Roll Call: Anyone in the Phase III Trial of Bisphosphonates

Options
1567911

Comments

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited December 2009

    Lorri, Sami,

    Thanks!

  • sunandsandgirl
    sunandsandgirl Member Posts: 165
    edited January 2010

    Hi ladies,

    My onc took me out of the study.  My esophagus and stomach are so irritated from the clodronate that I can no longer tolerate it.  I have been off for about a week, and I feel so much better.  I was off for two weeks and tried taking prilosec to improve.  It actually worked, but only after a week back on the clodronate I was worse than before.  I only made it 10 months on the study.  Good luck to all of  you! 

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited January 2010

    Hi SunAndSandGirl

    Sorry to hear you had issues with clodronate. I am on zometa and the body pain is a by!ch.

  • Morgan513
    Morgan513 Member Posts: 664
    edited January 2010

    Sorry you have to leave the study, sunandsandgirl.  But it must feel good to have your stomach and esophagus heal!

    Lorrie 

  • sunandsandgirl
    sunandsandgirl Member Posts: 165
    edited January 2010

    Thank you so much unklezwifeonty and Morgan 513.  I also think the clodronate was responsible for some of my joint pain and body aches.  I was attributing all of that to the Tamoxifen.  Feeling much better as each day passes.  I will keep checking in on all of you

    sunandsandgirl 

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited January 2010

    Oh yea bisphosphonates can do that. I get bone pain for 1 week after each Zometa.

  • jap
    jap Member Posts: 172
    edited January 2010

    I am not on the trial but have just had an infusion of Zometa for prevention.  However, the SEs have been more than I thought -- very achey (sp?) all over my body and a very uneasy stomach.  It has gotten better but now I have felt unwell for 6 days.  I would like to take it again in 6 months but dread the SEs.

    Jo Anne

  • jap
    jap Member Posts: 172
    edited January 2010

    I am not on the trial but have just had an infusion of Zometa for prevention.  However, the SEs have been more than I thought -- very achey (sp?) all over my body and a very uneasy stomach.  It has gotten better but now I have felt unwell for 6 days.  I would like to take it again in 6 months but dread the SEs.

    Jo Anne

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited January 2010

    Jo Anne,

    Ask your onc to prescribe some pain meds if advil, tylenol etc are not helping.

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited January 2010

    The enrollment in this study will close effective Feb 1.

  • weety
    weety Member Posts: 1,163
    edited January 2010

    Let's hope we get some good results from this study soon so the rest of us don't have to fight so hard to get zometa off-label!

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited January 2010

    That will take at least 5 years maybe longer.

  • Scoobydoo
    Scoobydoo Member Posts: 499
    edited January 2010

    Hello Ladies.

    I have just been approved to start the oral arm of the trial.  I am really happy about that as I really want to get this port removed.  Yay.  Next week...no more port.  I am reading all the experiences of the ladies on the chlodronate pills.  Hope the aches and pains will not be too bad.  I will start taking the pills next week.

    Anita

  • Morgan513
    Morgan513 Member Posts: 664
    edited January 2010

    My doc said that sometimes the results are so positive that a position comes out very quickly and that's what he's hoping for with the bisphosphonates trial.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed too!

    Lorrie 

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited January 2010

    Dear Anita,

    I am glad to hear you are happy with the arm you got!

  • chinablue
    chinablue Member Posts: 545
    edited January 2010

    Looks like am on the Zometa arm of the trial.  I will be starting on Tues. and will let you know how it goes.  

  • Hood1980
    Hood1980 Member Posts: 537
    edited February 2010

    Good luck Chinablue!

  • sanaisa
    sanaisa Member Posts: 167
    edited February 2010

    Hi Joann (jap)...I had my first Zometa last Thursday and my gosh, the SEs for me were much worse than Neupogen (the nurse told me to expect them to be similar to the SE on Neupogen, just not as bad).  I was convinced I would glide through and Friday was like I hit a wall...I could not get out of bed until noon and mustered all I could to shower and get my hiney into work. Saturday was pretty much a continuum of Friday, but thankfully I started to feel better Sunday and Monday Smile then last night I was aching again and could not fall asleep (I could not get comfortable in bed even after a long soothing shower) until around 3 am.  Today I feel like I have taken a couple of steps back. 

     I am deeply appreciative to have qualified for the third arm, but having finished chemo on 12/10/09...continuing with weekly Herceptin until September 2010 (they insist on weekly Herceptin vs. 1x every 3 weeks...the diarrhea lasts about 4 days...just when things start to feel normal, I get another Herceptin). I am starting Rads this Thurs the 4th, and am now worrying that the Zometa may be too much for me to handle at this time?  I know that the Zometa has to be started by the 12th week following final chemo...and they were in a rush to get me going.  I will see how I feel after Rads start and then decide if I should give a 2nd shot of Zometa (I hear the first one is the worst for SE...if that's true, that would be wonderful!). 

