Herceptin & Hives on Hands/Feet

nemont

Herceptin & Hives on Hands/Feet

nemont

I had my first loading dose of Herceptin 4 weeks ago along with Taxol.  They had to stop treatment  three times due to chest pain, scratchy throat, and trouble breathing.  The gave me pre-meds of Benadryl, Decadron.  they had to give more steriods and Benedryl during treatment.

 Anyways, three days afterwards, my hands and feet broke out in hives.  The palms and fingers of my hands were swollen, red, itchy, burning, and cracked.  I tried oatmeal baths, baking soda baths, Benadryl cream, Hydracortisone cream, Sarna cream, ice baths and I was taking 8 Benadryl a day.  They just got worse.  I had to put ice packs on my hands just to get to sleep.  Finally, my Dr. put me on Prednisone steriod and it went away.  But the minute I stopped the steriod it came back. 

I haven't had my last three treatments of the Herceptin because the Dr. thinks that is what caused my allergice reaction in my hands.  I've taken Taxol since and didn't seem to have any problems (but I was on the steriods at the same time).  My Dr. doesn't want me to be on steriods anymore and told me to start taking the 8 Benadryl a day until my hands clear up again and the Herceptin gets out of my system. He thinks because it was a loading dose, that I'm still having a an allergic reaction to the initial treatment three weeks ago.

I'm supposed to be on Herceptin for a year because I'm HER2+, but I don't know if I can take my hands and feet being like this for a year.  They are practically raw and hurt so bad.  Did anyone have the same issues?  What did your Dr. do for it?  Do I risk not having the Herceptin treatmnet even though I'm HER2+?

Thanks for all you help!

Noelle

nagem

Noelle, I didn't have this problem but I know that others who have had adverse reactions have had success with lower, weekly doses of Herceptin (the year's total is the same as for the higher, every-three-weeks regimen). I was told also that the risk of a bad reaction was highest for the first infusion, since the body needs to "learn" how to metabolize it. Good luck. 

Summers

Hi

I had 2 months of reg. dense dose chemo (every two wks) with steriods and then started taxol (every 3 weeks) and herceptin (every week) for 3 months with steriods.  After finishing Taxol they gave my first treatment of herceptin by its self, no other meds.  That evening I started to get a rash on my calf and by morning it was from my hips down, I though I was going to go crazy (I have never itched so bad in my life!!)  My family Dr gave me prednisone and it cleared right up in about three days, so now every three weeks when I get my herceptin treatment I also get benedryl and steriods and I have not had any problem since.   I don't know how long they will give me steriods, I will not be finished with Herceptin until Jan 2009, steriods have side effects of their own.