Forum Discussion
The Joys of Dexamethasone
Well, the side effects of Dex have truly hit me in the last few days! Less than a week out from my third chemo and I am sick of feeling like a bloated lump who gets home each night with cankles and sock and pant marks embedded into my legs, the low grade nausea when I eat for the last few days, vaguely funny stomach and the muscle weakness is a killer. Used to be just when I exercised and tried to run (not that I can do that now) or walk uphill but in the last few days it has turned into more of a constant. My lymph node removal arm that slightly puffed up when I started chemo now feels more uncomfortable. Feel about 80 years old today. I know there are people that have it way worse than me but just had to have my whinge today!!
48 Replies
- Ondansetron 4-8mg ( Zofran) sublingual has been shown to be more efficacious than Maxalon ( metoclopramide). At multiple doses it can cause constipation but every antiemetic has a side effect profile. It is more expensive ( about $18 not on concession?,) and it can only be prescribed in packs of 4 on PBS.
All the stidies are a little old because it has been around for a while.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9249120
My personal preference is to keep the Dex on the lower side aside from what is prescribed for Taxol related reactions.
If any are given Neulasta for white cell count support - Claratyne ( anitihistamine ) helped me with bone pain'
For those starting chemo - a product called Lattice helps with eyebrows/eyelashes - it is bimatoprost ( Lumergan ) and it is sold by cosmetic companies at high prices to enhance eyelashes - but under PBS ( Lumergan ) for glaucoma ( you don't put it in your eyes but on your lashes) - so worth asking GP/onc to give you a script if no contraindications to it.
It will not hold your lashes - but it certainly helps - start as early as possible. - Lot's of people seem to have the tattoos but I've seen what they can look like (on non-cancery people) and it's not always a good look so I'm very reluctant to go down that path in case mine looks like that. Brilliant if they look good though.
- @Sister :/ Me too. My eyebrows are now beyond the pale. I'm doing something about them next week. I don't know what but I'm doing it!
- I went to my rehab exercise place the other day and the physio didn't recognise me and told me that it was because I had a different cap on (I use caps and scarves a lot when I'm not "out in public"). My response was that if I had to be bald then I was going to mix it up because I could. And I've had people I know walk straight past me when I'm wearing my wig, which is fun. But I do hate not having much in the way of eyebrows and eyelashes and I know that's just going to get worse.
- @Finch is a whirling dervish on her Dex @Eastmum. I'm exhausted just reading about it! On the 4 dose it wasn't quite as frantic for me but I always washed and changed towels and sheets on those days!
- I’ll definitely keep that in mind when I’m scheduling tasks @Joannie ! Let’s see if I’m as brave with the fun wig idea when I’m actually losing hair - I’d like to be able to walk the talk.
- Thanks @Joannie for the excellent advice. My 12 year old would love it if I turned into one of the Avengers but I’m not sure Hulk is the one I’d choose :) xxxx
