Nulasta

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WenchLori
WenchLori Member Posts: 1,558
edited August 2016 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

Anyone using Nulasta with advice for beginners?

Our August Chemo group has been having very interesting conversations concerning Nulasta. Anyone using Nulasta care to share any advice for us beginners?

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  • keepthefaith
    keepthefaith Member Posts: 2,156
    edited August 2016

    WL, I was advised to take 24 hr Claritiin a couple days before and after the shot. Not sure if it helped, but I did it. I also found that hot showers helped my neck, shoulders and back from aching. I guess a heating pad might work also! Kind of feels like you're coming down with the flu...

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  • KarenInCanada
    KarenInCanada Member Posts: 271
    edited August 2016

    I had the Neulasta shot with all 6 treatments. I know a few in our group who did not ended up in the hospital. I was glad my work benefits covered 80 percent and then a program they have with the maker of the injection covered the rest. Well worth it. I had some bone pain only once when I switched from FEC yo Taxotere but made sure to use clariton starting the night prior for 5 or 6 days and Tylenol (only needed the one time). Was very happy with it

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  • WenchLori
    WenchLori Member Posts: 1,558
    edited August 2016

    Thank you Keepthefaith and Karen! No one on my chemo team has mentioned my taking Claritin a few days before a Nulasta injection, but several friends on here have said the same thing. I'll have to do that next time. I use Zyrtec but only when needed, I may try it but if I'm not having and SEs with the Nulasta (yet) I won't know if it made a difference. Here's to the unknown.

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  • Smurfette26
    Smurfette26 Member Posts: 730
    edited August 2016

    I didn't have Neulasta after my first chemo infusion and ended up in hospital for 4 days. Needless to say Neulasta followed my next 3 infusions. I experienced a small amount of pain after the first Neulasta shot was it certainly wasn't unbearable. I had absolutely no problems after shots 3 and 4. I didn't take Claritin or anything else.

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  • anotherNYCGirl
    anotherNYCGirl Member Posts: 1,033
    edited August 2016

    Hi Lori,

    I, too, took Claritin, starting the day before the neulasta, and for several days after. I was fine! ;)

    Hope you do as well!

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  • Denise-G
    Denise-G Member Posts: 1,777
    edited August 2016

    I took Claritin for day before, day of, and several days after Neulasta. It helped me as it did my

    sister who also recently went through chemo for breast cancer.

    Funny story I still chuckle at 4 years later! -- Was just starting AC Chemo and at my large university

    hospital, it was common to see a resident or visiting MD before seeing my MO. On that day, I had a young, enthusiastic

    very bright MD from Japan here in the USA for several months to study. His English was fairly good.

    However, when he told me to take CRAHR-A-LINI had absolutely no idea what he was talking about!!

    Finally, he acted like he was sneezing and with some sign language, it dawned on me what he was talking about..

    I always remember he said, "We are not sure why it works, but it does."

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  • CrawfordsMommy
    CrawfordsMommy Member Posts: 68
    edited August 2016

    I am taking the Claritin as well. Take 24 Hour Claritin a couple days before you get your Neulasta and stay on the Claritin for a week afterwards. I'm on Claritin anyway for allergies because otherwise in summer I'll sneeze until my nose goes bloody... so, this didn't change my lifestyle very much.

    After the Neulasta shot went in, I experienced the following side effects that may have been from Neulasta but could have been something else (because there are lot of drugs, we just don't know for sure):

    • Slight fever (99-100 F) - the nurse said Neulasta may cause this, but who knows, could have been the steroids wearing off too!
    • A few aches and pains in bones and joints but very small - I didn't even take Tylenol
    • A little pain and stinging where the auto-injector thingy shot the stuff in, barely noticeable. It injects over several minutes so you don't really feel a lot. It just beeps and clicks at you.
    • I also had some headaches a few days afterward that I took like 1/4 of a Percocet for and they disappeared.

    There are those poor folk who get hit hard with the SEs of Neulasta but I'm lucky; it really didn't bother me much at all. The hot flashes from chemo in general are hitting me now and I really dislike those especially since it's summer and the air conditioning in my house is sub-par!

    And that stuff WORKS! My WBCs went down temporarily but they zoomed right back up inside of a week.

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  • xxyzed
    xxyzed Member Posts: 230
    edited August 2016

    I tried the Claritin for my first neulasta shot which was after my second AC dose. My main side effect that round was significantly more pressure feeling along my spine than my pre-existing mild pressure on my lower spine which started during the cancer diagnosis process. To the extent I was having trouble getting to sleep at night and took a pain med to see if but helped. My oncologist says this is pain likely caused by a combo of the chemo and neulasta and prescribed panadol osteo. I am taking this now for my third AC and neulasta shot which I had yesterday and stopped the Claritin so I will see if it is effective or not over the next few days.

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