Doxil, what can you tell me about this chemo treatment?

JFL,

Instead of completely stopping the decadron, how about you minimize the dose? I tried going steroid free, and spent most of the month fighting nausea. That was un-fun. For a person my size, the standard dose is 8 mg., and I'm on 4 mg. I might ask to go back to 8 mg., as I'm still having trouble with nausea.

The steroid shouldn't impair Doxil's effect on the cancer, and it is cardio-protective. Something to do with its anti-inflammatory effect on our blood vessels.

Had my 12th treatment two days ago.

Frankly, the thing that gets me down the most is my wonky vision. I'll be getting cataract surgery May 1 and 8, and am looking forward to symmetrical vision. I think it'll be a huge jump in QOL.

For me, Doxil has been very manageable. It hasn't beaten back the mets, but has kept me stable. I have no hand/foot peeling, have kept most of my hair, and love the once a month schedule. The SEs I have are nausea and anemia fatigue. The nausea is kept at bay with Zofran. I'm leery of taking iron supplements for the anemia, because I have read that it can accelerate Doxil's cardiac damage. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17599610

Plus, cancer doesn't thrive in a low iron environment. The practical effect is that I'm tired. I take Ritalin for the fatigue, and it keeps me from being a pure sofa slug, but I still have to gear up for physical activity more than I'd like to. The upstairs region of our house has become a foreign land.

But, it is good to be "on the right side of the grass".

JFL,

Don't let me get in your head! I'll bet you do great without steroids. I'm a delicate flower when it comes to chemo, and will get a funny tummy at the drop of a hat.

I'd love to read that article on steroids and Doxil. Do you have a link available? If it really it better, I should look at ways to achieve it.

All the best wishes.

Hi Egads! Are you taking classic doxorubicin (Adriamycin/the red devil) or the liposomal formulation (Doxil)? Sounds like you are describing the classic version with more side effects?

I have read nothing but horror stories about doxil. I think I am going to refuse it. I have not had any quality of life since last June. Nothing is working and maybe it's time to stop being in denial. I can't take nausea, mouth sores, heartburn, continued exhaustion for something that has no guarantee. Telling my family is going to be tough. But it is about me now.

Thinking of you, Lisa. I hate that you have suffered so much in the last year.

My experience with Doxil (liposomal doxorubicin) versus Adriamycin (doxorubicin aka The Red Devil) is similar to that of blainejennifer. Doxil is a breeze and Adriamycin is rough. Egads007 did not take Doxil, she took Adriamycin only and many people confuse the two but they are night and day different.

LisaJo,

Let me put it this way, before Doxil I had liver lesions. On Doxil, I have one tiny little scar. It's a good drug for me.

Take care,

Jennifer

Yes, the taxenes were my first chemos. I was lucky to have had some luck on aromasin. But now things are growing. I have to get a liver biopsy because we are not sure I am Her2+. So I hope this doxil works regardless

I’ve been on Doxil since early December. It has helped shrink my liver mets thus far. Hoping it does the same for you!

Babs

JFL,

I've had all the rashes. What does yours look like? Solid, bright pink slightly raised tissue, or hive-like, or patchy? Usually, my MO will prescribe a steroid cream. The one time it was fungal, he went with Nystatin.

Avoid hot baths and soap, tight clothing in the affected area, yada yada. You know, the whole inflamed skin routine.

Hope it clears up for you.

Jennifer

LisaJo,

The constipation is a Doxil thing. What are you taking for relief? If you are doing all the standard things, might I recommend magnesium tablets or a prescription liquid called "lactulose"? The liquid will make it rain poop, so start with a low dose.

As for the anemia, that's a careful dance. Cancer thrives in an iron rich environment, so the anemia is actually bad for cancer. However, too much anemia, and your heart starts working too hard. I manage it with 27 mg. iron tablets, along with vitamin C and B12. I take just enough to get myself to low normal hemocrit values, then I back off. Over the years I've determined that if I don't have shortness of breath going upstairs, my hemocrit level is good enough. You can also determine it by checking your eyelid's insides, and your gums. If they look pink and healthy, you are doing OK. If they are very pale, try some iron.

It makes me laugh when my MO casually refers to my iron levels. I've found that the anemia is the SE most involved in my quality of life, and he treats it as an afterthought.

