Topic: SIDE EFFECTS of Adriamycin/Cytoxan*******

Mar 28, 2009 07:35 AM WLL wrote:

Thats great you did so good on it!!  What was your diagnosis? Where did you get the probiotics? Where you able to work during chemo? Sorry about all the questions. This forum has been great being able to talk with others that has been through this. Thanks so much. Wendy

Mar 28, 2009 03:06 PM WLL wrote:

Hello Angie27,

            Were you able to work during A/C?  I love your quote, I have told many about it. Wendy

Mar 30, 2009 10:33 AM, edited Mar 30, 2009 10:51 AM by Roya

 I took A/C 4 times every 2 weeks.

Nausea/vomiting for the first 3 days after each treatment.  Weird metallic taste in mouth/ loss of appetite.  The nausea always started the next morning after infusion.

Loss of the hair on my head.  The eyebrows and eyelashes came out later with the Taxol.  I used Revitalash for the lashes and 'Revitalash for the hair' to help regrow my hair.  The hair on my head started to grow back after my 2nd week on Taxol.  But then, after the third week on Taxol, out came the eyelashes and eyebrows.

Probiotics were available at my local natural foods store.  Drink lots of water during and after the infusion.  No vitamin C or multivites while on A/C since it messes with the effectiveness. 

My nailbeds also turned dk purple.  They say if you keep them in ice water during the infusion it helps minimize that.  A lot of women on the boards also lost some of their nails after they darkened but I did not.  I completed my A/C last September and my nails beds are still dark at the tips.  The darkening, if you get it, will start at the moon of the nail, begin to cover the nail bed and then grow up towards the top of the nail bed.  The pink will begin growing at the moon of the nailbed when it returns.

I took the steroids once. I threw them up and threw them out after that.  Steroids do help you gain a bit of weight but they cut down on the nausea.  They just didn't work for me.

I was tired a lot and ended up placing my 4 year old in full time day care, which she loved, so I ended up making that a permanent arrangement.  I had found myself falling asleep when I should have been watching her......it just was not a safe situation for her.

I know plenty of women who kept working and did just fine. 

Hope this info helps.

Mar 30, 2009 06:25 PM WLL wrote:

This is my 4th day after 1st treatment of AC. It hit me hard today, nausea and extremely tired. I just hope I feel better tomorrow, because I have to go in to work. That is great Roya and Angie27, that you are both done with your treatments. thanks so much for your information. I really apprehreiate it. I need to ask my onc about the Probiotics, it seems a lot have taken it. Thank you so much. Take care. Wendy

Mar 30, 2009 07:37 PM sherrimo wrote:

I will be starting AC+T in a few weeks.  I'm kinda concerned about weight gain I've been reading about.  I'm not exactly dainty to begin with and more poundage sure isn't going to help.  Maybe now would be a good time to start that exercise program I have been putting off!  Sharon, thanks for the probiotic tip, I will put that on my laundry list of things to buy.  Sherri

Apr 1, 2009 04:49 PM WLL wrote:

Hello all, hope everyone is doing good. Today is my 6th day after my first AC. I have more energy today, felt pretty good.  I guess my bad days were 3-5.

PBROHAN-- did you not have any fatigue with your first treatment?

SHerrimo--I would not be too concerned about gaining weight. The only time I felt really hungry was when I was on steriods. You need to drink a lot of water, I guess it fills you up, or does me.

Apr 1, 2009 09:30 PM marshall2000 wrote:

Hi Ladies: New to this site, I usually post with the Chemo march 2009 girls. I started  DD A/C tx on march 12. I can't trend any of my side effects. I really just started getting nauseated the last couple of days, other than that it has just that i have been tired and had a horrible headache over the weekends(my tx are on thursdays). I did notice today that my throat is very dry no matter how much water i drink and food is gbeginning to hurt to swallow. I think i will eat frenchtoast and cream of wheat for the next few months and the heck with how big my butt gets LOL Thanks for all of the excellent advice. Good Luck to All. Michelle

Apr 9, 2009 06:47 PM Bethie1 wrote:

I finished my AC treatment  2 weeks ago, and attitude was half of it!!! I felt fatigue, queasy, but nothing that getting my feet up on couch and soup/crackers couldn't handle.  Yesterday was my 1st session on Taxel (chemo 5), and I was given benadryl to counteract the reaction of the Taxel, and felt jittery inside from my mouth on down my whole body.  They're gonna decrease and/or eliminate benadryl depending what dr says.  KEY:::Hydration is very important day after chemo.   I believe that along with my attitude helped prevent me from throwing up and eased my nausea to slight dry heaves now and again.  As far as hair thing goes, that's up to you.  I didn't want to see my fall out in bigger clumps each day, so my brother shaved it.  I have 2 wigs, 3 turbans, and 3 scarfs.  I tend to wear the turbans in the evening as well as to bed, as the wigs get my neck sweaty during day at  work (I'm able to work all day on days I don't have appointments).  I wear the wigs to bed so my head won't get cold.  Hope this helps.

