Kidney function

Living with secondary breast cancer Treatments and medical issues
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Hi Ladies,
I’m currently on abemaciclib and letrozole for none mets. Does abemaciclib cause kidney function to deteriorate? I had a blood test at the doctors for something unrelated and it said my GFR was 45 which they classed as stage 3a chronic kidney disease! My oncologist has never commented on my kidney function before but this has sent me into a panic.

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:heart:I can’t comment about the meds impacting your gfr but ask your team to let you see a dietitian :heart: changing diet can assist gfr but you’ll need to discuss with your team as I can’t comment if your meds are impacting gfr :heart: :two_hearts::two_hearts::sparkles::sparkles:Shi xx

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Im on the same meds and my oncologist told me that it can affect kidney function levels but they would monitor it and a temporary drop was to be expected

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I am also on the same meds. I was advised by my team that they had been told by the chemist that you can have a false creatine level with Abemaciclib. I also struggled with atrocious fatique with dose of 150mg, twice a day and also with 100mg, twice a day. I have reduced my dose to 50mg twice a day and my liver function is improving each time i have my blood test.

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Thanks for your response. I too had to drop to the lowest dose because I felt constantly sick and had awful gut issues. I wasn’t able to sleep properly on it due to the stomach cramps. I’ve lost so much weight on this drug: has it affected your appetite or taste?

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I am on Letrozole, my eGFR reduced to under 50 and urea level was abnormal too, this flagged up on a routine blood test. I have never had abnormal bloods before so was quite taken aback by this. I kept getting told by the GP receptionist to get my kidney function repeated, this was 3 times and it then went back to normal. I feel the GP should have discussed this with me. I was wondering if it was due to the Letrozole, if it happens again I’ll certainly be making an appointment with my GP to discuss more fully. I also have lost weight, 4kg, was weighed when I went for my Dexa scan 2 weeks ago. I knew I had lost weight as my clothes are a lot looser on me but I never really weigh myself, others have reported a side effect of Letrozole is weight gain.

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My diarrhoea has been managable to be fair. I havent lost weight because of this and appetite is normal. I hope you are coping better with lowest dose. I was told it wasn’t the dose size that mattered, but the consistency of taking it, so I’m going to persevere. Stay in touch xx

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Hi Ladies,
I am also on Abemaciclib (100 mg) and Letrozole. I started on 150 mg Abemaciclib this June, but it gave me horrible diarrhea (6 bouts a day) and abdominal pain everyday. My onc has since lowered my dosage from 150mg to 100 mg. The lower dosage works better in that I no longer suffer from diarrhea. I have read in the literature that Abemaciclib affects kidney and liver functions. My blood tests reveal that my liver enzymes are also elevated. Sigh…

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Hi Teresa_Jones,
Glad to hear that your diarrhea has been manageable. Were you ever advised how long you would need to go on taking Abemaciclib? Thanks, xoxo

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I was advised I’d be on it for 2 years. My grade 3 , stage 3 ILC has a high chance of reoccurance within 2 years so Abemaciclib is taken for this period to try a prevent this. Ive been taking it since late January 2023.

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Hi! I’m taking Letrozol since mid of August & Abemaciclib 150 mg 2x/day. What bothers me is that early morning I’m getting awake because my hands & fingers feel so stiff that I need to massage them. And the shoulders feel so heavy & joint pain on shoulders 2 weeks after starting Letrozol. Now this shoulder problem is getting better. Because of these factors: I had my Vitamin D increased to 2,000 IE. Started Algae Oil Omega 3, Calcium 1.2 Gram/day (I’m menopause). Doing more exercises & walking. And massage by PT.
And for Abemaciclib- so far I got no stomach problem until now. I am on high fiber diet. Eating Flaxseeds with whole grain oats & soya milk. Plus a lot of fluids!
Hope my advices will help you & others. I’m a nurse by profession. Think positive & keep praying. It helps me a lot.

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