I haven’t started chemo yet as still recovering from op but i was wondering if they give steroids as a matter of course & what sort of side effects ur likely to get from them. I think they’re for anti-sickness aren’t they? love heather x
Hi Heather
Not sure if they give steroids for every type of chemo, but they do for both FEC and Tax. Think dexamethasone is commonly used.
They do help with anti-sickness, they also help prevent allergic reactions (particularly with Tax) and I was also told that they help the effectiveness of the chemo. They are given in varying doses and for varying periods depending on the type of chemo and your onc’s preferences.
The most annoying SE is that you may have difficulty sleeping while taking them and until they get out of your system. They can also make you go quite pink in the face, stimulate appetite and make you feel quite ‘buzzy’ and energetic.
Some people cope with them better than others - they don’t agree with me!
Dx
Hi Heather,
As DJ007 said, they are to help with the anti-sickness and allergic reactions. Mine were for 3 days after chemo and my worst side effects were disrupted sleep patterns for a couple of days and just felt a bit wired, even when I’m tired. I thought they also stimulated my apetites - but that doesn’t seem to be the case with AC. It’s just for a few days though and you would be very ill without them.
x
thanks ladies, disrupted sleep patterns are the norm at the mo anyway, as i guess they are or have been for all of u. This might be a strange question but why do some people get a ‘moon face’ on steroids, is that just when ur on a larger dose for example?
Ummmm…I’ve put on weight so my face is rounder than usual!! But my face doesn’t swell up. It is quite red though when I wake up in the mornings when I’m on steroids…but that subsides pretry quickly.
As the others have said St. Eroid (a name I invented and others have appropriated to my delight) is the patron saint of disrupted sleep patterns and sometimes also false energy and increased appetite. I’m not sure what it is that causes the ‘bloat’ that some of us get, maybe water retention? It does pass eventually, and I think we are often more aware of it than others.
Hope all goes well for you - between dexamethasone and domperidone (or Dom Perignon as I re-christened it to try to make is sound nicer!)I stayed sickness and allergy free during my FEC-T last autumn/winter. A word to the wise - if you get nasty side effects like heartburn do tell your oncologist - I had it and my guy prescribed omeprazole (losec) which was like magic. It’s amazing what they can do - if we tell them.
Oh Revcat love the names… laughed out loud for the first time in a while. Thank you.
I just refuse to take too many Sts - not holy enough obviously.
and don’t take them after 2pm.
Love to all
Lin
great, thanks again ladies, i always feel so much better after reading everyone’s answers. It helps so much to get others experiences & opinions. I love the names as well Revcat,lol. x
lol Linstar - not after 2p.m. is that because they turn us into gremlins?
With the doses I had with FEC that would have been just about feasible, but with Tax I had to take two doses of four tablets each at 12 hour intervals, and was advised this should be 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. - St Eroid had a field day and I probably did turn into a gremlin. I guess it varies from person to perosn, hospital to hospital, chemo regime to chemo regime, etc.
in my experience the steroids made me very emotional! after a does it was easy to make me cry and i will tell anyone who listens how much i love them!
Oh yes - forgot that SE - they turn me into an emotional wreck while I’m on the come down.
Think the ‘official’ moon face SE is only with prolonged use.
I nioknamed them asteroids - cos they put me into orbit, or Dexy’s Midnight Runners, cos they keep you up all night!
Dx
Having just had EC no.5, am experiencing and will experience the following SEs from steroids or chemo:
No sleep (though totally exhausted)
Cry at the slightest thing
Hot flushes (another reason for no sleep - and they are constant)
Nauseau for a few days(but travel bands help)
Appetite is all over the place (want to eat all the ‘wrong’ things)
Fuzzy mouth
Heartburn for a couple of days
No energy
Red face
Black rings under my eyes (probably lack of sleep)
Red pee for a couple of days (from chemo)
Hair loss (from chemo)
Constipation for a few days (from steroids)
But they’re all copable with … just plan things for the good days! xxx