[Becky]

Both WBC and RBC booster drugs are powerful, powerful drugs that act on your bone marrow.

They had never been routinely given until the dense dose 4 AC followed by 4 Taxol was accepted as standard of care in late 2003 (this is prior to Herceptin being added to the taxol part in mid 2005). The dense dose regime absolutely required a WBC booster - there was no way the white cells could recover in time as they could when the chemo was given every 3 weeks vs the dense dose's timing of every 2 wks.

Because oncs got used to using these drugs, they just use them even if you are not on a chemo that requires it.

If you are on a dense dose schedule, it is required. If you are not, perhaps a frank discussion with your onc and a second opinion is needed if you are just getting the shot without knowing if you actually need it.

If you need it, regardless, it is a drug that could be life saving (preventing horrendous infection) and that it keeps you on track in receiving your chemo treatments on time.

It is like anything, one doesn't take high blood pressure pills if you don't have high blood pressure so why take a WBC booster shot if your counts are adequate? These medications are not child's play.