Chemo induced Fibromyalgia

I have severe neurapathy and all over achiness since I finished Taxol in June 06. I had to go to a pain managment doctor it was that severe. I am on Lyrica (it was working but had to lower the dose due to swelling), time released morpine (small dose),  and tegretol.

Taxol was rough for me. I am still quite stiff when I have sat for a period of time or getting out of bed.

Tina

Jaanee, I agree with you - you definitely need to get a new oncologist - whatever did he mean by "why are you here"??

In answer to your question, I don't want to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia for a couple of reasons.  To begin with, your medical information isn't private, and follows you around.  I don't want to be discriminated against, or to pay higher insurance rates, because I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  People with chronic diseases, and pain related diseases, are not the insurance industry's ideal candidates for any kinds of insurance.  Employers, should they find out, might not want to hrie someone with fibromyalgia, either.  Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I would just prefer NOT to have any additional labels attached to be.  Being a cancer patient is bad enough. 

The other reason is just that I don't want to admit to myself that I have any other chronic illnesses.  I'd prefer just to tough it out and pretend that I don't.  And I don't want to give myself any excuses to not do something, either. 

That said, I do think that I've had definite changes since chemo...I'm just not giving in to it.  But if anyone asked me if chemo could cause fibromyalgia, I'd say yes.

Hello everyone. I was looking for info about fibromyalgia and Chronic fatigue Syndrome developped with medication and I found this place. I developped fibromyalgia and Chronic fatigue after malpractice with anesthesia. I have known some other people who developped fibromyalgia too with antibiotics and statines and I was wondering if any of you has had the same problems with medication.

Thank you.

I realize this was posted 5 years ago, not sure why it took me this long to find this information. Yes, yes and yes!!! I was first dx'd with BC back in 1999 and had 4 rounds of AC followed by weekly Taxol for 12 weeks, the first 6 weeks of which I had radiation concurrently. I did get a really bad burn on my neck but other than that, meds kept the neuropathy at bay. Months (and now years) later, I've been dealing with musculoskeletal pain in different forms: burning, sharp shooting, deep dull bone achy, joint pain (I attribute that to arthritis), and muscular pain.

I am absolutely convinced it was the Taxol which kicked this off. The pain is very similar to that which I experienced on Taxol. Years later when dx'd with Ovarian Cancer, I had 4 rounds of Cisplatin & Taxol every 3 weeks, and after the first round, the pain was so excruciating, I had an incident where I had to crawl back to bed, I could not stand on my legs. My chemo nurse recently confirmed for me that this is a potential long term side effect of Taxol. I had been told years ago by another doctor that Leukemia patients reported this long term side effect from Taxol; it may be a different cancer but the same drug. While Lyrica did not help, I take Neurontin (which is in the same class of drugs as Lyrica) and that makes the pain more bearable.

I'm glad I am not the only one, but it also really sucks that I'm not the only one either. At least I have some answers/validation at the very least. This website has been such a great resource of information that I haven't been able to find other places.

Good luck all! Am so sorry you're dealing with this as well. I too would not necessarily change my treatment plan if I had to do it all over again. It is just frustrating that while my life expectancy/quantity of life may be good, my quality of life unfortunately is not what I had hoped for at this point in my life. Trust me, I do count my blessings; I just find it ironic that I've battled cancer multiple times and beat it only to be fighting with chronic pain/fatigue/Fibromyalgia. One day at a time (one hour if necessary) is my motto

I too am having issues with fatigue, muscle pain, flu-like symptoms (probably the worst part), tightness in my chest, bone pain, and joint pain. I was diagnosed with BC a year ago and finished all treatments in July.I had AC and Taxol followed by radiation. My MO told me in August he suspected fibromyalgia but did other tests for lupus, thyroid, and arthritis. All that came back negative. I saw a rheumatologist this week and he thinks it is chronic fatigue syndrome. I think they overlap some on symptoms and when you look up one, you find the other. I do have fatigue, but it's the pain that bothers me most. He prescribed neurontin and a muscle relaxant, Norflex. He said it will take some time for it to work and I go back in 6 weeks. We'll see. I'm also trying to improve my diet and eat more whole foods, dark greens, and fruits.

I finished treatments in Feb of 2013- had 4 AC/ 12 Taxol/BMX/Rads from May 2012 to Feb2013. I had been on Tamoxifen for 6 months until June because the leg pain that felt like baseball bats was so intense. They took me off of it.

