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I am on my second round of Carboplatin/Taxol chemo and I get it every 21 days about day 3 to day 14 I get achy joints and with it I find it difficult to sleep. Anyone have any suggestions. Tylinol works ok but I do not want to keep taking a lot of that. Also Advil is ok.
Anyone have any other suggestions?
FYIThe 15th through the 20th day was great. I wish the whole 21 days was like that.
Amitriptyline Cancer Tylenol Aleve Methadone Pregnancy Vicodin Morphine Carpal tunnel syndrome Chemotherapy Oxycodone Norco Carboplatin Nortriptyline Xanax Taxol Advil Ativan Avastin Celebrex Diabetes Metamucil Constipation Pain Neurontin Heartburn Percocet
Sally: One of the things that helped me with achy joints was over-the-counter Aspercreme. I had Gemzar and Carboplatin chemo. When my WBC count dropped I had to have shots of Neulasta and suffered with joint and bone aches. My husband would rub that stuff on me and it helped relieve the pain and helped me get to sleep. Cheap and worth a try! I also continued taking the pain meds that were prescribed. Wishing you all the best! Blessings! Brooklynda
My oncologist asked if I was sleeping well last thursday and wanted to know if I needed anything stronger for pain. I did not think so at the time but just to be able to sleep I am tempted to call on him. I did find another website that had acetaminophy with Diphenthdramine hcl (tylinol pm) as something that may help. I am going to try that tonight.
i also get those aches and pains. I start off with tylenol, but that isn't always strong enough. My Oncologist prescribed Vicodin and that works wonders. I started off trying to live through the pain and hoped that the tylenol would work, but as I said, it isn't always strong enough to do the trick, Get a pain medication from your Dr and use it when you need it. What I have been doing, is taking the tylenol during the day, and then at night I take a vicodin...it helps me sleep. good luck....and do what ever it takes to make you comfortable.
I took Aleve as soon as I got home, before the aches and pain hit. The prescription pain medication would constipate me so I did not take it. The over the counter Aleve got me through. Take it immediately after infusion and for the next four days. Really helped me.
Hope this might help you.
Carol
Talk to your doctor about Celebrex. There's also studies about it's anti-cancer COX 2 inhibitor action also, especially during chemo.
Do a search on pubmed.com - "celebrex + chemotherapy" "celebrex + cancer" etc.
Hi, My husband's onc put him on MS Contin (Morphine) 30 mg, three times a day, and oxycotin for breakthrough pain. He said that too much tylenol is not good for you, and you really need a pain med that will work. My husband is able to function, he is not in nearly as much pain and he has not needed the breakthrough medicine, so if I were you I would discuss a pain med that would work for you, he was still real achy too, but was able to sleep, and you really need your rest to help you fight the side effects, please try and get a good med that will help you, good luck, no need to suffer and not sleep. Karen
Also he needed a vegetable laxative for awhile until he got use to the morphine because it can cause constipation, just be prepared for constipation and diaherra, and heartburn.
Hi Salty, I had the same joint pains from Carbo +Taxol and found that, for me, Darvocet worked best and lasted quite a while. Vicodin contributed to nausea and constipation. A "gentle" professional massage helped too. I would imagine accupressure would be beneficial.
Good luck!
Irene
Does the joint pain go away with the finish of the Carboplatin & Taxol or does it continue long afterward. I have finished chemo as of the end of Feb but still having joint pain but I hadn't associated it with the chemo? Anyone have a clue?
Hi Salty. I was on the same chemo and suffered with the same body aches. For me, morphine did not work and my doctor told me to try Aleve.
Like Carol recommened, I started taking it as soon as I got home from chemo and continued for several days (I don't remember exactly how long). My first dose was 2 pills and the rest were as directed.
