Abraxane vs Taxoter

kat, as you've been told, Abraxane is the same drug as Taxotere.  What's different, I believe, are the preservatives or lack of certain preservatives.  I'm going to PM you the screen i.d. of one BCO member friend I know got Abraxane.  If she doesn't happen to see this thread, you can PM her about it.  As I understand it, health insurance (at least in ths US) is reluctant to cover it unless a woman is allergic to or cannot tolerate Taxotere, because Abraxane is considerably more expensive than Taxotere.  But I've occasionally seen it mentioned when women have bad reactions to Taxotere. 

Another thing you might do is use the search box (to upper right) to look for it mentioned on other threads.  

Good luck!   Deanna 

Hi Kathy-

It's people just like Deanna that make this such a wonderful and resourceful site. I just sent you a FB request and message but wanted to let you know I just found you here as well.

In short, Deanna's information is right on.I was on my own as far as finding any other early stager getting Abraxane (plus Carboplatin and Herceptin) on this site. I did participate in the TCH thread during that time as was the closest treatment to mine. I can tell you that although Abraxane was not without typical chemo side effects, I fared better than those on taxotere. Though I'm far from a medical professional, I feel certain that not having to have the pre-meds made a big difference.

In retrospect, it may have been the carbo that produced the more difficult se's for me. Carbo was left out of my last chemo because I was scheduled for more recon surgery and my counts were low enough for concern they wouldn't come up on time. Since this was my last of the combo treatment, it could be that I was pretty spent anyway and used to se's. However, I did not feel as poorly when the carbo was eliminated which leads me to believe that I might have had an even easier time with just Abraxane.

I don't know how things work in Canadian health care as far as getting approvals for drugs etc. As Deanna said, it's more $ than Taxotere and therefore mostly limited to late stagers here in the US. I have pre-existing neuropathy issues with my hands and my Onc. was able to get insurance approval for me. I felt like I got at least a break in this nightmare journey.

Please feel free to contact me any time. As I mentioned, I will likely get a FB message sooner.

Warmest, Ellen