Taxotere side effects?
Comments
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It was about 3-5 weeks after my 6 cycles of Taxotere where most of my taste buds came back, although now (8 months post-chemo), I'm still not a chocolate love like I used to be.
Janet
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Hi Mrsmew,
I remember the runny eyes. I didn't go ANYWHERE without tissues. And while my last taxotere was Dec '06, I also still have VERY thin hair --not enough yet to get a cut or style. So I do sympathize -- you're not alone. May we BOTH have better hair this holiday season (*smile*).
Janet
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Hi there,
I was surfing the web in search of some information about side effects from chemo when your entry popped up and speaks directly to what I have been experiencing. I am now five weeks past my last treatment of Taxotere and I am still getting muscle aches and teary eyes with muscle twitches. When I asked the Dr. when this would wear off I was told a couple of weeks to a couple of months. Therefore, I am curious to know if you are feeling any better yet?
Please advise; thank you,
Tracy W.
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Harley,
Everyone is different with the treatments. Don't assume that you will have a bad time. I went through 6 treatments with TAC, I never got sick (felt a little nauseous)-but that was controlled with anti-nausea meds. By the 3rd day after treatment, I'd feel very tired and out of it. This would last for about 2-3 days and then I was fine again. You are fighting the most difficult battle of your life and you need to go into this knowing that you can do it. Remember, "we are women, we are strong". Gather all your strength and win this battle not only for yourself; but also for those who love you.
God bless,
Chris
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I just found this thread, and it was most helpful to read. Terrifying, but helpful. I start six rounds of TAC on Monday the 19th, with daily shots of Neupogen for ten days after each treatment. I am scared of the side effects, but it is comforting to read how everyone is dealing with them.
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TracyW, I would think your teary eyes will resolve the quickest: the tear duct lining cells have to go back to their normal state from Taxotere stimulation, and they turn over faster than most tissue, so soon...
The muscle aches, well, mine did last a long time, but eventually did resolve.I hope you feel better soon.
TinaLee, welcome, and please post under chemotherapy thread for November if you haven't already, as then you will go hand in hand with the other ladies on your journey. I did AC-T, and while it is hard, we will be here to help you, and give you ideas. First idea, make sure you talk with nurses about anti-constipation agents, as this is real common the first four days or so of these chemo regimens. And stay ahead of the nausea by staying on prescribed schedule, jmo.
All the best to you all,
Tender -
Hi I did 3 FEC and 3 Taxotere. Finished chemo in Jan 07. The lowest I got was at the changeover from FEC to Taxo as there was still some FEC on half-life in me and then they loaded me with the nasty Taxo.
Had all the SEs and found it really tough, but my hair started to come back during Taxo tx when I didn't expect it until later. My nails are still iffy and have not regained their previous strength. Still have some neuropathy in my extremities but it slowly easing - very slowly.
But you just get through it. Light and love to everyone on this chemo journey. You will win through.
Much love and big hugs
Valerie S
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Hello ladies,
I want to share a tip that helped me tremendously as I was going through treatment. My onc had me place my hands and feet in ice while receiving the taxotere infusion. I looked like I was getting a manicure and pedicure. This prevented all the nasty nail and foot problems. It worked. PM me if you want more details. Just thougt I'd share.
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i have had two taxotere tx. i now have a dry, hacking cough. is this a s/e?
linda
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Just when you think things are over, your nails start to fall off. I just completed my second round of TC. I had 3 treatments, then surgery and then more TC. I noticed about 2 weeks ago, very deep lines (3) on my nails, the result of the first treatments. Then all of a sudden I thought a piece of nail polish was lifting up but to my horror it was my nail. Now, 2 weeks later, almost all of them have lifted up, in layers. My nail beds and finger tips hurt like H--L. I thought I had avoided this SE but it appears this one doesn't happen for MONTHS after completing chemo.
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Hi Jean,
I was lucky and my nails did not fall off. The nailbeds did however turn dark. The thumbs mostly. They are much, much better now and seem to be growing out. I keep them polished so I don't have to see them. I've been off chemo for some time (since Sept)...and have had a couple of surgeries (lumpec & back in for more margin 2 wks later). I do have really bad joint aches in my legs from the knee down since chemo. When I sit for a long time or wake in the morning, I wish they belonged to somebody other than me. My toes tingle as well. I hope these aches go away soon. In anycase, I'm doing rads now & about half way done. My best to you in the New Year.
