Depression and Herceptin? Treatments?

[rentrac]

Dear Mab,
what you are describing sounds like peripheral neuropathy. It's a common side effect of several chemos. It can show up in the form of pain, needles&pins, tingling or even numbness, and it comes and goes. I developed some in my fingers toes from different chemos (I don't even quite remember all of them, there have been too many! Definitely take it easy on the parts that are affected, and if it is affecting your feet, make sure you check them carefully every day. It's a common problem for diabetics as well, and I saw too many cases of folks who developed horrendous injuries and infections in their feet because they couldn't feel!

Unlike many diabetics, though, many, many folks who have neuropathy thanks to drugs like chemo usually recover full sensory nerve function once the offending drug has been stopped and the nerves have time to heal.

But take heart, there is a new drug on the market called Lyrica. I tried it and it helped me a lot while I was on Herceptin. In fact, I'm developing neuropathy again thanks to Tykerb and Xeloda, so I'm planning to ask my onc about starting it again. (I may be an MD, but I'd be an idiot of a doctor if I tried to treat myself! Besides, my specialty is child psychiatry, though cancer is getting close thanks to this home study school of medicine I found myself in.) Hope that helps.

With warm wishes but not burning feet,
Rentrac

[weezie1053]

Mary, although I have been a member since last fall, I only recently started reading the posts and threads in the past couple of months. There have been numerous comments regarding neuropathy which is quite common following Taxol. I had horrific neuropathy at the end of my 16-week Taxol cycle (completed in Feb 07). Both my hands and my feet throbbed. My Oncologist prescribed Neurontin after I read about it on this website. It did, however, make me drowsy. I later switched to Lyrica which really relieved the pain. I had a very rare side affect to Lyrica which was itching in the mid-stomach area. Don't know of anybody else with this side affect, but I, of course, got it. The itching finally stopped when I quit taking the Lyrica. I would recommend it vs. Neurontin. Do not be hard on yourself about your ankles feeling like they are swollen. This too is a side affect of these drugs. I only recently could walk down the stairs normally without placing two feet on a step. I didn't see the veins in my feet for months due to puffiness. Other than a little numbness in my toes, my neuropathy is finally waning. It took 6-7 months, however, before I felt like I could walk normally. Today, I walked three miles with my grandson with no lingering tiredness or pain, so the light is at the end of the tunnel.

The sun will soon shine on you as well.

Hang in there!

Louise

[MAB1943]

thank you Louise just hate to take another drug. Feel like my body won't handle it.
My goal is to be able to walk every day without fail. Between my feet and knees, I am going to be a while to see this goal, but I will I am sure of that!
Mary

[MAB1943]

Thank You For Your Response. It Helps To Know There Are Others And Hope That The Neuropathy May Disappear. And There Is A Drug To Help Too!
Mary