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Shelley_H's avatar
Shelley_H
Member
3 months ago

Abemaciclib

Morning ladies, I've been on abemaciclib for 14 months & it's been prescribed for 2 years alongside Letrozole which is for 10 years. Tbh it's been great considering how bad it can be so I feel humbled and I only had gastro issues when I first started.

However, this week for the last 4 days I'm having to take gastro stop ++, I have nausea, fatigue has hit me really hard, lack of appetite & generally feeling rubbish. 

Has anyone else experienced this or know of anyone? I have my monthly oncologist telehealth next week so I'll definitely be discussing it.

side-effects

4 Replies

  • JJR23's avatar
    JJR23
    Member
    3 months ago

    I am on both of those medications also and have to be on them for the same time as you.  I have approximately 6 months to go on the Abemaciclib.  It has been awful.  I tried taking gastro stop initially as per the instructions on the box but that made me constipated so I stopped taking it.  I got so sick and tired of constantly having the gastro issues earlier this year so I decided to trial taking one gastro stop in the morning with my first tablet of the day.  This has made a massive difference and I don't have the issues I have suffered with for the past 12 months now.  

    • Katie46's avatar
      Katie46
      Member
      3 months ago

      I hear you JJR23​ the gastro issues are really annoying. The reduced dose really helped me, and I've realised that lactose sets it off as well, particularly milk. I have a mainly lactose free diet these days and that has also made quite a difference, I  only have occasional issues now.

      • JJR23's avatar
        JJR23
        Member
        3 months ago

        My oncologist said I could reduce the dose but she prefers I stay on the higher dose as obviously that is better for my chances of this not reoccurring so I have decided to stick with the highest dose, especially as I only have another six months to go taking it.  I tried various changes with my diet but ultimately nothing made a difference to me with the gastro issues, except taking one gastro stop each morning.  I am glad you are getting a little relief now having reduced your dose.  I have been told that is very common for people to reduce their doses.  My concern is the damage that this medication is doing to other organs.  While my bloods are quite good each time I get my tests done there is definitely an impact on my liver.  The dr is confident this will improve once I stop taking the abem but it is still a concern of mine, especially as I am still quite young (44).  I am not sure about you but after the damage caused by the chemo etc my nails and hair have definitely been impacted.  I still have a few nails that just won't grow properly and my hair is still quite thin and is taking forever to get a lot of length.  Pre cancer I had very long hair which was thin but I had a lot of it so it looked thick.  

  • Katie46's avatar
    Katie46
    Member
    3 months ago

    Hi Shelley_H​ I've been on abemaciclib for about 10 months, and I do get gastro issues, but they never last days. The one time it did happen for 3 or 4 days I thought I must have picked up a bug. If this has been going on for days I would speak to your doctor or go to your A&E, don't struggle on for days and get more and more dehydrated and unwell. Abemaciclib gastro issues are well known and my oncologist told me if gastro stop wasn't working I should contact them immediately.