Carboplatin -Rough Side Effects?

[Lida]

Hi her2 friends,
As you probably have noticed, I have to decide on a new treatment real soon! One of the combos (Herceptin/Taxatere/Carboplatin) has Carboplatin which I am unfamiliar with. What type of side efffects have you seen with Carbo? Have you seen low platelet counts beside low white and red cells?
Did you have digestive issues - diarrhea and constipation and nausea?
Did you have any neurapathy?
It is a difficult time. It would help me tremendously to hear your thoughts!!
Lida

[Alice]

Hi Lida,
I have not been following the recent posts and am not familliar with your treatment options. I did have a similar treatment of Herceptin/Taxol/ carboplatin. For me it was slightly easier than the A/C. I also knew others that were on the regimen that you describe and they did well. I had neuropothy from the AC and that did continue. I always took my meds for constipation and I only remember having a problem when I was on AC. I had troubles with low RBC and WBC counts from the beginning and I don't think the Carboplantin made it any worse.
I hope this helps.
Alice

[Chelee]

Lida, I did TCH and to be honest it's hard to know for sure which drug caused what? I know I blamed most of my side on the Taxotere. However I do think the Carboplatin was the main cause of the nasty taste I had in my mouth. It was just awful. Also I had almost a complete loss of appetite which I am pretty sure was the Carbo. Ended up with a sore mouth and had to take some meds for that. Also I felt really weak at times and I believe that was the Carbo too? (Maybe it was just the combo of both...again, its hard to say for sure?)

As to nausea I really had no problems at all with TCH. I know several other women said the same thing. I took my nausea meds to begin with to be on the safe side, but about the 3rd infusion I went off them and was just fine.

And yes the Carbo will cause you low platelets but they keep an eye on that with weekly labs. I did have terrible indigestion, & burning in my throat. But once I got a script for Protonix I had instant relief. I also did have constipation but I took Senokot for that and that worked great. I think the TCH is a good choice for you and one that is doable as they say. Every body is different...we all can have different reactions as you know. But as far as the Carbo I think you will get through it ok.
I'm sure others will reply...quite a few have taken carbo on this board. Hang in there.

Chelee

[schoolteacher]

Lida,

I just finished the combo. One side effect that bothered me was the constipation. I learned quickly to take the stool softners. In addition, I usually rested on Saturday and Sunday after having my treatment on Thursday.

Amelia

[freyja]

Hello Lida,
I agree with everybody else. I'm also on TCH (last one this Friday). Carboplatin gives me a metallic taste in my mouth, constipation I take Senekot for the morning of my treatment and for a couple days after, heartburn, low platelets for about a week, then they bounce back up. I haven't really been nausious (blessing) and a few days after my treatments I've been pretty much back to normal. My naturopath prescribed L-Glutamine for sores in the mouth and digestive issues. It's a powder you mix in water, swish your mouth out and drink. Works well. I also get dry mouth so I got Tom's of Maine dry mouth toothpaste with xylitol and my dentist gave me a mouth spray with that in it, too. Brush and floss often. I had to have a root canal yesterday! Of course I lost my hair, most, not quite all.
The best part is the treatment is working for me, and I have great confidence and hope for my future!
Love, Celeste

[BonnieR]

I have to agree with Chelee that it is hard to isolate which drug is causing what side effect! I never had nausea. My blood counts got low towards the end. I had some neuropathy and drank Glutamine as directed by my onc.
I do recall that one of the docs I consulted with (prior to deciding what therapy I was going to do) did suggest that I have "TCH without the Carboplatin" since he thought it was the harshest of the 3. But they seem to always be prescribed together and I did not want to dilute the effect.
The bottom line is that we are all going to have different reactions. No way of predicting. All in all, I came through it pretty well. And I wish the same for you. Keep the faith.

[Lida]

Celeste,
I am glad you managed with the Carbo. You said counts got low; did you require Neupogen, blood transfusions or platelet transfusions? Lida

[Lida]

Hi her2 friends,
Thanks for your messages regarding Carboplatin. I have had many chemos, but do not remember having loss of appetite or bad tastes. Sounds rough because we need good nutrition as our bodies fight cancer and are given these tough meds! For those of you who had loss of appetite and metallic taste, how long did that last? What did you do to motivate yourself to eat and help with the bad taste? I really appreciate your advice and help. Lida

[freyja]

My counts didn't get low enough to need injections, but I have taken antibiotics periodically. I personally have had a good appetite despite the metallic taste. I even gained weight...they say that's good, but I'm not so sure!

[BonnieR]

I never experienced the metallic taste. I did loose my appetite for awhile. And was losing too much weight. I was told to eat calorie- rich foods in small frequent amounts. And although I usually eat fat free, it was suggested that I eat more calories and fat. Like cheese and eggs. Liquids like milkshakes, smoothies, canned Ensure.. Also things that were easy to prepare. Frozen foods. This is no time for complicated recipes. Keep it simple.

[Jean]

Lida,
Low blood counts is common with Carboplatin occurring in greater than 30% of patients.

Your Dr. will treat you for low blood counts. It is rare to require bood transfusions as your dr. will be watching your blood counts and if they do become too low even with injections, your dr. will re-schedule your TCH treatment for a week giving your blood counts time to rise. Don't stress on low blood counts your Dr. will be checking you prior to each treatment.

I found the metal taste could be helped by having rasberry sherbert, it refreshed my mouth and just felt good. Salad dressing and vinegar especially was something I had to eliminate during treatment. Rice,
(brown) was very helpful. I also made sure I had yogurt at least once per day. I never did have mouth sores....I believe the yogurt was helpful.

I was very careful with my food choices since I wanted to get the best nutrition possible. I did eat protein rich foods and lots of fresh steamed veggies and raw carrots, apples offered pleasant tastes. Since everyone is different you may not have these issues...but at least you can try some of the above....the rice I found to be really tasty. You may even discover one food source that works best....stick with it. Don't worry about weight, if you gain weight it will come off after treatment. I did gain weight but after chemo I did drop the weight. I found that walking even if they are small walks was very helpful, fresh air and sun are the best.

Acid reflux can be a problem, I did take an over the counter product called Prilosec which is time released so you should take them prior to treatment (a few days)and continue after...my dr. had me double the pill for the first few days...it worked as it stopped the heartburn.

I didn't have problems with constipation I did drink a green herbal tea which helped.

The Taxotere also causes low blood counts also, hair loss like Carboplatin. Taxotere will cause muscle ache and bone pain...I took Alieve and also elevated my legs at night....also used a heating pad on my shins as the bone in my shins would feel painful..this was comforting.
The muscle and bone pain does not last the entire time
the day after treatment you will feel fine, I would feel this by the 2nd and 3rd day...by the 4th and 5th day this would lighten up and I would be feeling better.

Your nails may change also with the Taxotere, mine did get very soft . I cut my nails short, I would use a nail polish hardner. They did not turn color (some women have noted their nails turning dark) mine did not.. but funny after my last treatment my toe nail did change and half of it turned dark, turned soft and more or less fell off, the nail grew back just like normal. I have heard some of the women put frozen packs of peas on their nails while having their treatments to avoid nail problems. I also experienced cracking skin around the tip of my fingers..for this I used neosporin which helped
heal the cracks quickly.

The most important part as with most chemo's is to check your temperature for fever....which means you have an infection...I am sure your onc. will give you instructions about taking your temp and checking it.

Water retention, do not eat foods with high sodium and watch your salt intake. Make sure to drink fluids to hydrate your system to help flush it.

I wish you well with your treatments...if you have any questions, reach out...many of us are here to help you.

Kindest Regards,
Jean