Chemotherapy drugs that require steroid premeds

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Naniam
Naniam Member Posts: 1,766
edited August 2016 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

Ladies, thus far on this 5 year journey I have managed to stay away from chemotherapy that has required steroid premeds.  Steroids sets off terrible, unrelenting, relatively severe gastritis.  I take Protronix and recently had to be on rather high doses of Prednisone for a lung problem related to chemo.  I am going to have to start IV chemo again it appears.

Thus far I have been able to do Faslodex, Abraxane, Xeloda, Halaven, Ibrance without taking steroids.  With the Halaven they gave me Zofran.  My oncologist said the next drug would be Doxil and that would be the last without steroid premeds.  I am searching for help. He basically mocks me when I tell him the kind of gastric pain that it gives me.

If you have taken another drug that you did not have to take steroid premeds with it, would you please be so kind to share it with me?  My oncologist simply does not understand why I dread steroids so much and says he had never heard of them causing the kind of pain in my stomach that I tell him happens.  That upsets me as I don't make it up - I live it!  Just to get through this rather high dose of Prednisone, I was taking Protonix, Zegrid (works better than Prilosex, Nexium, Tagamet for me) and Carafate. 

Thanks in advance for sharing any of the chemo you have been able to do without steroid premeds.

Brenda

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  • pajim
    pajim Member Posts: 2,785
    edited August 2016

    Brenda, I don't know the answer to your question. However I remember from my early stage chemo days taking Taxol. The first go-around they gave me steroids to take the day before and after.

    I complained about the high/crash and my onc said "oh, we could try a squirt just before the infusion". That's what they did from then on [for Taxol]. It was less than they'd given orally too. I wonder if something like that might affect you less?

    I hate hate it when I get stomach distress so I feel for you.

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  • ShazzaKelly
    ShazzaKelly Member Posts: 909
    edited August 2016

    Brenda im currently on a trial for the oral form of taxol called Oraxol. There are no premeds at all. Perhaps your Onc could look into that for you. Although it's for different reasons I hate steroids to. While I was on the IV version of taxol once I had a few infusions under my belt my Onc agreed to start dropping my Dex dose till I was on none. Apparently it isn't uncommon to drop the Dex with taxol once you've proved you aren't going to have an allergic reaction.

    Good Luck

    Shazza

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