HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - bladder dysfunction may be associated with herceptin use--anyone with symptoms?

v-ness · 05-04-2011, 01:07 PM

fascinating.

since i've always been a big water drinker, i've always had to go to the bathroom, but i noticed this past year that i could no longer make it through the night. and of course that was the year i was on herceptin.

i'd taken effexor for hot flashes but it ceased to work so i started my own quest for anything else that would help. i was having about 30-40 bad ones a day. i discovered oxybutynin which happens to be for exactly what you're talking about. it's original design is to help with incontinence and because it is drying it staves off the hot flashes. i am down to just a couple a day now and usually only after coffee or when it is warm. i only take 2 pills a day, though i was prescribed 3. i certainly have to pee a LOT less, which is a blessing. dry mouth comes with it, but eventually fades. the funny thing is that with dry mouth you drink more which means i still get up once a night. but once a night is a small price to pay for salvation from hot flashes.

btw, oxybutynin is a very safe drug.

valerie

05-04-2011, 01:07 PM	#17
v-ness Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: western ma Posts: 280	Re: bladder dysfunction may be associated with herceptin use--anyone with symptoms? fascinating. since i've always been a big water drinker, i've always had to go to the bathroom, but i noticed this past year that i could no longer make it through the night. and of course that was the year i was on herceptin. i'd taken effexor for hot flashes but it ceased to work so i started my own quest for anything else that would help. i was having about 30-40 bad ones a day. i discovered oxybutynin which happens to be for exactly what you're talking about. it's original design is to help with incontinence and because it is drying it staves off the hot flashes. i am down to just a couple a day now and usually only after coffee or when it is warm. i only take 2 pills a day, though i was prescribed 3. i certainly have to pee a LOT less, which is a blessing. dry mouth comes with it, but eventually fades. the funny thing is that with dry mouth you drink more which means i still get up once a night. but once a night is a small price to pay for salvation from hot flashes. btw, oxybutynin is a very safe drug. valerie __________________ 8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast 10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin. 1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010. 2/10 began 7 wks of radiation 6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer 8/10 got my last remaining ovary out 10/10 mammogram all clear 3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew! 7/10 switched to Arimidex 8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much. back on Tamoxifen 1/2013. blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer. cancer's screwing with another man i love 2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!