I was feeling so good FINALLY around May- June and I started walking 2 miles along the ocean every day and went on a completely vegan raw foods diet ... 100% organic. I am doing everything right. I lost 30 lbs of the 50 I put on since dx, I do not take any RX meds - and I have developed over the last 2 months the most excruciating pain in my right knee and leg. I see my PCP Friday- MO for a followup on 11/19.... I have also broken a rib going to a chiropractor and my toe by kicking a door since completing treatment too. My PCP says my bones have been weakened due to the radiation. Every treatment I had- they threw the big guns at me. Now I'm feeling it, terrified of what the 1 year scan is going to bring and hoping I'm still clear. It's only a year out and I'm feeling like this already, despite every attempt to be healthy and active !?

This taxol crap is for the birds. I love how some of us get these horrible pains from these drugs, but some MO's refuse to look at anything but their Rx pad. I'm 37 and feel like I am 80. I wonder if my leg is broken or stress fractured too? It's been getting worse with activity.

argh.

There are no ABSOLUTES with FM/fibromyalgia!    More is being learned all the time but so much more is necessary.  It isn't necessarily an end to a good quality of life.  I was DXd FM in 1995 and fought it til 1998/99 when it left as rapidly as it presented.

I too had BC with chemo (taxotere), double mastectomy followed by radiation.  Since the chemo I have had excructiating pain mainly in my legs, however all over my body too.  I take Lyrica and Percocet which has made it bearable,  I too, believe taxotere caused the fibro.  My pain management doctor says it can disappear as quickly as it showed up.  I hold onto that hope!  Although my life is severely changed, I would not have changed my course of treatment and I am grateful to my doctors for keeping me alive!  I wish this fibro crap disappears for all of us sooner than later!  God Bless all of you! 

@Mustang12...I too cannot work. After all my chemo was done, I too could not stand for weeks. However, I feel some of that is understandable due to the "poison" that is going in our body. After all the research I did about stage III, these drugs were definitely needed to kill the cancer. Unfortunately they don't have anything better that doesn't have such bad side affects. I don't think you should distrust your doctor. They try the most recent and effective drugs for the stage that your at. What do you do to manage your pain? I take Lyrica and Percocet. My pain doctor just prescribed me to go to aquatic therapy and TaiChi. He said "the studies" are showing these do make a difference. So, I will try. I hope you feel better!

******UPDATE******

09/2015...Well, my pain has steadily increased. I now take Lyrica and OxyContin. The fatigue is unbelievable. I sleep so many hours of the day. However, since being on the Oxy I have no pain at all all day! So, that is a major plus. Downside, my body is now very addicted to opioids, if I miss a dose I start having bad withdrawals. I guess there's no winning solution here, but I DO LIKE NOT HAVING PAIN FINALLY. I'm out 4 year now I hope the pain and fatigue. Go away soon. Good luck ladies and God Bless Us All

I finished chemo over a year ago. been on tamoxifen since then . I thought I was alone on this one. have been having muscle aches, joint aches, hip and knee pain and pain in my butt which is the worst ever. haven't been diagnosed with fibromyalgia but am seeing the doc again this week . they thought I had pyriformis syndrome and after weeks of physio it is still there . mainly affects me when I sit for long periods of time. . now pain in hips getting much worse.... I was perfectly fit and well prior to this. i think it is either from the chemo...or the tamoxifen . did I mention the numbness in my hands ???? killer sometimes !!!!

I can't believe what I'm reading!!!! Others with the same symptoms as myself. Deep aching bone pain, much like flu/fever pain but worse down the back of my neck/spine, into the shoulders and down arms, hips, thighs, there isn't many places that don't hurt. I had Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin (which gave me heart failure - LVEF down to 35%). The T/C was also stopped early (4 infusions instead of 6) due to severely burned feet, bloody nose, streaming eyes (too much to go into right now) but my labs were bad also.

I am experiencing joint weakening, particularly knees and hands, elbows, wrists. Almost constant headaches.

I have lost most of my short term memory and mental congnitive......whatever and work is suffering greatly. Not sure how long I can hand in there with the job.

Blownaway: are you only taking the gabapentin at bedtime? If you are taking during the day, try just taking at bedtime to help with pain/insomnia/HF's at night so you can sleep. That's what I do. Also, taper off the med, don't stop abruptly.

I see a Rheumatologist about my Fibro, have done for years,, Rheumy can test you for the Fibro trigger points. Possible place to start.