Itching

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Bev65
Bev65 Member Posts: 2
edited February 2021 in Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After

HI, i finished my chemotherapy of 3 fec and 3 Docetaxel in december, im currently having 18 perjeta and Herceptin infusions every three weeks, my question is.. im having severe itching and burning on my arms and back of neck. This as been ongoing since December last year, driving me insane. Can any of you relate to the same and have you got to the bottom of it, and any help through Dermatologists? Thankyou.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited August 2020

    Hello, Bev, and welcome to Breastcancer.org. We're sorry that you have to be here, but really glad you found us and decided to reach out to our Community. Until you get responses from other members here, you may want to take a look at our main site article on Itching, where you can find some tips on managing this side effect. We hope this helps and again, welcome to our Community!

    The Mods

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  • tonia52
    tonia52 Member Posts: 36
    edited August 2020

    yes I have severe itching and I am also on Herceptin and Perjeta. I take Zyrtec every night before bed. I also use a supplement for sleeping that has natural gaba and melatonin in it called Night Rest along with the Zyrtec. I use peppermint oil essential oil and alternate a roller bottle of Biofreeze and this has been helping better than anything I've used before. If it's not controllable with that I use a ice pack which will usually work every time. I do all these at night because that's when I itch the worst. During the day I have used steroid creams that the oncologist has prescribed me. But almost always itching occurs at night. I hope this helps. Today my oncologist told me that Vick’s Vapor rug has worked for some of her patients so I will be adding that to my remedies as wel

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  • Bev65
    Bev65 Member Posts: 2
    edited August 2020

    Thankyou for your reply, not sure about any medication i can get yet, im atill waiting on Dermatologist phoning me xx

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  • ClaireF
    ClaireF Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2020

    I also had itching while on perjeta and herceptin. I found that taking a Benadryl each night before bed helped, and Benadryl gel applied directly to the affected area helped. I'm now on a different drug, so I don't have that problem now.

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  • Arc66
    Arc66 Member Posts: 9
    edited December 2020

    hi Bev,


    for what it’s worth, I have had severe itching for 4 years as a result of (I believe the Perjeta) I tried everything!! Cetrine, zirtex, lotions and potions, freezer packs etc. I read something somewhere in this breast cancer group about a person who asked for a piriton infusion before Herceptin and Perjeta. I asked my oncologist who agreed to it, no problem and I must say it was the first time in years that I got some relief. So, perhaps you could check this out. I used to draw blood from scratching my arms, neck and shoulders.

    Take care.

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  • DeniseML
    DeniseML Member Posts: 81
    edited February 2021

    HI. I'm not able to find information re: Piriton infusion. Is there another name for this?

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  • jhl
    jhl Member Posts: 333
    edited February 2021

    Piriton is a UK brand name for chlorpheniramine, which is an antihistamine. You can purchase chlorpheniramine oral tablets here in the US over the counter. We don't have an injectable form here though. The therapeutic equivalent would be diphenhydramine injectable. The most familiar brand of diphenhydramine here is Benadryl.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited February 2021

    Arc - glad you got some relief.

    Interesting. Chlor-Trimeton is the brand of chlorpheniramine antihistamine that my Mother took in the 1960s. Note - it's been my experience that most cancer centers ALWAYS give Benadryl in solution at the start of the infusions. Because it totally knocks me out, I only let them do it the very first time.

    I had severe itching years before cancer & still have it 7 years after my last treatment so I don't think mine was related to Herceptin/Perjeta. My dermatologist commented that the only time my skin looked "great" was after TCHP. All the AKs were gone and I wasn't scratching myself bloody. Neither Claritin nor Zyrtec help, and as I said I can't take Benedryl - although that's the drug that's routinely recommended for itching.

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