[Margaret Eleanor]

I dropped Decadron (dex) when I had chemo. I used it my first cycle of three weeks on, one week off (taxol, carboplatin, Herceptin). I was having more disturbing side effects from the dex than I was the chemo. I explained it to my nurse practitioner as "-roid rage". I was irritable, aggitated, and aggressive. I felt like a male Beta Fish, always looking for a fight. I hated the way I was treating my husband and daughter (who was 11 at the time) taking the dex. I told my nurse practitioner that I would rather deal with the nausea than the dex. First week of the next cycle, we lowered the dosage and dropped it entirely the second week. I did not take dex with Adrimycin and Cytoxin either. I also eventually dropped the Benadryl. I always hated the way it made me feel sluggish and drowsy, and the dry mouth was horrible.