Apr 10, 2009 05:47 PM, edited Apr 10, 2009 05:49 PM by ddlatt

i had AC every two weeks for two months, and now i am on taxol (every two weeks, two months).i had kytril in my IV, and kytril pills and compazine pills at home for nausea. i never threw up. i started with zofran, but it made me really dizzy and they switched me to kytril. the first AC treatment, i had no side effects. the second treatment, i felt queasy and stayed queasy the whole two months. by the third AC i had a metallic taste on my lips and food tasted awful. i lost the hair on my head two weeks after the first AC, leg and underarm hair after the second AC, and all the nose hairs after third AC. that was difficult--i had a runny and/or bloody nose for a month. the neulasta shots make my body very sore for several days. i felt generally awful the whole time i was on AC. that changed for the better once i started taxol. (i have kytril and benadryl in the IV, so i sleep through most of the 6-hr infusion). haven't needed any anti-nausea pills at home. no more queasiness! taste buds came back! but i have severe neuropathy in hands and feet, but am taking aramax (hydroxyzine) every four hours every day, and that helps a lot. i have also had serious bone pain with taxol, but lortab and ibuprohen has helped. for me, taxol is a million times better than AC. let us know how you're doing!

Apr 12, 2009 06:12 PM, edited Apr 12, 2009 06:20 PM by lollys

I am just wondering if any one has had to have blood transfusions at all with there A/C-T treatments-- I am supposed to start treatment on 4/20 and will be getting a port tomorrow--just scared of all the side effects that have been told to me including anemia and since they cant use epogen(procrit) anymore just wondering how often this problem occurs- or if it happened to anyone out there??thanks Laura--grade 2 multifocal infiltrating mammary ca with 2 positive nodes er/pr+ her2 neg--double mastectomy

Apr 14, 2009 07:33 AM, edited Apr 14, 2009 07:34 AM by lollys

Just wondering how everyone is doing on their AC-T treatments so far I had my port but in yesterday and start chemo next week so I am a bit behind everyone--how is the port working for those of you who have one----hope to hear good thinkgs!! Laura--Thank you Wendy for your encouragement!!

Apr 14, 2009 11:27 AM, edited Apr 14, 2009 11:28 AM by Lainey64

I did 4x dose dense A/C every 2 weeks.  It sucked but my SE's weren't that bad.  My hair started to fall out around the 17th day.  I took Emend the first 3 days after each TX so I didn't have any nausea during that time.  After the Emend I would take Zofran at night for any nausea.  By the 3rd TX I was pretty much queasy the entire time but luckily I never threw up.  Also by the 3rd TX I was tired all the time and wasn't able to eat too many things.  I mostly ate Taco Bell, McDonalds and cheese pizza.  I had only a few mouth sores but Biotene mouthwash seemed to help with that.  I was able to work through TX but definitely ready for a nap by the time I got home! 

Betsy, after the A/C are you doing Taxol?  I found that the Taxol was much more tolerable than the A/C.  Good luck!!

Good luck ladies.  It's not fun but I know you can do it!

Apr 14, 2009 12:56 PM Lainey64 wrote:

I worked through the A/C and the T.  My hair starting coming out in small clumps just around the 2nd TX so that weekend my boyfriend buzzed my head.  I had it cut into a pixie just before I started chemo so it was already short. 

Although the Taxol was easier because there was no nausea, I did have some pretty bad body aches.  I learned after the 1st TX to start taking Motrin before the pain actually started.  Staying ahead of it was the key.  Fortunately the aches go away 4-5 days after TX. 

Apr 14, 2009 04:44 PM WLL wrote:

Hello all, hope everyone is doing great. I am going for my 2nd A/C treatment this Friday. I have been feeling very good, so just enjoying it. I felt bad after my 1st treatment day 3-5. I just hope this treatment is better, I was very tired. I actually started on T/C, but had a reaction to the taxotere,so they switched my treatment to A/C. So this is actually my third treatment. I did lose alot of my hair, but not all of it, just very thin. I still have eyelashes and eyebrows--hope I keep them. I have three more treatments of A/C and then 12 weeks of Taxol weekly.

BELLYDANCERINNJ--- How have you SE been since your 2nd treatment? Hope you are doing good.

LAINEY64--Did you have the Nuelasta shot after your Taxol treatment?

Apr 14, 2009 05:16 PM, edited Apr 14, 2009 05:17 PM by Lainey64

WLL - Yes, I had the Nuelasta the day after each treatment.  I didn't have any problems with it.