Side Effects of Adriamycin/Cytoxin and Taxol/Herceptin

[rinaina]

Not there yet with the taxol/herceptin yet but would also like to know. Just had first cycle of A/C....not to bad so far at all. Little tired, little extra gas, little extra thirst, urinating a lot more. So far tastes are okay.

hope this helps
Rina

[LovingDaughter]

Thanks, Rina. I am glad that things are going well for you so far. My mom just completed her second AC treatment and has been extremely fatigued and has no appetite.

[rinaina]

I wish some of my appetite would go away. Was hoping for a little weight loss through this but not unhealthy amount or amount that would be detrimental. I have been told by many that b.c. patients actually tend to gain weight. Not what I wanted to hear. I think it is more because some things don't taste good due to taste alterations from drugs so perhaps the things that do taste good are more fattening. I don't know for sure. Any feedback on this from others? Hope your mom does well, keep in touch. How far into treatment is she? Like I said, I just had 1 of 4 treatments and they will be 3 weeks apart.
Rina

[LovingDaughter]

She took her second treatment out of four of AC on Friday. Her treatments are two weeks apart.

[suzan w]

I had 4 treatments of A/C..was supposed to get 6 but due to severe side effects, oncologist decided 4 would do. I developed an infection after the 2nd tretment and my white blood count went bonkers...other women do not seem to have the severity of side effects that I did. I also had a neulasta shot with each chemo and had alot of soreness from that-especially in shoulders...caused by neulasta boosts white blood cell growth and that takes place in the bone marrow. I am doing a year of herceptin now-every 3 weeks, til Oct. Not many side effects from that. Despite the side effects, I am glad that I did the chemo...

[Barbara]

Hi:

I too was very tired, food tasted terrible and I was hypotenive with very low white counts - no white cells as my oncologist said. I lost twenty pounds in the first eight weeks of treatment. Nuelasta caused my CA 27-29, AST, ALT and alkaline phosphatase all to go way above normal. I ran temperatures and after my first Taxol treatment was hospitalized to rule out septic shock. Becasue I literally had no white cells seven days after my A/C treatments I was always put on antibiotics as a preventative measure. I found Taxol easier than the A/C. After all that Herceptin was a breeze although I am among the 2-3% of patients that have anemia and low white counts from Herceptin.

I am now 25 months out from my diagnosis and still cancer free. That is what is important. I wish you Mom the best.

Barbara

[Becky]

For me the side effects of each were:

1. AC - mouth sores - they weren't that bad but I got them and they were worse with the first round. Loss of appetite (I lost 22 lbs on chemo to include the taxol portion). Fatigue also (and of course hair loss). My skin became very dry and I really needed to moisturize (especially my face and hands). Needed chapstick too.

2. taxol - I had some numbness in my fingers, especially my thumbs. The worse part was "electrical" feelings in my legs (especially when laying down or sitting - not too bad when moving around). My white counts improved on taxol but were the pits on AC. If you haven't lost your eyebrows and eyelashes on AC, you will lose them on taxol. But oddly, the hair on your head will start growing again - just peach fuzz but it will start to come back during these treatments. Lastly, I had this dense dose too (because they do the 12 weekly taxols when you get the herceptin so I had 4 stronger doses every 2 weeks).

I did not take neulasta as my blood boosting agent. I took Leukine which works in the same way but boosts all white blood cell components not just the neutrophils like neulasta and neupogen does. However, the side effects are very similar. The biggest one is bone pain - especially in the sterum (breast bone so it can feel kind of like a heart attack). Also the ribs and pelvis (the big bones throb). This last a couple of days. I also felt this contributed to fatigue but since you are getting chemo, who knows.

3. Herceptin is like nothing. I took it sequentially and did not take it with taxol because the results of the trial came out 3 months after I completed taxol so I started then. So, you will have a mixed result. By itself the first couple of herceptin treatments gave me a headache and runny nose. I was also tired. Now, I am just tired (getting it on the every three week schedule). No more headache or runny nose.

I thought AC was worse than taxol. Although the finger numbness and leg "thing" was no picnic, I did not feel so sick (most of my weight loss came from the AC part. I actually lost 8 lbs in between round 3 and 4 so that's 4 lbs a wk). Also, you will find your white counts to be better on taxol so at least you are better protected naturally.

I really hope this helps.

Kind regards

Becky

[sadie]

With AC food tasted alittle bland to me right after each treatment.
Taste would start coming back, but then I would be due for the next treatment.
My appetite didn't change much at all.
I would get alittle queazy for 4 or 5 days after each treatment, but eating alittle all day took care of that problem. Ate a few peices of dry cereal if I woke up at night. Didn't use ativan until after my 3rd treatment.
That just about took away all queaziness. Should have used that from the beginning!
A little tired 4-5 days after each treatment, but still able to work. Had treatments on Fri and took naps thru-out the weekend. Sleep schedule all messed up because of naps.
Herceptin/Taxol did the same thing to my sleep schedule, but only made me tired day after treatment (due to benadryl).
Appetite increased tremendously 1-2 days after each treatment (due to steroids?)
Ankles & feet swelling on a daily basis, but onc said it's not due to herceptin.
(I never had that before Herceptin). Taking Lasix, but not helping.
Also got acid reflux near the end of AC. Still have it. Taking prevacid.
Finished Taxol/Herceptin 1 month ago.
Herceptin = no side effects at all so far (had 2 treatments).
Just have to keep eye on muga scan/echocardiogram results.
Before AC results were 71%
After AC 58%
Mid-cyle Herceptin/Taxol = 65%
Will have another echo in a couple of months.
Gained 25 pounds thru-out all treatments.
Bloated alot during taxol/Her treatments (due to steroids), but that is now gone.
Had 1 Neulasta shot after 2nd AC; Pain thru-out abdomen for 2-3 days.
LIke a pulsating dull pain working its way down from chest to lower back; Would last about 15 seconds, then go away for about 15 minutes-1/2 hr.
Nighttime was better. Never want to have that pain again!
Starting radiation now. So far so good. (only 2 treatments so far).
Stage 1; 1 cm; Her2+++; sentinol node negative; grade 3