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Lee
DId the skin on your hands also fall off. Mine started that about 2 days ago. -
HOW ABOUT INSURANCE SIDE EFFECTS!!!
I have just returned from Europe where I have been working for the past three years: its just amazing how most everybody in this country of ours is afraid of the so-called "European style health insurance system" - I think because most folks just don't know what it entails!!! Everybody in Europe is covered, period!!! Folks there just stare when I tell them about our people here losing houses or life savings in order to pay for treatment!! They are shocked at our situation here! Nobody there has to "deal" with insurance; beg insurance companies to pay for this or that, deal with hundreds of insurance plans on the East Coast, West Coast or in between!! The insurance situation here is just awful, and tragic for people with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. We here should write to senators, congresspeople and just demand an insurance coverage for all!
Additionally, folks in Europe have a guaranteed one month of paid vacation every single year!! In Germany its five weeks every year, in France its five weeks, even in poor Eastern European countries - its one full month of paid vacation - guaranteed by the governments there!!!
And what we have in here?? If your supervisor allows you to take the miserly five days - you feel lucky and you boast about "going on vacation"; wow, big deal!!!
Try the european style vacation: one full month without nerves and anxiety re. checking your emails, your cell phones, because God forbids on your third day of vacation your boss may want something from you!
The Europeans have it great in there: most people here have no idea how good they have it there accross the Atlantic!!! Health care for everybody, no need to deal with some insurance companies, deductibles, etc, plus full month of paid vacation every single year!! No wonder the Europeans have much lower incidence of heart attacks, heart disease, blood pressure, and yes!!! --even cancer. They take better care of themeselves and they have a much more care-free existance.
And we? We just get anxious that God forbids, someone may want to create a single payer health insurance system like in Europe or in Canada. Oh, boy! God forbids it happens here!!!
If only more of our people were traveling overseas to Europe and saw how comfortably folks live
there!! Oh, well...........
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Agree, agree, agree! Doctors in Europe make mistakes like they do everywhere (I was actually misdiagnosed in France last Christmas), but man alive, the system is great overall!
Not only do Europeans not have to hassle with insurance companies and have five weeks paid vacation per annum, they can have basic lab work done at home (a technician goes to their house) if they're too sick to go to the laboratory. If one gets cancer, one is guaranteed sick leave for however long it takes to get back on one's feet with a secure job to return to afterwards. Doctors make housecalls -- no hauling sick kids to the ER at midnight. In every town there are emergency physicians on call 24/7, and they come to your home if, and when, you need them.
Yes, the US is far, far behind all other industrialized nations in multiple ways. I love the USA and am thrilled to be back here, but I do miss the safety and peace of mind of living and working in France.
We need to move more towards the Western European system, and try to back off from becoming the Brazil of North America. Come to think of it, maybe we already are the Brazil of North America. Too bad. This country still has so much promise, but people need to stand up and demand that our government give us something in return for the taxes we pay.
Hugs to all,
Annie
PS: Education is free in Western Europe too, by the way.
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PS: And yes, Taxotere side effects can show up weeks or even months after treatment ends. I never had any nail issues when on Taxotere; now, nearly three months later, my nails are all peeling off in layers. The good news, however, is that the cancer-fighting properties of Taxotere can also last much longer than the actual treatments, at least according to my docs. Hope they know what they're talking about. Don't trust nobody no more; probably yet another SE.
Annie
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Glad this thread was bumped. I'm doing 4xTaxotere, every 3 weeks, following 4xdd AC. My first Taxotere tx was the pits - I felt much worse than anything I experienced during AC, which I was lucky enough to pretty much sail through.
Second tx, I'm pleased to report, was much easier. Keeping my fingers crossed for #3 next week.
A few random notes for anyone else who's starting Taxotere or headed in that direction:
1. The big plus of Taxotere, for me: no nausea. None. Zippo. That's been nice.
2. Also didn't get that hard-to-describe "spacey" feeling that AC brings. But . . .
3. Muscle and joint aches - yowza! I've stayed active, but you should see me trying to walk down stairs on days 4-7: I look like a 100-year-old lady.
