Gemzar

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Dayzeroze
Dayzeroze Member Posts: 36
edited October 2017 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

is anyone on Gemzar alone not combined with anything else? Just looking for updated info. I will be starting it on July 31 2017. I will do 2 weeks on and one week off st dosage of 1300 given over a hour

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  • Groovywilma
    Groovywilma Member Posts: 450
    edited July 2017

    Hi Dayzeroze,

    I hope you were able to find some of the other threads that had some info and experiences for Gemzar. I was on it for 10 months last year and found it very tolerable and manageable. I did it three weeks on, one week off. I'm not on Taxol every three weeks. Wishing you the best!

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  • smtray
    smtray Member Posts: 9
    edited October 2017

    I will be starting it on Monday. Just looking for feedback on side effects.

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  • Dayzeroze
    Dayzeroze Member Posts: 36
    edited October 2017

    my side effects we aren’t sure if they are chemo side effects or brain progression just had scans done Saturday. I’m only on my second cycle of Gemzar. 2 weeks on 1 week off.

    Fatigue (excessive sleep)

    Headache ( going on 5 weeks now)

    Burnt Mouth feeling

    Nauseousness

    Vomiting

    Scatter Brained

    Light Headed

    Not Hungry

    Dehydration (due to amount of time I Sleep



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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited October 2017

    I started Gemzar 9/22/17 and had my second dose 9/29/17. Prior to this, I was on Xeloda. I have stage 4 bone mets with 3 nodules in my left lung now. It is getting real for me. I have done all of the hormone targeted therapies and easy chemo's... if there is such a thing. I am back on the IV Gemzar.

    By now you have taken your dose. I can tell you for me it went like this... Friday, IV on my lunch hour; Saturday fine, just alittle tired and lazy feeling, Sunday...very sleepy and lazy feeling and the beginnings of a full body rash that alone is driving me nuts. The second dose made me feel like crap on Monday too, but this time the rash and the antihistamines made me sleep pretty much 20 hours on Monday. I have NEVER had these type of side effects except when on Taxol...and then no rash like this one.

    I asked for a Steriod called dacadron the second dose and it did make the rash less knarly, but didn't stop it from coming. I will keep the steriod for now because without it, I felt like I had poison ivy. I found an over the counter antihistamine regime that keeps me from going insane, but doesn't completely kill the itch either...just makes it survivable. I got name brands, but you can get these in generics too and I when I run out. I got them at Sam's Super Ctr just because I was there getting my anti inch steroid cream prescription filled. The cream does help, Desxoimetasone 0.5%, if I put it all over my body, I don't itch for a few hours.

    Today, I am back at work, but on the twice to 3 times a day... 1 benadryl, 1 allegra, 1 claritin... I need one of each different type antihistimine to keep the itching tolerable. I literally have a full body rash from knees to elbows to neck.

    I can't live like this. If this rash and itching are a new way of life... screw it... I am a totally new level of miserable and being alive and this miserable isn't working for me.

    Please let me know if you get the rash or if anyone else has gotten the rash and after a few months it subsides. I believe I would rather be bald and feel decent as you can on an IV chemo drip versus this itching madness...

    Please compare notes with me... Joy from Tallahassee Florida... Dx stage 4 bone mets 10/2009... Did it all... too much to list... all hormonals, all targeted therapies except immunotherapy... which I hear really sucks with the side effects.








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  • RosesToeses
    RosesToeses Member Posts: 721
    edited October 2017

    Joy, I'm sorry you have the rash, I had it too and it was just awful!  

    When I had it, my onc prescribed a prednisone taper which helped clear it up.  On the next infusion she gave me a higher dose of decadron (something like 20 or 25 mg) with the infusion premeds and it never really came back.  My arm looked a little blotchy the first time so I did another prednisone taper but, thank goodness, for the last 3 infusions I've been fine.

    Hope you get an answer that works, I know it is no fun at all.

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  • Dayzeroze
    Dayzeroze Member Posts: 36
    edited October 2017

    how horrible no rash here. WAIt!!!! but now that you mention itfor the first week or so after I am extremely itchy to the point I have caused myself bruising from itching.

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