Neulasta Bone Pain Question

Pat634

Had shot on Thursday and today I have intense pain in the tailbone area and the leg muscles feel very weak.  How long does this typically last?  How  have others coped with this?

ORTechie

I am having hip pain really bad also.  I have some Darvocet left over from surgery, that is what I am taking.  This is my fifth Nulasta shot, first time I got joint pain.  I also just started Taxol, so I don't know if it is from the Taxol or the Nulasta.  If anyone is familiar with the Taxol, let me know how it goes.  I do have the neuropathy in the finger tips and the hip pain and stomach pain.  They keep telling me this Taxol will be so much better than the Cytoxin/Adriamycin.  But so far, it is not a picnic at all.  Any advice from anyone on this that has had the Taxol?  Thanks.

Margerie

My mother just started chemo for ovarian cancer. She is having Carbo and Taxol.  She got her Neulasta shot on Thursday and her nurse told her to take Claritin (OTC) that day and the next four days after the shot.  I talk to her every day and she has not had any significant bone pain at all.  The nurse said, they do not know why the Claritin works, but it usually does.

I wish they had figured this out three years ago when I was getting Neulasta.  Maybe as your onc.about the Claritin.

peeps1111

Besides the Claritin, which worked for me, if you ever get another Neulasta shot, ask for it in the stomach and not the arm.  I had no bone pain, just a horrible headache on the 3rd day (today) after my first and second shots.  I am alternating Motrin and Vicodin every two hrs. and hope that the headache is gone tomorrow.  Last time it was and I went sailing that day.

 Peeps

flash

Hi Patrice,

Miss you in chat.  Usually the pain doesn't last long.  There are a few things you can do to  help minimize it.  1. Any anti-inflammatory. 2. gentle motion to increast the ciruculation- this means walking, wiggling fingers, toes etc.  3. Warm baths. again to increase the circulation.

Peeps advice about having it in the stomach is smart.

Good luck

Katie2u

Hi everyone:

   I had Neupogen after my first Taxotere/Cytoxan treatment and it didn't work well.  I had severe back pain with it and my counts still dropped.   This time the doc gave me Neulasta 3 mg... I thought it sounded funny to only get half a dose but I guess he is being careful since I had the bad reaction to Neupogen.   I had the neulasta shot yesterday in the abdoman.  I found that I am having mild to moderate pain in my wrists and one leg.  I have been taking Benadryl 25 mg every 6 hours since my treatment a few days ago and that is helping in all areas.  Also taking a pain pill at night.  Good luck to all.

Katie

IDC 1.1cm, Stage 1, Grade 3, 0/1 node, ER+/PR-, HER2-

Pat634

Oh wow, all that pain and your counts still went down? My God there ought to be a law...is that typical?  Did you end up hospitalized?

Misty1

Take a claritin!!  I took this on days 1-4 of the shot.  I took it before bed-no pain and helps you sleep!!

~Misty

Katie2u

Hi Patrice:

    I wound up in the hospital with severe pain in my kidneys.  My labs turned out fine and I didn't  have a urinary tract infection so it must have been related to the neupogen.  My counts did come up but they had to stop the neupogen early.  Hopefully this one time dose will work better at keeping my counts up.  It's too soon to say... only 3 days out of my second chemo so far.

wendyk13

Hi...I am another one who has had and votes for claritin, and PLEASE get the shots in your tummy!  Really does work......

otter

Patrice, the amount of bone pain we get from Neulasta seems to vary a lot from person to person.  My onco's office told me to take ibuprofen, and if it didn't work, to switch to a narcotic pain-reliever, like the Percocet I had left over from my surgery.  They also said regular exercise, especially walking, often helps relieve or prevent the bone pain.

I had heard about the Claritin tx here on these boards, but I didn't try it.  My Neulasta pain was by far the worst after my first tx--I was sore and aching for about 3 days.  However, I was also getting Taxotere & Cytoxan chemo, and Taxotere (and Taxol) can also cause aches and pains that, as others have noted, are hard to distinguish from the Neulasta pain.

Fortunately, the Neulasta pain was much less after my 2nd tx, and I don't think I had any after the 3rd and 4th tx's.

otter