hives herceptin

donna77 · 07-01-2009, 01:32 PM

I have just had 2 of my 18 doses of herceptin and I am experiencing hives on my lower back. The oncologist's PA saw me on Monday and said that a rash is a very rare side effect of herceptin. He put me one a short course of steroids-but the hives are not disappearing. He said it definitely was not shingles but hives. I am seeing the Dr. for this tomorrow. Has anyone else experienced hives with this drug? Would this cause them to discontinue the herceptin? Thanks

MJo · 07-01-2009, 02:05 PM

Rare or not rare, this is happening to you. It's important to talk to oncologist. I believe some women here had allergy issues with Herceptin and they were given strong antihistamines during their doses. What type of solution are they using to mix the Herceptin. It could be something in the solution. Maybe they could use a different solution or just plain water. Herceptin is important for us Her2s. I trust that the doctors can manage the situation and continue your Herceptin. If not, maybe you could lobby for Tykerb.

jml · 07-01-2009, 03:13 PM

Hi~
The 1st year of my dx I was on qweekly Herceptin, then once NED, I switched to q3week Herceptin.
It was at that point that I broke out in a rash all over my torso - tiny, itchy, red bumps, along with some other issues from the increased dose - like severe arthritic pain in my neck & back. So, I went back to the qweekly dose & all resolved.
That was a number of years back, & over time I was able to go back to the q3week dose without any problems - may just a little flu'ish 24hrs after the infusion.
If you're on the q3week dose, maybe switch to the qweekly dose for a bit? I hope they find some kind of intervention that will give you relief.

Good Luck!

donna77 · 07-01-2009, 06:02 PM

Great ideas ladies. Now I will have options to talk to my onc. about tomorrow! I will let you know what he says!

Darlene Denise · 07-01-2009, 08:27 PM

Yep, when I stopped getting Herceptin weekly with my chemo and pre-meds and they gave me Herceptin alone as a 3 week dose, broke out and puffed up. Added in pre-meds again, Benadryl 50 mg and Zantac and things went along fine.

Hope this is of some help and good luck!

Darlene

donna77 · 07-02-2009, 05:14 PM

Thanks guys. I saw the onc. today and he thinks it could be contact dermatitis. He is going to increase my benadryl and watch and wait.

alicem · 07-02-2009, 09:02 PM

Hi Donna, I got your message, but wanted to reply here as well. I really hope that you don't have hives. My husband has been dealing with them non-stop since October of 2007. They are the pits. Here's hoping the extra benadryl will do the trick!

jhandley · 07-03-2009, 02:39 AM

Hi
I have had a rash over my torso twice this year from herceptin. it was not itchy and took a few days to go away. In fact I am discovering that a lot of minor things such as nausea, stomach upset, sinus troubles etc are all from herceptin.

Jackie (down under)

suzan w · 07-03-2009, 09:36 AM

I also experienced the itchiness, but without a rash. I recall benadryl with the herceptin treatments. I would also get some relief from the over the counter benadryl spray. It also helped to cool down the shower as I was preparing to get out. Somehow hot water aggravated things. Good luck!

MJo · 07-06-2009, 06:49 AM

Donna - Please keep us updated about how the doctors resolve your hives issue. As an asthmatic with multiple allergies, I'm very interested in medication allergies. In fact, I was so afraid of Herceptin that I had myself allergy tested for mouse allergies -- They used mouse embryos to use the petrie dish when they made Herceptin. Don't know if they still do that. Then I found that Taxol is made from ewe trees and the solution used to mix it is made from castor beans. So I worried about castor bean and ewe allergies. Thanks to careful monitoring by my doctor and nurses, I came through just fine. Had to stop Herceptin early due to heart issues, not allergy issues. Go figure.