hands and feet.

[bailey]

Another thing good to use for feet and hands with the xeloda is Vaseline petroleum Jelly - put it on feet after your shower and use alot, put socks on . At night do your hands and put cotton gloves on. The B6 is worth a try also.

[Andi]

I am involved in a NCCTG Phase III study to determine whether Urea/Lactic Acid Based Cream and Vitamin B-6 are effective for prevention of Xeloda induced hand and foot syndrome. It is a double blind study so I don't know if I have the real thing or placeabos. I have to rub 1/2 tsp of the lotion on the bottoms of my hands and feet twice a day, let it set 5 minutes before I do anything and take the B-6 (if it is) tablet once a day. I have to keep a daily diary of the symptoms. I just started with this yesterday so I can't give you any thoughts on how my hands/feet are doing.

[sarah]

thanks for the replies. I'll be curious how the test goes.
sarah

[bailey]

Andi - how are you handling the tykerb/xeloda these last few days? There's been a real mix of the way to take it - some say take the tykerb at night which makes alot of sense to me - I"ll be starting next Wed.
Bailey

[Andi]

Bailey - I've taken it for 2 days now. The first day I took the Tykerb when I received the shipment (I wanted to get started right away). Then, I decided the evening thing made sense, so I switched and took it before bedtime last night. I didn't have any trouble sleeping, but I did have a watery stool when I got up this am. My onc told me to call if that happened and wait until I get further instructions before I take any more . I put the call in this am and am still waiting for a call back. Other than the bowel issues, I have been tired. So far my hands and feet are ok. I am on a real high dose of Xeloda right now (1650mg twice a day) so I am sure that will be adjusted down based on what others on this site have said. I hope things go well with you. Let's hope our cancers take a big hit from this cocktail! Let us know when you get started how you are doing.

[hutchibk]

Andi - you and I are the same dose of Xeloda, (3500mg a day) although I will take mine 1500mg AM and 2000mg PM. I plan to make a late breakfast and take my first dose in a few minutes. Are you saying that you aren't having any nausea w/ Xeloda? Yippee. That is the one thing that keeps me dragging my feet this morning. But I guess I can just take a Zofran ahead of time and see how it goes.

[Andi]

Brenda - I haven't had any nausea so far, but I never really have with any of my chemo (I must have an iron stomach). Did your onc say why he is prescribing 3500mg? I didn't know what the dosage was at the time I saw mine last, so I haven't had a chance to find out, the Tykerb information sheet I printed out from Glasco talks about 2000. Just curious.

[hutchibk]

I haven't asked him why the high dose - but we are hoping to knock down some small brain mets, a small neck met, and a couple of small new chest mets. That might explain it. I will ask when I see him in 10 days. I, too, have never struggled much with nausea when on other chemos. The only real nausea I ever had was on Adria at the beginning. So, I don't know why I am so anxious about it.

[Andi]

Brenda - did your onc say anything to you about taking imodium or the like? Mine just said to call him if I had "the" problem.

[hutchibk]

Mine did say try immodium - and keep him updated on how it is all "going" - no pun intended.... LOL.