    Anyone out there that has had their 2nd plus IV of Zometa care to share if the SEs abated a little, relative to the first one?  Do the SEs lessen with each IV?

    Thanks... <3

  • frosty1
    frosty1 Member Posts: 420
    edited February 2010

    I was just approved (in just by the deadline) for Arm2, Clodronate daily for 3 years.  I won't start until after chemo, which I'm scheduled to begin the first part of March.

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited February 2010

    Frosty

    Welcome! 

  • Hawaii808
    Hawaii808 Member Posts: 35
    edited February 2010

    sanaisa - I started this trial in October and have had 4 Zometa infusions since then.  I started the Zometa while getting radiation treatments.  The 1st infusion is definitely the worse.  I have body aches and fever and chills for 2 days.  I also had some body aches after the 2nd infusion but that may have been due to the Femara I'm also taking.  After the 3rd and 4th infusions, I had no side effects at all.  I read somewhere that your body just needs time to get use to the medication.  I don't know if thats true or not but it seems to be working for me.  The only thing I can complain about is the whole process takes at least 2 hours for me - blood test, seeing the doctor (I usually have to wait a while to see the doctor) and finally the infusion which usually takes about an hour because I get fluids with the Zometa.  Also, my taste buds seem to be getting a little funky again.  Not as bad as when I was on chemo but a little off.  Anyone else experiencing the same?

  • TexasRose
    TexasRose Member Posts: 740
    edited February 2010

    I also started the Zometa arm in October and have had four treatments since then. With the first one, I had the flu symptoms. Chills, body aches and fever. That was on Halloween- the day after my first infusion. The second treatment, I had a few body aches. Not nearly as bad as the first one. The third was much better. Some minor aches. This fourth treatment, I have had no side effects at all. So, yes, mine have gotten progressively less with each one and none with the last one. Hopefully that will continue.

    I've had no trouble with my taste buds at all since I got them back after chemo.  

  • sanaisa
    sanaisa Member Posts: 167
    edited February 2010

    Thank you Hawaii and TexasRose!  I really appreciate the input.  Sounds like I should expect some SE with #2, but nothing like what happened with #1 Smile!  The joint pain I was having just subsided about 2 days ago (it was beginning to worry me as I type a lot during the day for my work).  I will have Zometa IV #2 next Thursday thhe 25th.  Should be interesting with the Herceptin and Rad #16!

  • unklezwifeonty
    unklezwifeonty Member Posts: 1,710
    edited February 2010

    Dear Sanaisa,

    The body aches are getting milder with time. The 4th dose of zometa caused me only 1 day of very tolerable pain.



  • jteach
    jteach Member Posts: 199
    edited February 2010

    Hi!

    I take the daily dose of ibandronate.  No side effects at all.  Easy- peasy.  I haven't said that about anything else thus far!!!  I started with chemo and am currently getting rads and continuing with Herceptin infusions.  I feel lucky to be a part of a three year study with no placebo!

  • sanaisa
    sanaisa Member Posts: 167
    edited March 2010

    Hi All...just a quick update to say that Zometa Intravenous #2 was literally uneventful!  I was terribly worried to have #2 after #1 being heavy with SEs.  I am glad I trusted in my Onc and all of you...you were right...the first one is the worst and hopefully the remainder for close to three years will be as uneventful as #2 :)

  • TexasRose
    TexasRose Member Posts: 740
    edited March 2010

    Glad to hear it sanaisa!! Hope they stay side effect-free for you!!

  • txstardust
    txstardust Member Posts: 599
    edited March 2010

    I just had my second infusion of Zometa yesterday, and am feeling icky today.  Fever and body aches.  I sure hope things get better as time goes on, I can't seem to get comfortable with a sore back and chills/fever.  I'm glad I read this thread; I didn't connect my symptoms with the zometa infusion for some reason!  So I'm less worried about why I feel so bad.  Thanks!  :)

  • Marion
    Marion Member Posts: 207
    edited March 2010

     Hello, 

    I had the worst SEs after the first Zometa infusion: high fever, sweats, chills. I stayed in bed sleeping for an entire day! I wondered at that time if I should go for a 2nd infusion. I remember thinking I felt worse than during chemo.

    I went for the 2nd Zometa infusion anyway but this time they had me on Tylenol for 48 hours. It went well, taking Tylenol worked.

    I also never got body aches.

    What are your regimens? Mine is as follows: one monthly Zometa infusion for the first 6 months, then one every 3 months for 2 2/1 years. It is a clinical trial so we should be on the same regimen, but I was just wondering...

  • chinablue
    chinablue Member Posts: 545
    edited March 2010

    Hi ladies,

    Thankfully I have had no se's from the Zometa infusion.  I am wondering what tests are your onc's asking for as part of the trial.  So far, I have had blood work.

Categories