4. Haven't had any of that tearing effect that so many have posted about. Instead, my eyes are bone dry. I've been using lubricating eye drops regularly.
5. That "sewer mouth" thing is serious. Some mornings you'd think I'd been licking out a rancid garbage can, it's that disgusting.
6. Taste changes . . . lost my sense of taste almost completely for about a week after my first tx. It came back before tx#2, and while I haven't lost it again, it's definitely distorted. Everything tastes just a little salty. That includes things that shouldn't taste salty at all (like water and coffee) and things that should taste very salty (like potato chips). I find myself reaching for the salt shaker more than I probably should to compensate.
7. Some (mild) ankle swelling.
8. A few neuropathic tingles in my toes. I really feel for those who've developed hand-foot syndrome. It sounds Miserable-with-a-capital-M.
9. Wacky blood counts. Platelets and hemoglobin have been all over the place. I know from the medical literature that Taxotere is especially hard on wbc (in the trial of weekly Taxol, which also looked at Taxotere, almost half the patients in the 3-weekly Taxotere arm had their neutrophil count fall below 500 at some point), and sure enough, after having absolutely no problem with my wbc's during AC, I became neutropenic during Taxotere . . . despite a 10-day course of Neupogen. Because I did so well during AC, I'd become a bit complacent - even cavalier - about anti-infection precautions (I only did my medical reading after the fact). I was lucky enough to avoid infection, but the experience makes me want to shout out to others who may just be starting: be careful! use that Purell you've been carrying around in your purse! don't lick out the mixer bowl! wait until you're past your nadir to eat those fresh raspberries, or dig around in the garden!
10. No nail problems (yet), but bottom eyelashes are gone and eyebrows are fast disappearing. And yet, the stubble on my head is getting stubblier, with a few fine wisps here and there.
Anyhow, this is one woman's take on the good, bad and ugly of Taxotere. Hoping others will post so that we can continue to compare notes.
Linda
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Linda has pretty much nailed it. Some of us who got Taxotere along with Cytoxan as our primary regimen had most of the same SE's she listed. The only other thing I would add was terrible indigestion on days 1 through 9 or so of each 21-day TC cycle.
I have read that the SE's from Taxotere are not as bad when the dose is divided and given more frequently than with the 3-week cycles that are standard for TC. BTW, my nails did not turn brown or fall off, so I was also one of the lucky ones in that regard. They do have chalky white horizontal lines, though--one for each chemo treatment. And, I did get a mild case of hand-foot syndrome on the soles of my feet during rounds 3 and 4, but my feet healed up fairly quickly after the affected skin peeled off. (Yuck!)
otter
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I thought I was being so tidy and organized with my list of 10 side effects . . . then remembered a couple more. (Fewer of us seem to be on stand-alone Taxotere following AC than are on Taxol, so I think this thread is useful.)
11. Sore mouth, tongue, and throat. I don't know if it's the salt-water swishing or pure dumb luck, but so far I've escaped without full-fledged mouth sores.
12. Don't know how I could have forgotten this one . . . constipation! Not sure if it's from Taxotere itself or from the Aloxi in my pre-chemo drip, but it's there. It's hard to know whether or how to treat it, because after a couple of days it's inevitably followed by . . . diarrhea!
There - that makes it an even dozen.
Linda
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OK, Linda, you and I matched on those last two, also. I think the constipation was probably caused by the anti-nausea meds--at least, that's what seems to be true for most of the other chemo regimens.
The diarrhea was a real surprise, though. I had it--very predictably--with each of my 4 TC cycles.
otter
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I finished chemo #3 and have had tearing plus eye twitching since my first treatment. I get chemo every three weeks. My doctor gave me some progesterone eye drops for the tearing but I don't think they work very well. I just dab and live with it. The tearing is causing by dry eye.
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Bump
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Got through the Ac and Dox rounds okay now I read about all the terrible SE from taxotere I think i'll just skip town. Just kidding thanks for the info atleast I know what to expect durring the next four treatments.