I'm ten days out from infusion, so I'm feeling kind of crappy too. Nausea and fatigue. I'm just about to wobble over to the kitchen and take a Zofran and get some liquids on board. Fighting my way out of the sofa's gravitational hold. Have you ever had those days when you don't know if you are hungry or nauseous, but making food is too much trouble, so you'll never really find out the answer? That's today.

I hope you feel better soon. Do you have any cold packs you can use for the headache? I find they work faster than a tablet when curing a chemo kind of headache.

Jennifer

I took Doxil successfully for 18 months. JFL-- I had the worst rashes after my first doses- red and itchy, so my onc sent me to a dermatologist and also lowered my dose 25%. The derm doc gave me a strong steroid, but it was the dose change that did the trick, I think. I did well on the med for the remaining 16 months. I am also wondering, lisajo if you are also on too high a dose. It sounds like your blood cells are tanking.

I just started Navelbine and it seems tougher somewhat than Doxil. Not sure if it's working, though.

JFL, yes, I had a longer run on Doxil than most of my doc's patients, in that the heart issues can sometimes be a reason for stopping. Onc had me going to a cardiologist every three infusions for an echo, and my heart stayed strong throughout, so he let me stay on it. I am getting Navelbine by infusion now, and it's every week, which is a pain compared to the Doxil every three week schedule. The first Navelbine dose was too high for me again (seems to be a pattern) and I felt like I had a really bad flu for several days. I had a fever spike of 102 the first day. Then felt weak had, headaches and had a lot of pain in my ribs, spine and liver (where my tumors are.) At my first follow-up my onc lowered my dose 25% like with Doxil and it has been a lot better but I stilll feel kind of weak in the middle of the cycle. For instance, I wanted to go to the market today, but was worried I'd pass out, so I will wait until tomorrow or Tuesday. My red cell count is very low on Navelbine, which probably explains the weakness. Another side effect I noticed this time is anxiety. It resolved in a couple of days, but I hope it was just a fluke. I don't like that at all.

Sorry to hear about your bad reaction. Who knows what could have caused that. Our poor bodies are so abused by all this stuff (while saving our lives) that it's no wonder they rebel. I hope that was just a fluky thing for you. I didn't have any nausea on Doxil, but we are all different. Sometimes constipation can cause nausea, I think. Be sure to mention it to your doctor.

I did not report the issue to my MO but my DH (who is a doctor) was with me at the time and did some physical tests (checked my eyes with a light and some other things). I asked him if I should go to the hospital but he thought it wasn't necessary. I will mention it to my MO at my next appointment and consider getting a brain MRI or a full body PET/CT. My current PET/CTs only scan from my nose down.

I have just started Doxil (first I get Perjeta, then Herceptin, finally the Doxil) as of 4/16/18. The Kadcyla I had been on for 2 years stopped working, plus some cells crossed the blood brain barrier and I had brain surgery (suboccipital craniotomy) last August to remove a 3-cm. tumor. All seems fine after some radiation and with MRI surveillance.

I have been Mets to the liver from the beginning (what's the term for that? some Latin word) which was November 2010. Fox Chase Cancer Center, about an hour south of me, has done a bang up job helping me run this course.

I've been on Perjeta before, Herceptin always, but Doxil is new to me. Decadron is not new! Hate the stuff but I wonder how much I'd suffer without it. I will see if they can dial it down a bit as time goes on.

I am two weeks into treatment. On days 4 & 5, I noticed that my usual morning cup of decaf wasn't going to sit well. Then, loose bowels a week later and I took 1 Immodium tablet (only 1, not the usual 2) and ate a lot of bananas. All was well but I had to use every bathroom while out thrift shop shopping with my sister last week. Yesterday (day 15) I had regular (not decaf) coffee and even cocktail sauce (think horseradish! yum!) later that day with shrimp. Stomach OK. So mucosal linings must be normalized by this time.

If I'm going to lose hair, today's the day. I didn't lose any with Perjeta, but Doxil also can cause it. Never mind, my "girls" (wigs on stands on top shelf of my closet) are ready and waiting. I've lost my hair three times and grown it back. Now it's salt and pepper colored and I kind of like it.

Will advise if anything else occurs before my next Tx on May 14th!

Does anyone have weak legs on doxil? I literally fell in the parking lot and almost passed out. My onc said chemo doesn't cause weak legs. I have had weak legs since I started taxatore last summer.