Hi Salty,
Are you getting the Neulasta shot 24 hours after treatment? I did and I was told thats what was causing the bone pain. I felt like they were being crushed. I was given a pain prescription that I only took at night to sleep. During the day I took Aleve. It only lasted 3 to 4 days for me. Go ahead and call the Dr and ask for the script.
Linda
I had carbo/taxol/avastin (no neulasta) and had horrible bone pain through my back. I tried darvocet and percocet with little improvement...just side effects. Vicoprofen (vicodin mixed w/ibuprofen) was the best for me. It kept the pain at bay and kept me fairly clear-headed (other than a bit of a buzz) so I could go on with my day. But I did have the constipation which caused quite a problem. Maybe if you just took it to sleep, it wouldn't be so hard on the system...
Good luck. The pain was one of the worst parts of chemo for me, but you can get through it!
--Stephanie
Hi again! I'm on the same chemo but also have carpal tunnel syndrome in both arms, cervical stenosis in my neck and pinched nerves in my lower spine so I couldn't say the chemo did that to me since I already had problems with joint pain. My system is very particular about pain medication and I had been in quite a bit of pain not only from the cancer but from the things listed above. I could not take morphine nor Vicodin (didn't help my pain) but I go to a pain clinic/hospice that is wonderful and they put me on Methadone 10 mg 3 times a day. Never heard Methadone being used as a pain killer. It works for me and now I'm only taking it 1-2 a day along with Oxycodone 30 mg for breakthrough pain. That has always worked with me. For the constipation they suggest (and it works for me) to take Milk of Magnesia every morning (Dennis gets me the cherry flavor) because you don't want to get constipation. If you go on these pain meds DO NOT stop taking them if you have been on them a while without your doctor knowing about it and being slowly taken off.
As you can tell from the e-mails, everyone has such a different body chemistry and you have to find what works for you. Some people can't take Oxycodone because it sends them over the edge -- I can't take even 5 mg of Morphine without it sending me over the edge. I couldn't do anything when I took that. Hope you find one that works for you and soon!
your friend -- Caroline
Hi,
My husband had the same issue. His oncologist gave him a prescription for Neurontin. This took care of his joint pain and achiness.
Hope you find what works for you!
Stephanie, i got a question for you- my husband has stage 4 NSCLC- took the same combo treatment- from 12/30/08 - 4/22/09 drs says he cant get anymore than 6. How long did you take it? or are you still on it? for how long? now he is just doing zometa for his bones and avastin for the tumors will he ever get chemo again?????
I also had neurophathic type pains in my joints. I was being woken up by the pain in the middle of the night.. I would put ice and take tylenol...that would work....BUT I found a better option this time around. It is called Lakota joint articulation. It is this native american remedy, it is in a roll on container. I found it in a pharmacy. It works!!
I hope you find it and works for you too.
Best of luck
Salty,
I also went through the same pain my first round of chemo, I was put on Cymbalta which is an antidepressant but is also used for Neuropathy in Diabetes patients. It has worked wonders for me.
I've read some of your discussions and I see you also have Squamous cell and Adenocarcinoma like me. What do your Docs say about this and how to treat it. My medical records always refer to mine as a complicated case. I've so far had great response to the Taxol/Carbo cocktail. I'm going through my second round of it.
Good luck,
Tina
I am getting Carboplatin/Taxol. I get a PET/CT scan after my next treatment to see if it is working.
Hi Salty, I have had the same pain for 4 years and found if I take my Vicodin with a stool softner it helps and to sleep I take Tylenol PM or you can just take benedryl. Tyleno Pm is just tylenol with benedryl together. Hope your pain doesnt last as long as mine has, good luck. Sharon
my worse pain came when I had to take the neulasta shot the day after chemo. It caused terrible pain in bones, muscles and joints. That and the nausea from the chemo make a miserable person out of me lasting up to two weeks near the end of treatment. I take a hydrocodone of a night before I go to bed and just endure the pain in the daytime. I still get shooting electric like pains sometimes and haven't had chemo since December.
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