Lisa D

[LISA D]

Is anybody on Herceptin/Perjeta and suffered a decrease in LVEF? If so, has LVEF recovered when taken off Perjeta?

[supportwife]

Hi Lisa,

My wife had the same issue while on herceptin alone and she was put on coreg ( minimum dose ) to bring back the LVEF back to normal. Once that was done she continued with Herceptin. As H and P both have cardiotoxicity, your doctor may want to hold it back if your LVEF is below 50% and put you on ace inhibitors like coreg.

Congratulations on successful 16 years and wishing you a lot more.

[donocco]

Actually Coreg is a beta blocker like propranalol. This may seem minor to point out but the side effects and contraindications are different. For instance an asthmatic shouldnt take coreg.

[Laurel]

Lisa,

Many here have taken CoQ10 when their echos showed lowered LVEF. In many instances it enabled them to continue Herceptin without interruption. You can Google it for various studies on its affect on cardiac function. I used it during my year of Herceptin therapy.

[c1k49]

Here is a review of the research on CoQ10 and EF: http://openheart.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000326

They concluded: "Thus, in aggregate, evidence suggests that supplemental CoQ10 may be a useful option for effective management of heart failure, with the advantage of excellent clinical tolerance—reflecting its status as an essential physiological cofactor."

[LISA D]

h
How much Coq10 should you take a day

[Becky]

400 mgs but you have to work up to that amount. For example, for a couple of days take 50 at breakfast and 50 at lunch. Then take 100 at breakfast and 50 at lunch ( also for a couple of days). Then 100 breakfast, 100 lunch and so on. You can try dinner but it makes some people too perky to sleep. When you get to 400 you can decide if you want to split the dose or just take it all at once.

[donocco]

Coenzyme Q10 is fat soluble so for better absorption you should take it with a bit of fatty food ie cheese, peanut butter etc.

Paul