Neulasta and Claritin

Options
Upheld
Upheld Member Posts: 71
edited February 2018 in Just Diagnosed

Have been reading posts, trying to get educated before I begin TCHP. The MO mentioned I'd also be given Neulasta. The nurse navigator told me that may women have nasty side effects, mostly flu-like symptoms. Reading here, I see a lot about bone pain. Claritin has been mentioned numerous times as an antidote. Is taking Claritin widely known? If you took Claritin, did it work? How much and when did you take it?

If you didn't take Claritin, did you experience side effects and, if so, what were they?

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • keepthefaith
    keepthefaith Member Posts: 2,156
    edited May 2017

    Upheld, I did take 24 hr Claritin. I took it a day or two before my Neulasta shot and for a couple of days afterward. I did have some body aches, mostly in my back and neck area. Hot showers seemed to help. It only lasted a couple of days and was more annoying than anything...not debilitating. I read or was told, that the Neulasta shot does something to your bone marrow to make it "expand" and that's what causes the pain. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable has a better explanation, but that's the best I got!":) The good thing is that I never got an infection, so, for me, it was worth it.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited May 2017

    I had no pain SEs with Neulasta. The only SE I had was almost to the minute, 2 hours after Neulasta injection, I would go to sleep for 2 hours almost to the minute and wake up totally alert.

    Yes, using Claritin has been 'widely known' for quite a few years to help with SEs (if they happen) with Neulasta.

    I did do Neilasta for the 4 DD A/C neoadjuvant and my blood levels stayed great. 5 weeks after last A/C when I started 12 weekly Taxol adjuvant, Dr said no reason for me to need Neulasta. He was right - my WBC stayed great. I did not have any infections throughout my TXs. In fact, I'd had issues with bad sinus infection all my life (several every year) but in the 7+ yrs since Chemo, I have only had 2 minor sinus infections.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Artista928
    Artista928 Member Posts: 2,753
    edited May 2017

    I didn't wait to see if I would have se's with neulasta or not. Chemo was bad enough and wanted to do everything possible to prevent more. So I took plain otc claritin (not the D) day of and for 3 days after and had 0 bone pain. Doesn't hurt to just do it.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited May 2017

    I echo the post above, although I did have bone pain once, and I feel certain it was because I delayed taking Claritin (I forgot). After that I never had another SE from the Neulasta injection. I'd just take it--you'll probably only get the injection half dozen times, and that's just a few days of Claritin.

    Claire

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DodgersGirl
    DodgersGirl Member Posts: 2,382
    edited May 2017

    I took Claritin for each of my DD 4 AC treatments and had no side effects from Neulasta.

    My infusion center had the tip of taking Claritin on their tip sheet.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • member66
    member66 Member Posts: 14
    edited October 2017

    For how long Claritine? I stopped after 5 days and on the night of day seven woke up with huge low back pain. So back to Claritine? For all 14 days?


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • exercise_guru
    exercise_guru Member Posts: 716
    edited October 2017

    In my situation I took a 24 hour claritin morning and night for 1-2 days prior to chemo and 3 days after or something like that. I had permission of my MO to up the dose to morning and night. This was significant. He was so impressed he decided to recomend it to all of his patients who were not responding to the single dose.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • bettysgirl
    bettysgirl Member Posts: 938
    edited October 2017

    I had horrific bone pain after neulasta. EVERY time. I took claritan and it did not seem to help. For one chemo they swapped to Neupogen and it didn't cause as much bone pain but was more aggravating because it was more shots. I recently read an article (can't remember where) that there is some studies that show that counts recover for some women without it. The very first chemo is the one that slammed my counts, after that they dipped but not near what they did the first time.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • AlisiaMoree
    AlisiaMoree Member Posts: 1
    edited February 2018

    I get my 1st Nulasta & will do 24 hr Claritin am & pm. Thank you, Exercise Guru

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2018

    Claritin (or the Wal-tin house brand, or other similar) worked for me. Use the 24 hour kind and begin taking it about 2 days before Neulasta. When I didn't use it I had one very painful hip ache experience, but when I did--no problems at all.

    I didn't ask my MO--I told her I was going to, and she kind of shrugged her shoulders and said it wouldn't hurt me. There is some added benefit to taking this drug long-term, even after active tx. See link.

    This was posted in the clinical trials and research news link some time ago.

    https://www.canceractive.com/cancer-active-page-link.aspx?n=2981

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sbelizabeth
    sbelizabeth Member Posts: 2,889
    edited February 2018

    I used Claritin almost every time of the six rounds of TAC and Neulasta. I didn't take it for round three, just to see what would happen, and I had intense, "toothache" type pain in my back and hips and bones in my face. Weird. I went back to the Claritin and voila...no more pain.

    I took Costco brand loratidine--it's cheap. I started a couple of days before chemo and continued it for about a week afterward. It worked great.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories