Hi All - What exactly do Dexamethasone Steroids actually DO ? All I’ve been told is “they help stop sickness” but so do the Metaclo Tablets. I’ve got the impression they don’t like you asking too many questions in my unit - although they are lovely people.
I know steroids make people put on weight - how is this good for me when I’m already obese?! And they give you an appetite - I really don’t need help with that
All I’ve been told is not to worry about that right now whilst I’m having treatment but its all getting out of hand and I don’t want to survive cancer to get a heart attack at 40 ! You see where I’m going with this.
Also, I have Poly Cystic Ovaries so when I try lost weight it’s very very slow trust me on that one - 1 or 2 lbs a week, as opposed to the 5-7lbs I used to be able to lose in a week easily when I was a size 16.
Dexamethasone made me lose my marbles! I was either the incredible sulk or hulk. I couldn’t sleep, my feet were restless, I’d pick a fight with the dog and when I wasn’t suicidal I’d be throwing a strop with my other half over something insignificant. It was so bad that I asked the oncology nurse specialist if I had to take them at the dose prescribed. It was interesting as she said that giving them was a bitnofna belt and braces approach and some people didn’t really need them. I therefore halved my dose for the 3 AC and didn’t have any for the taxol. I took the ondansetron and domperidon only for the AC.
Hi
I have had problems with dexamethasone in that they actually make me feel really sick when i take them . I spoke to my oncologist and he said to take just one tablet instead of two, which i did last time and i felt so much better. My chemo nurse said to stop taking them if they made me feel that bad but i found just taking one of them helped.
Melx
I was told that they also helped with other side effects - particularly preventing allergic reactions to Taxotere and reducing fluid retention, and that they helped the effectiveness of the chem drugs.
El K, this is one example where googling CAN help. I’ve found it helpful to google individual drugs that we are given so I can understand what they do and why they give them to us, so I’ve looked up all three FEC drugs, dex, ondansetron, metaclopramide, aprepitant (Emend), Herceptin, and anything else they’ve shoved in my direction, so even though I’m not actually in control, I can understand what the drugs are given for. Quite often I’ve asked and got a very woolly answer (which just gets lost in my poor woolly brain) so I find it puts my mind at rest to look up the drugs in my own time.
I looked up Dex on wikipedia, which says: “Dexamethasone can augment the antiemetic effect of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists like ondansetron.” (Interestingly it’s also used in conjunction with some other drugs to treat difficult ear infections in dogs!)
So rather than being specifically an antiemetic, it helps the other antiemetics to work more effectively. The 5-HT3 thing refers to the vomitting centre in the brain, and ondansetron “settles” the vomiting centre so your brain doesn’t tell your stomach to turn itself inside out.
I have sleeping problems, I keep waking up all through the night and can only sleep for a couple of hours at a time and it’s restless - for about 9/10 days, but can fortunately sleep during the day as well, it just plays havoc with my natural rhythms which is to SLEEP a full 8 hours.
I don’t get ratty as such, just feel fed up but not suicidal.
I don’t find myself being horrible to other people but I do lock myself away from people during that time to avoid any bitterness that may come through as I know that’s because of treatments. My OH isn’t too irritating in this instance luckily. I was more irritated when i was working full time in a stressful job and trying to be a domestic goddess as well - a lesson in delegation has been learnt, I won’t do that to myself again, can’t help but wonder if all the stress I’ve been through over the years has contributed to it because I’ve always seemed to physically react to stress and keep bottling mentally and emotionally til I have a near breakdown or end up on anti-anxiety meds.
Proof that “coping” isn’t always a good thing! It does have to come out somewhere.
CM - Very useful thanks - I’ve read some different things on dexa so it’s v confusing really. I’m just worrying about getting fatter than I am but just odn’t have energy most times to do anything about it but I really must and can’t keep putting it off - I’ve got cancer, I’m 34, I really shouldn’t be living it up food and alcohol wise as I have been, I need to take care of myself more (Booooooring ;-))
It’s so disheartening to lose 1 or 2 lbs a week on a diet of low sat fats and calories - I could manage it more if I saw faster results. My OH can lose loads in a week and he’s also obese.
I know that 1 or 2 lbs a week is 52lbs or 104lbs a year but it’s hard to see the bigger picture (excuse the pun) LOL.
I’m not too bothered about looks wise - although I’m developing a really huge double chin now which is not good. I’m more concerned right now about my general health and energy.
I was told the steroids are anti-sickness for FEC or AC and anti-allergy for Tax.
I had the IV dose with chemo (they wouldn’t give it without) but didn’t have any other drugs to counter SEs - not steroids or anti-sickness as I didn’t seem to need them. I did feel pretty rough and it’s true that the steroids make you feel better while you take them, although slightly mad.
The nurses send you home with a bottle of pills to take everyday for 3/4 days and each pill is a small dose (I think my prescription was 4 steroid pills a day) so you can self-medicate to some extent, as long as you’re sensible. The first cycle I took half the dose and after that, none at all.
It’s good to question - I think all medics give the impression they’d rather you didn’t ask. Can’t blame them, we google-doctors must be a right pain in the ass!
