Hi everyone, I have been on here before and BCN keeps texting me to say I have replies (somewhere?) but I am unable to find them??? I have had a breast lump removal, then Covid and now Chemo which is why I am now posting. I have had 3 rounds of Fecking FEC, (sorry), actually it was not that bad, however, the steroids were the main problem. I have been searching on here and no-one seems to have the same problem. After 4 steroids, I was high and manic. The night before I was researching a new TV and the next day I had verbal diarrhoea, I was quoting (almost verbatim), the merits of QLED tvs which my husband was not interested in. He wanted to watch the cricket. I was high, I was way out of control and I felt scared. I was on speed (not that I have ever taken that). Did not stop for 3 days, brain over-active and out of control. So imagine, when they told me that the next 3 treatments were for docetaxmol (sp?), involved taking 12 steroids before I even arrived for the infusion! I put it in my internal bin, only to surface this week when I phoned the team and voiced my fears. They listened (they are good), and said that now I can take a weekly infusion (more bother, but better than the steroid effect for me), who cares when you have to do whatever to get yourself through this whole challenge? I am thinking it is paclitoxel, I am not sure, but research indicates this. My BCN (lovely lady) said that those women who cannot tolerate docetaxamol end up on Pac. I just wanted to know if there were any other of you lovely ladies who know something about this ordeal. I love this website and I congratulate you all and wish you all the best. V
The steroids make me a bit high but not to the extent you seem to have. I think you must be very sensitive to the steroids. You could ask them to reduce the dose. I am on weekly paclitaxel and I have 4 mg of dexamethasone IV as a pre med . They gave 8 mg of dexamethasone pre-med and daily tablets for three days.
Good luck
You’ll still get steroids with Paclitaxel and for me they gave me that “high” feeling you describe for 24 hours. I think I only react to IV steroids though as I was fine with oral steroids for EC. I did eventually get them to drop the steroid dose when on Paclitaxel which helped massively.
Hi,
just reading your message, I have bipolar and really really sensitive to the steroids. I only have it before the taxel now and not at home as I was up for 6 days/nights when I was on a different programme of chemo and had to take it the day before, day of and day after chemo… not sure if this helps you?! Good luck x