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Hello to all who know, through experience, about the side effects of Gemzar please drop me a note to tell me about your experience as I'm about to undergo a once a week for seven straight weeks treatment soon. This is to address a stage IV pancreatic cancer condition. Thanks to all you kind-hearted souls who would respond.
Cancer Tarceva Thrombocytopenia Carboplatin Decadron Pancreatic cancer
Ask your doctor to look into amifostine which may reduce toxicity, including the thrombocytopenia (low platelets) with gemcitabine + carboplatin. However, amifostine has the disadvantage of being emetogenic (cause vomiting), if given without anti-emetic premedication or if given after the anti-emetic effects of premedications have dissipated. If amifostine is administered, care must be taken regarding the timing of antiemetic premedication.
In cases where gemcitabine + platinum are found (by trial-and-error) to be the most synergistic regimen, there is a treatment schedule of gemcitabine/cisplatin and gemcitabine/carboplatin, designed by Dr. Dwight L. McKee, Diplomate American Board of Internal Medicine, Oncology and Hematology, Integrative Cancer Care, Aptos, CA (831-685-8820). May be well worth having your doctor check it out with him.
Good afternoon johnenri,
I have been on Gemzar for over 2 years. It is given with Zofran and Decadron as premeds. I started at once a week for three weeks, then off one week. My tumor markers plummeted immediately. After a few months, the markers started slowly climbing back up and my oncologist added Xeloda.
Really, the only side effects I have with Gemzar is what I call the Gemzar glow. The day following my infusion, my face starts feeling tingly around my eyes and cheeks. They become red, as if I had been in the sun. The following day I feel lethargic. I call this my "Don't give a damn day". By the weekend, I am feeling "normal" again.
Thanks to the Zofran I have had no nausea issues with the Gemzar; however, thanks to the decadron, I am usually awake the entire night following my infusion; not always but a lot of the time. I take neupogen shots 4 days post Gemzar to help with my white counts. After about a year of treatment, my platelets became very slow about building back up.
Just be sure your oncologist keeps a very close eye on your blood counts, especially the platelets.
Because of platelet issues, I am now taking Gemzar and Xeloda one week, then off a week. The Gemzar has also been cut back give my blood time to build back up. I will have tumor markers tested in a couple of weeks to see if this is holding the cancer.
I find this to be a trial and error treatment, which I am sure most of the treatments for cancer are. Everyone reacts differently. All in all, this has not been as bad as I had anticipated. Treatments have come a long way in the past 20 years. My hair has thinned but not too badly.
Good luck and remember you are not alone.
Marcia
Hello Marcia,
Thanks for the info on your experience with Gemzar. My onco wants me to start on Gemzar+Tarceva but I opted to start on Gemzar alone pending my experience with its potential side effects. I'm currently asymptomatic thus my preference to maintain this quality of life. I'll keep you
updated and I'm following your advice to live one day at a time.
I remember you in my prayers.
Johnny
Thanks Gpawelski, I'll follow up your suggested drugs with my onco.
Hi johnenri
My oncologist is keeping Tarceva as an option if my Gemzar and Xeloda quit being effective. This was also the advice of another from whom I received a second opinion.
Enjoy your life and try to keep a positive attitude.
Thoughts and Prayers,
Marcia
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