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I am responding to query about side effects of Herceptin/Navelbine. I have been taking both weekly and add Zometa once a month since Feb. 2004. I have mets, or had mets, to bones, liver, lungs. All virtually gone at the moment. It is definitely worth it to stay on this combo. even if you get achey. Take a warm bath, take some advil or tylenol as needed.
At first I was having lots of side effects to the treatments because the clinic I went to was insisting on giving me decadron (steroid) and zofran (anti-nausea drug that causes constipation!) with each treatment. These drugs were given to me to prevent side effects but they were what was giving me horrible side effects! I convinced my doctory there, on advice of another oncologist I see, to stop these side effect drugs and I have done much better.
After ten months of weekly treatment, I am able to see that I pretty consistently get achey after. It was for about 3 to 5 days after treatment. I think I get achey because the navelbine gets kills my white and red blood cells too and my immunity is getting low and my body is making my bones make cells, and that makes me achey in spine, shoulders, hips. It feels like you are coming down with a bad cold or flu.
Navelbine can beat down your immunity and has in my case. I am no longer able to bounce back to normal blood counts each week so we are reducing my dose by 20% and keeping going weekly since I am doing great on this.
Good luck,
Isabelle
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