Taxotere and cytoxan

DaughterOfStageIV

My mom will be starting Taxotere and cytoxan next week. Lately it's been a challenge finding a drug to work. She just finished a few cycles of xeloda and tumor markers rose. Ibrance was also quite disappointing with a lot of growth.

Has anyone tried this drug combo? Anything important to know before we start? Did this cause hair loss for you? Any other common side effects?

Thanks for your help

ibcmets

I did this tac combo first 7 years ago and it did well for me for 5 years. Side effects are exhaustion, bloody noses, heartburn for me. B6 & B12 helped with neuropathy & over the counter melatonin helped to sleep. Stear clear of raw veggies & salads as they can upset her stomach. Yogurt, mashed potatoes, apple sause, canned fruit, jello, ice pops & pudding are good. They should give her something to combat nauseau, like Emmend; I never had nausea on this.

Hope your Mom does well.

Terri

RonnieKay

I also had this combo with herceptin at my first diagnosis.  With an early stage dx, it's often given for a shorter period of time than if stage 4, so there may be more/or more severe side-effects...but I'm hoping not!   I had 4 infusions, each 3 weeks apart.  I did have neulasta after my 2nd & 3rd infusions due to low wbc.  I took Claritin for 2 days before the 2nd neulasta (w/the 1st neulasta-the bone pain brought me to tears), and it helped.  Since I had neulasta for the 22 months I was on stage 4 chemo, I took (and still do) Claritin every day.  I think tax/cyt causes hair (head, eyelashes, brows) loss for most, unless you're amazingly lucky or you use a cold cap-which some on the boards had success with.  One thumbnail had a black stripe running through it, but my nails survived well.  I couldn't taste salt & added it to everything...which was way out of the ordinary for me.  I ate lots of French fries, pasta and soups...but no much of any. It's important to know your source for raw veggies, as ibc said, they can upset stomach & have bacteria if not "clean"...same w/fruits.  I had no nausea, but had a bit of indigestion & would sometimes take omneprazol.  My onc said no manicures or pedicures...again, germs, but I think lots of this goes with any chemo regimen....and some gals I know had pamper days throughout tx w/no problem.  It took a couple days for the fatigue to set in & then I did nothing but rest.  Your mom may already know how to care for her mouth.  Biotine products (toothpaste, mouthwash) are important.  My mouth was very sensitive & I often used salt rinses.  Keep hydrated before & after infusions...as always.  I pray your mom does well on this and has few ses...may these be THE magic meds!!!  Bless your heart for reaching out for her!  

nancyh

I was on Taxotere/Cytoxan for about a year. As the other gals said, you can't really sugar coat it...it is a hard chemo. Aches/pains were one of my issues, so don't be shy about asking for pain meds. I had terrible troubles with my mouth and thrush, so I would use fluconozole and clotrimozole troches. I had awful fluid retention, but the Dex helped (taken the day before, day of and day after chemo). My blood counts would get really beaten up too, so I'd usually do 3 shots of neupogen on day 2, 3, and 4. Now, all that being said, once I got through the first 7 - 10 days of a 21 day cycle, I actually felt decent. The longer I was on the drug, the more I noticed muscle weakness, though it was cumulative and didn't start right away.

On the positive side, it did keep my cancer stable for nearly a year and I was able to schedule fun things for the days on each cycle when I was recovering. I actually ran a half marathon on taxotere/cytoxan, so it wasn't all bad, it just took some planning to make it work. Best wishes to your mom!

DaughterOfStageIV

Thank you so much for the advice about managing the side effects. That will be very helpful. We are nervous about starting. Did those of you (who didn't have adriamycin) also have complete hair loss?

Hopefully this will stabilize things. Best of of luck to everyone!

RonnieKay

Yep...no Adriamycin & 2 personal friends (all of us w/in 1.5 years of dx, who worked at a high school together), had the same tx & lost our hair...wish I could say otherwise because it stinks to be hairless...but as Nancy said, if it gives you time, it's worth it!!!

Heidihill

Hoping the combo gives your mom lots more time, like years and years! I had TAC for 6 cycles with 5 days of Emend, 5 days of cortisone and 5 days of neupogen shots after an infusion. I suppose these depend on the dose. Often my blood counts did not recover enough and I had to wait it out. This always made me nervous but I still managed to get to NED and have been NED 8 years now. Also had fevers spiking like crazy. I was given antibiotics for those. Had an allergic reaction to one of the drugs and was also taking antihistamines on top of everything else. Plus got infected glands, which had to be aspirated or excised. I still tried to get out and walk for an hour every day, even if this meant stopping and sitting on the ground when pain got too much. ALL worth it to see my daughter grow up! (She was 7 then and is now 16!)

DaughterOfStageIV

Thank you heidihill. Sounds like this treatment could be rough. I appreciate your recommendations. We decided we are going to give her xeloda (on a higher dose) one last shot before we try this new cocktail. So after this two week cycle we will make the determination. Hoping the xeloda kicks in

DaughterOfStageIV

And watching your daughter grow up is a gift for both of you! I was 10 when my mom was originally diagnosed stage II, and now 20 years later, I feel quitefortunate.

Heidihill

(((Joyful hugs)))