Bone pain in second week with Neulasta?

I am in the same place w/ the same meds. I haven't has problems w/ Neulsata, but I remember the nurse saying that people often complained about the bone pain from Neulasta after the 2nd shot.



I know my onc starts people on Tylonol, but will write for stronger stuff if the pain keeps going.



stephanie

I did dose dense a/c, monday treatment....tuesday shot.....bone pain usually started on monday or tuesday.  I had lab drawn on monday (week after) and my wbc was always in the toilet.  It usually takes a week for it to drop, the shot starts working after it drops.

Teresa

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Wow, Can I relate to a long week of bone pain with Neulasta! I took the warnings with a grain of salt when both my physician and nurse warned me about bone pain after the Neulasta. Mine began about two days after the dose and persisted for a solid five days. The pain was mostly centered in my sternum which made me feel like I was in the middle of a very long MI. Nonsteroidals did not help as promised but the Hydromorphone given to me after my surgery did.

After 5 days it was suddenly gone. Can't say I'm looking forward to doing it again but if it keeps my counts up, I guess its worth it.

Hope your next dose goes better.

LA

I finished treatment late summer 2006 but I will never forget that pain I experienced after each Neulasta shot.

The second round after dd A/C and the shot the next day was the worst.

It was so bad for me I had to stay in bed. 

I wish you the best of luck.

I here all you gals!

               Neulasta is a bear!! My pain seems to come and go but usually hurts through from 5hrs from the shot until almost my next chemo, I just did my 3rd A/C. I start taxol/herceptin next and I am really hoping not to get that shot. They hurt when they go in and they make you hurt afterwards but as my onc nurse said thats good!! I am Like what? She pretty much said before Neulasta I was the perfect candiadte Who would have been put in isolation due to such low wbcs. So yeah I guess I need to welcome the pain lol!! I asked for something stronger but have a hard time with narcotics so we tried tylenol3 with codeine and it does seem to help. I just have a hard time sleeping when I take it so I space it out. Yes you would think the codeine would knock me out but it does not make me as hyper as the other meds I tried. And thank gosh steriods make my blood pressure go up and I turn bright red so I can't take them you want to talk about hyper! Oh well all these woos to get better. I guess we just need to remind ourselves that it won't last forever!!!

                                              Bridget

formygirls, I only had the bone pain about a week after the first shot, never again after any of the others.

My pain was a wave-like spasm in my lower back, about where the kidneys are.  It started around 7 AM and lasted for about 12 hours, then left just as suddenly as it started.  I took an Advil, which did help.

It's extremely variable, as with so many of these treatments and drugs.  Hard to advise anyone on what to expect.

Good luck for the rest of treatments.

Jengoll - I get Taxotere and cytoxin and I am getting neulasta. I've only had 1 and got it the week later. My onco checks blood counts after the first treatment and then makes a decision.  From here on out, I will receive it the day after infusion.  I received it on Wednesday and was fine until last night around 7.  Felt fine this morning, but it's starting in again.  I have been taking aleve or tylenol every 6 hours and was a little late this time.

jengoll - you've got it, although, when you have the pains, I wonder if it's just to make me feel awful

thanks otter.  Very insightful.  I still going hope I don't have to take the shot,  I hear a/c by itself does not goes bone pain.  I'm hoping it is true.   

susan - have you tried taking Claritin (not Claritin D) prior to your Neulasta?  Neulasta works by boosting white blood cell production in the bone marrow - the larger the bone, the larger the marrow, the more pain - this is why hips, back and legs often hurt the most.  Usually the first Neulasta injection hurts the most because it is the first time the marrow expands.  It is thought that Claritin helps because the antihistamine (loratidine) controls the edema in the marrow and lessens the pain.  I have linked a study below.  There is also thought that an NSAID combined with Claritin if of additional benefit, study for that linked below too.  The chemo drugs also cause some amount of bone pain, so you are getting a double whammy when combined with Neulasta.

http://www.druglib.com/trial/36/NCT01311336.html

http://www.druglib.com/trial/09/NCT01712009.html

susan - if your onc approves (print out those studies and take them with you) take the Claritin an hour prior to the injection, and for several days afterward, or longer.  I started out doing this, but forgot on tx#3 and took it an hour afterward and noticed a big difference.  Good luck!

Claritin 24 hour worked for me.  I didn't even ask; just took it.

I had terrible bone pain that started days 8-10 after the neulasta shot. Now I'm on Taxol and have Taxol bone pain. It's hard not to think It could be the cancer when you feel so crappy but I keep telling myself I didn't feel like this before treatment and its unlikely something new would be manifesting while on chemo.