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Not sure if you still visit the site but if you do, did you side effects go away? My wife finished her 3rd dose of Taxotere in February and still has severe bone pain, swollen feet, on oxygen and can hardly walk. The doctor did not giver her the 4th dose because of the severe side effects she had. If anyone had similar side effects, (1) did they go away and (2) if so, how long did it take for them to go away?
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I'm sorry to hear about your wife. I was just reading here because I'm about to have 3rd course of taxotere. I only mentioned the big SE of constipation in another area, but actually, I had abdominal swelling the day following 2nd dose (before I got so terribly constipated). It's been 14 days now and I have pretty bad swelling in my feet and ankles. Actually had something like chest pain earlier today. I was working long hours. Thought it was from being tired, but after reading here I'm not so sure about that. I had bone and joint pain that made sleeping difficult after the first dose, but I thought that was from the WBC booster, neulasta, given the day after chemo. Had no pain with 2nd dose. I hope someone here can help you find some answers. Sincerely, Unbound
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jfalcetano, My onc stopped after round 3 of TC due to the side effects and toxicity also. My sympathy to you and especially your wife. Unfortunately, although the breathing, kidneys, and liver issues improved within a few weeeks, the myopathy and neuropathy continued to worsen over the next several weeks. I felt "human" again after 3 months, but still not up to my normal strength and the neuropathy is still bad. My onc told me a year to feel completely better and the neuropathy may never completely resolve.
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Ladies,
I am a 5 year survivor and have found that those who did 4 ac/fec chemos and did fairly well always have a harder time with Taxotere. I did 4 rounds of ac and did faily well. Then after my first taxotere round I had such bad joint pain I could hardly walk, so my onc and I decided to to 2 rounds of taxotere and 2 rounds of taxol alternating the two.Due to the fact that taxotere is made from the yew tree and so in taxol. one comes from the bark of the yew tree and the other chemo comes from the needles of the yew tree. The tree mostly grows in the NW part of the USA. Anyway That helped me some but 5 years out I still have numbness in my feet and hands, and a little joint pain.
Hope this help you ladies,
JewelTX aka Linda
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Hi,
My name is Harini. My mom has been diagonised with Stage 3 triple negative breast cancer with 8/20 nodes positive. She finished 4 AC treatments considerably well. After that she was given first of her four doses of docetaxel and she developed a severe case of hand and foot syndrome due to which she was hospitalised. She still has peeling skin on hands and feet after a month. She just received first of our 9 weekly taxol treaments today with the doctor reassuring her that this shouldn't cause such side effects but my mom is very fearful this time. How did your wife tolerate Taxol after the reaction from docetaxel. My fear is that since both the drugs are from the same family, if my mom gets such side effects again she will not be able to go through the much needed chemo. I hope your wife is doing well. Please reply so that I can get another experience to share with my mom. Thanks a lot.
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I would like to share my experience with the chemo treatments. I had 4 rounds of A/C. I just had my first round of Taxotere. Day 3 and 4 were awful,I developed severe nerve and muscle pains all over my body. I tried to sleep it off. Today is Day 6, and I feel a little better. I still walk my dogs in order to get some exercise. My heel pain keeps me off my feet a lot. I have chest pain on my left side and on my right side, where the lumpectomy was performed. Shooting pains in my knees and shins and shoulder blades. This totally sucks compared to the A/C rounds.
The Neulasta shots didn't even affect me!
I breezed through the A/C rounds pretty well. I was still able to work 60 hours a week, but took two days off with each treatment due to severe headaches from the A/C chemo. I am no longer working now, my job was a temporary assignment and I am very happy that I am off work now.
I don't think I would be able to go to work anymore due to the severe pain all over.
I am now terrified that my hair loss will be permanent after reading the posts about the Taxotere.
I was not told that it may not grow back. I am praying it will. The hair loss and weight gain has been the hardest thing for me to cope with, I had just lost 23 pounds through hard work and diet before I was diagnosed. My brother has helped me cope by telling me I will lose it again after the chemo treatment and not to worry. I try to look at this whole breast cancer and chemo treatment as a major inconvenience and a temporary setback. That is how I keep a postive attitude.
I don't think I could go through this all over again though if I had to. Hang in there Ladies!
KC
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