Adriamycin (Red Devil)

I did Adriamycin......yes, I lost my hair and everything tasted 'weird'.  No mouth sores (I used Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash which was recommended by my dentist), no heart problems, no neuropathy (my understanding is that neuropathy is more a problem with the Taxols), my nails got kind of soft but I did not lose them (I kept them polished, and that seemed to help protect them), no constipation or diarrhea, no vomiting (I faithfully took the anti-nausea meds the first three days as recommended but didn't need any of the ones for 'break through' nausea during the rest of the cycle). I felt like I had a mild case of the flu the whole time; but felt good enough to go to work, do everything I had to do, and most of what I wanted to do too (including traveling out of state for a niece's graduation). So, my experience was not as bad as I anticipated. A hint would be to drink water like crazy before, during & after your infusion. You will probably feel worse the first 3 days after your treatment, so you might want to play around a little with the timing during the holidays. I, for instance, usually had my infusion on Friday; but when I went to that graduation, they let me wait and do it when I got back on Monday so that I wouldn't be feeling crummy for all the graduation festivities. Best of luck!

I did 4 rounds of Adriamycin (along with cytoxan). My experience was very much like Ruth's (I also used biotene toothpaste and mouthwash so no mouth sores) I had it every 3 weeks. I felt flu like on days 3 and 4. I had no nausea but I took Emend the day of and for 2 days after. I was tired but by that 3rd week I felt pretty darn good. It wasn't as bad as I thought and yes I did suck on ice during infusion. I had my heart checked after adriamycin and it was fine. Good luck to you. I was scared to do adriamycin, but it wasn't as horrible as I thought.

Nancy

I did dose dense AC and it wasn't that bad. I didn't get mouth sores or have any heart troubles. The drugs for nausea work really well. Good luck to you

I had nausea, but no vomiting. Completely lost taste, water was tasteless too. Had a few mouth sores, used Magic Mouthwash for that. Rx. Had diarrhea big time. I finally quit eating to stop it, didn't taste good anyway. The Nulasta shot didn't bother or hurt me, but I HAD to be home and close to bed 2 hours after, nap ATTACK. I'm retired, pretty much carried on as usual.

I just had a cardiac U/S, no issues there. I'm 2 years out from chemo.

Just because the SE is listed means you will get it. Just be attentive to your body.

Best wishes

When I said I lost all taste - that was it.  Nothing tasted bad just had no taste at all.  Long story short, that Thanksgiving we went to Deadwood for dinner.  I love hot horseradish but I was eating their hot horseradish slathered on my prime rib like it was mayo.  

I am a 'waterholic' so keeping hydrated was not a problem - habit took over.  Lost of appetite was a lot bigger issue.  I just never thought about eating which scared Hubby.  Mom had been aneorix for MANY years - her last 4 yrs we were married so he knew what it does.  He called me many times a day to be sure I remembered to eat something and made great meals.  

Spookiesmom - I had the same reaction to Neulasta basically.  Al!most to the minute, 2 hours after injection I would go to sleep for 2hrs.  

added - I used OP Nail Envy on my nails (after being given a sample at Look Good Feel Better) and nails did great.

I'm following this as I had my first dose dense round of Adriamycin and Cytoxan today.

I had no idea about using the nail polish. I even got a bottle of the Opi at the Look Goid Feel Better event too

I did 4 dose dense AC's. No mouth sores or any indication of them at all (which I fought back constantly on taxol). I did loose sense of taste and then sometimes heightened sense of taste. Sometimes sensitive to smells. Constipated due to the nausea meds (Emend, Aloxi, Compazine, Ativan and steroid). I worked through it but took 1/2 days on day 2 and 3 then had the weekend to regroup. I felt nauseous but not outrageously so. I never felt as if I would vomit. I drank a lot for the first couple days. Close to a gallon each day. Usually was feeling back to myself days 7 onward. Neulasta was a non event. I took Claritin to fight the bone pain which wasn't significant. I did get hand / foot near the end (just my hands got sore and a brownish red) and I'm told it will go away. I sure hope so! Lost all hair that had started to grow back after taxol. Overall not as bad as I expected but certainly wouldn't want to go back and do it again. Good luck! Linda

Hello stage 4 from the get go sister. I had the red devil as well only 4 of my 8 chemo treatments as my mid point mugga test showed i was nearing the cardiac issue zone but the good news was that I was doing so well with treatment it wasnt a hard choice. My dr did give me the same dosage as early stage patients however.

