Driving after Herceptin treatment??

Faye · 02-10-2006, 08:28 PM

Will I be able to drive myself home after a Herceptin treatment?
I start on Monday. I heard that many also receive Benadryl and Tylenol.
Are they necessary. Please advise. Many thanks, Faye

mamacze · 02-10-2006, 08:34 PM

Dear Faye,
You may want to have someone drive you home from the first treatment; but thereafter you can probably drive yourself! I only get Herceptin (no benedryl, etc which I got only with the first herceptin treatment)...so after your first treatment, you should be good to go!
Love Kim from CT

janet/FL · 02-10-2006, 08:39 PM

Hi Faye
It is my understanding that for the first treatment with Herceptin, Benadryl and Tylenol are given. If you have no reaction from the drug, an allergic reaction, you then do not have to take the premeds for the following infusions. It certainly seems adviseable to take the premeds though few seem to have reactions.
Since I take Benadry at night to help with sleep, my body is pretty well used to it and if I take it during the day, I really do not get sleepy. If you are not used to taking Benadryl, then perhaps you will get sleepy and should not drive. I had problems years ago, taking a strong antihistamine and almost falling asleep driving. After the first time, you should be fine to drive on your own.
Good luck with the infusion. It should be easy.
Janet

MCS · 02-10-2006, 10:52 PM

Faye,

I received benadryl and tylenol in the fist dose, which takes a little longer because you get a loading dose. the remaining ones ( if weekly) don't take much and you can drive yourself. Take a few minutes before and eat like a yogurt or crackers

MCS ( maria)

jsattaw · 02-10-2006, 10:59 PM

I agree with the others -- you will probably want to have someone with you for your first dose. However, after that, you will be able to drive yourself without any problems.

I had a treatment today -- sandwiched in between work and other various appointments. I enjoy the 90 minutes - 2 hours (depending upon the lab) to catch up on some reading and talk with the nursing staff or other patients.

It's not quite the same as reading a magazine while having your hair done or other spa services, but I try to think of it as a "pampering" treatment just so I can relax a bit more.

I'm sure you'll do great!

Jill

Barbara · 02-11-2006, 08:13 AM

Faye:

I had no pre meds when I had my first dose. They just hung a bag of saline with the Herceptin in case they needed to add meds and I did fine without. I can drive home with no problems (we live 70 miles away in the Mountains). On the first treatment I would take someone with me though, just in case you do have a reaction.

Barbara

Ginagce · 02-11-2006, 10:14 AM

I always drive myself to herceptin, but then I drove to chemo alone too. I am only 20 minutes from my hospital though.

If you are getting the benedryl before treatment, it may make you tired. So perhaps for the first time, you might want to have someone with you.
After the first 2 treatments I asked not to take the benedryl because of the sleepiness after. Once I gave that up, I had no initial reaction at all.

Good Luck to you.

Ginagce

Faye · 02-11-2006, 12:29 PM

To all who wrote; thank you. I feel more prepared for Monday.
Love and best wishes,
Faye

Maggie · 02-12-2006, 08:05 AM

My self and a few others I know of, still get 1 tylenol and benadryl. I asked my oncologist if I could just have half the benadryl, so that's what I take. I don't fall asleep now, but still feel tired for quite a while. I go to a very large teaching hospital with a very good cancer center. Obviously, many here don't get this pre-treatment.
What are your thoughts? I will talk with my Oncologist next treatment. I started when it was just approved for early stage BC in November.
Maggie

Esther · 02-12-2006, 04:22 PM

Maggie, I did not like taking the benadryl because it made me sleepy and threw my sleep cycle out of wack for a few days. So after a while I asked the nurses if I could stop taking it. They lowered the dosage and eventually I stopped taking it altogether.

From what I understand, the benadryl is important in the beginning to prevent allergic reactions, but in many cases can be phased out later on in treatment.

Ask your onc about this.

Faye, while I was taking Benadryl with my herceptin i was also on chemo and had someone drive me there and home. I was too sleepy to drive after the treatments. I think the benadryl affected more than it does others. That's why I was so happy to stop taking the Benadryl

Maggie · 02-13-2006, 08:19 PM

Ester, Thanks! I did ask my onc if I could just take half the benadryl last time and he let me. I had planned to talk to him about stoping it when I go next week. Maggie

chrislmelb · 02-14-2006, 01:34 AM

As everyone has suggested, take a driver for first visit. I had no meds for my loading dose and i certainly didn't need them.
Take care
Christine

sarah · 02-14-2006, 05:40 AM

I agree with the others, take someone with you the first time and also ask them to give you a light dose of any anti-allergic medicine after the first time. I also always drive myself - about a 35 minute drive some of it on a freeway (the A8) and I'm driving along with the worse drivers - the French - in Europe. Take water and a book or magazines to read. The first time you will probably be sleepier than the other times just because of the pre-meds and also the tension of not knowing what it's like. I have great nurses at my hospital (I take them anti-stress chocolates periodically) and I know theirhappy, friendly attitude helps make it easier. Hope yours are nice also. Also if the needle hurts - (it shouldn't but) - ask them for an EMLA (in France that's the name) patch that you put on an hour before injection time and then you don't feel a thing. I used to do it for chemo but now I don't use anything.
You're doing a wonderful thing for yourself. Good luck.
Sarah