Has anyone taken glutamine while on Xeloda?

[heblaj01]

An elderly lady in my family is going shortly to begin low dose Xeloda after having started to progress on Vinorelbine+Herceptin.
To reduce the risk of possible side effects I have been considering glutamate supplementation based on some info on the web such as:
http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:k78WUl1lM2gJ:www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Amino_Acids.asp%3Fsitearea%3DETO+glutamin e+cancer+2006&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2

There are also these sites which unfortunately refer only to lab studies not much on clinical trials:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15609127&itool=pubmed_docsum

http://www.practical-nutrition.com/default.asp?q=ad

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:KVJXc-HYCm4J:www.vrp.com/art/1181.asp+glutamine+glutathione&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7

Since I can't get an advice from her onc I wonder if any member of this forum has taken glutamine (with or without the approval of a caregiver), while on Xeloda or other chemo :for what purposes & with what results?

[Joy]

Hi, when I was on Taxotere and Xeloda for 9 months i took l-glutamine capsules for the bone pain as recommended by a naturopath. The bone pain was largely due to the Taxotere rather than the Xeloda. The results, for me anyway, were dramatic in regard to the L-Glutamine. When I took it the bone pain disappeared. If I slacked on it, the bone pain was there. When I met with a BC specialist that year and he asked how I was doing on the Tzxotere/Xeloda, I said I had the bone pain under control and he said, "How have you done that-glutamine?". I said, "yes" and he siad, "good-that works well."

I replied before I looked at your links so I am anxious to look at those. thanks for your info and hope this helps.

[heblaj01]

Thanks Joy for your encouraging information on L-glutamine & the fact that your onc was approving on your use of this supplement.
How big a dose were you taking?
My only past reservation about L-glutamine resulted from some contradictory research papers a few of which are stating that it inhibits & others that it enhance the body production of gluthiatone. Since gluthiatone is said to be an antioxidant which might protect cancer cell from some oxidative chemos I was not sure what to do.