Neulasta side effects

Amberains

I had my 1st treatment last Monday of Taxotere, Cytoxan & Adriamycin with Neulasta shot the next day.  Since Thursday, I have had brutal bone pain, especially in my lower back & thighs.  It has not gone away.  I take Percocet at night to help me sleep.  3 Advil at a time during the day doesn't really help.  Will this pain go away?  Also have been feeling very very fatigued throughout.  Have been hearing stories from lots of people about how so-&-so worked all through her chemo & never missed work.  Well, I only managed to work 2 days last week.  Am I just a wuss?  How can you sit in a hard chair all day in pain & cold sweats & upset stomach?  I'd appreciate any thoughts/words of wisdom.

Amberains

doxie

Amberains, don't be so hard on yourself.  Sorry the Neulasta is causing so much pain.  Maybe you can ask your MO for better pain meds.  We are all individuals and chemo, Neulasta and the other drugs all affect us differently.  You are on a tough regimen.  My TC was lighter, but I had a serious allergic reaction to Neulasta and had to stop taking it.  Later low RBC totally wiped me out.  I thought I would sail through because I started out really healthy.  

You aren't doing anything wrong if you have to pull back and take care of yourself.  Take the time off you need from work.  Everyone will understand.  Your wellbeing is more important.

SpecialK

Generally the first Neulasta is the worst.  The drug stimulates the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells.  During this process the bone marrow expands and this causes bone pain.  The bigger the bone, the more marrow, the more pain - this is why hips, back and legs usually are the worst.  Taking a regular 24 hour Claritin (not Claritin D) an hour prior to the injection, and at 24 hour intervals for at least several days, and up to a week, may help with your bone pain.  The antihistamine specifically in Claritin is thought to control some of the edema from swelling and lessen the pain.  Also, all pain relievers are not created equal - Percocet may not be good for this type of pain.  A number of people take Aleve along with the Claritin.  Here are two links to clinical trials - the first is the Claritin only, the second an NSAID and Claritin together, just in case your onc is not familiar.  Of course, this should receive the OK from your onc before trying.  Hope it works for you - it made a big difference for me.  Subsequent Neulasta injections do not result in as severe pain because the marrow has already expanded once before - kind of like when you have new shoes that hurt when you first wear them, but once they are broken in they are not as tight.  Adriamycin and Taxotere are both tough drugs - cut yourself some slack on how you are tolerating chemo - the only important person is you and how you are doing as an individual - don't compare yourself to anyone else!  Hang in there!

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01311336

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01712009