I started my chemo in Dec right before xmas the first rounds are easier to bounce back from. It takes longer as it builds in your system. I would say a week is a good amount of time.

So yes you will loose all your hair though oddly my eyebrows stayed on until after chemo when they fell off.

Mouth sores yes but use biotene mouth wash or there is a perscription one your dr can get you.

Nausea thankfully I never was nautious. The adivan helped.

The main issues I had were water retention fatigue joint pain and roid rage the week before when the little green steriod pills were taken. I did have mild neuropathy in my feet and cracked heels but once off they went back to normal. Oh and the night after chemo my tumor hurt like i was being stabbed but that was a good thing.

Honestly I had more issues with the chemo after I was taken off it than when I was on it.

Hi SyrMom- I'm very drug sensitive and often have adverse reactions so don't have an easy time on any chemo, but like Spookiesmom above, Taxol was MUCH worse for me, because I never got a break from feeling awful! I'm about to have my last dose of FAC (AC with 5-fluorouracil). My side effects with the previous doses have all been pretty similar. I feel awful with nausea and flu-like symptoms for 4-5 days, beginning within hours of the drip. Then I have 3-4 days I feel much better but am still tired. After that, I feel rather decent until the next dose. After Taxol, these "decent" days seem like a complete gift! As for timing before Christmas, if you're planning to try to clean your house, play Santa AND cook the entire feast, I'd say get your dose at least 2 weeks prior (you feel pretty great your 3rd week). If you can take it a bit easier than that on Christmas, I think 7-9 days is doable. The only side effect that has been consistent for me is lightheadedness if I get up or move too quick. However, I really think it's leftover from Taxol (Taxol side effects take weeks or months to fade).

Hair- I went bald head to toe on Taxol except for a few straggler hairs here and there, but the first dose of FAC made any little hairs I had left completely fall out. I didn't have even 1 hair ANYWHERE! Then, I suddenly had all this white, thin, super soft growth all over. A couple of weeks later, it started turning brown and has slowly continued to do so, though it's still very soft (which I hear is normal at first). I shaved my head from the moment my hair fell out with Taxol until 2 weeks ago (I couldn't stand the stragglers!), and now I have ¼" growth on my head.

Mouth- I've held ice in my mouth during chemo ever since I started Taxol, and I've NEVER had taste issues or mouth sores. However, during the last FAC the ice made me nauseous (as well as my own saliva!), so I was only able to hold it in for about 5 minutes, and I've noticed this time my mouth is slightly tender in places (taste is ok though).

Overall dryness/feet- On recommendation of someone else on this site, I purchased NOW brand food grade glycerine from Amazon and add a few drops to each handful of my lotion, which is already formulated for extra dry skin. The addition of the glycerine definitely keeps the moisture in my skin much more so than lotion alone! The moment I began using it, any issues that were developing went away. I plan to keep using it even after chemo. http://www.amazon.com/Solutions-Glycerine-Vegetable-16-Fluid-Ounces/dp/B0019LWU2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417537513&sr=8-1&keywords=now+food+glycerin

Pain- I haven't had joint pain or aches with FAC (they were awful with Taxol), but I do take a double dose of Zyrtec on chemo days and for a few after, so maybe that helps?

Nails- I've kept mine painted constantly with a good protein base coat (like the OPI one mention above, but I use Nailtiques) and a dark polish and have had no issues with nails in the least.

I took Miralax for the constipation, but only for the first few days of each cycle. one week I went too far and had the Big D. It can be tough to navigate it all...

Miralax is a essentially tasteless, so you can mix it in anything. I prefer juice, especially orange or apple. I swear I can taste it in water, so I don't use that. Otherwise, you won't even know it's there. I take one dose the night before chemo, another the morning of and then continue it twice a day for two days after (though obviously stop using it if you begin to have the "opposite" problem).

syrmom - some find it helpful to go back to their infusion center the day after receiving Adriamycin for additional fluids to help with any nausea - some centers add some dexamethasone to that also.  If you are to receive Neulasta 24 hours after the infusion you can get the extra fluids at that time.  If you experience nausea that you have difficulty controlling with available meds, or are sensitive to those prescribed, ask about a Sancuso patch.

syrmom - ask your onc if he has any samples of Sancuso, sometimes they do.  Due to expense it is often used as a last resort and hopefully you won't need it!

Bumping this topic. So there is the red devil, and dose-dense red devil. I would think the side effects from dose-dense are more severe.