Docetaxel

[Fight11]

Can any of you tell me did you take prednisone though your whole time on chemo or just a few days after each cycle? I know some men take it throughout some don’t !! Would love some advice for my husband.

[CAMPSOUPS]

I hope of course that you will ask his MO. Maybe there is something going on with your husbands health that dictates the prednisone regiment prescribed for him during chemo.My prednisone during 5 months of chemo was every day.

In addition I had dexamethasone the day before, day of and day after each infusion.

[Fight11 in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

I Definitely did ask the doctor. He said that some people take it and some don’t. He said they always take the three day regimen after the chemo. However he said some men do not take the prednisone every day after that

[blms in reply to Fight11]

My onco told me the same thing. I think MOST take it but I believe that is because they really have to in the beginning to see that no serious allergic reaction happens. In my case, no problem and soooo glad I am no longer on it. Plus the infusion nurses said very rarely do people NOT take it which I am sure it is because on one asks.

[Hidden]

When I started chemotherapy I took it every day of the cycle, but I was getting "moonface" so my doctor suggested taking it just for the first 10 days after the infusion. That seemed to work fine for me.

It makes a huge difference with the side effects for the first week after infusion. I tried to do without it during the first week, but it was so much worse without it.

[CAMPSOUPS in reply to Hidden]

Nice. In my case moon face it was lol.At times I felt fortunate I had chemo during Covid. Kept me out of the limelight.

[Fight11 in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

That’s exactly his reasoning for not wanting it. However if it helps with the side effect he will have to have moon face again. He had it with Zytiga. Praying he does well with the Chemo.

[CAMPSOUPS in reply to Fight11]

Hmmm. Interesting. I haven't heard guys complain of moon face on the Zytiga prednisone regime. I just started Zytiga a month ago with 5mg Prednisone a day. I would also not be too keen on having moon face again.Hope that doesn't happen.

[Fight11 in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

It wasn’t from the Zytiga it the the prednisone he took in conjunction with it for 6 months.

[CAMPSOUPS in reply to Fight11]

Yep of course. Do you remember his daily prednisone dose if I may bother you with that question.

[Fight11 in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

Never a bother. It was .5 twice a day

[Fight11 in reply to Fight11]

May I ask how are you doing?

[CAMPSOUPS in reply to Fight11]

I was going to ask you the same after we cleared up this prednisone conversation lol. By the way hopefully I wont get moon face again. I am taking 5mg daily with my Zytiga.

Yes I am doing pretty well. I had a PSA spike a little over a month ago and I felt some things (pain, occasional clicking) in my left hip. Scans showed some of my femur metastasis on left side including humerous were growing.

PSA is quickly dropping and my hip feels better. My right shoulder is about the same as it always has been since diagnosis.

Some day I will have to consider if it is worth it to have some of my bone mets radiated. Seems you can only do that once and best to wait until giving you a lot of trouble.

But yes...doing well actually. Riding that wave again of " everything is ok for now ".

I hope your hubby is doing ok. I haven't looked at your bio. Sounds like he has been battling awhile. My best to you and him. Thanks as always for the support and love you give to him.

[Fight11 in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

Awe thank you. I didn’t write a bio I should. He was diagnosed two yrs ago this past April. They try to remove his prostate unfortunately it was fuse to the rectum.He had 42 rounds of radiation six months after radiation he had his first PSA check which was 0.1. Six months after that it jumped up to 10.49. He was then put on Zytiga it work for just a short time then he was put on Lynparza that did nothing at all. He just had his third round of Keytruda that did nothing. He has Mets in the sternum, hips back and right shoulder. His psa as of now Is 37.4 . He will be starting chemo on Tues. Docetaxel. I believe that’s the spelling. I must say I’m getting very apprehensive something Has to work.

[CAMPSOUPS in reply to Fight11]

Oh yes. I remember you now. Have read you. When I said battling awhile it was an understatement wasn't it.

Hey I am a strong believer in chemo. Let hope for the best. I'll be rooting for you guys.

[Fight11 in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

Thank you so so much!!! I’ll be rooting for you as well. How long have you been on the Zytiga? Are you castrate resistant ?

[CAMPSOUPS in reply to Fight11]

5 weeks. I hope I am on it so long that I eventually forget when I started ha.I wont have another PSA check until mid September but 9 days after I started Zytiga it had already brought my PSA down from 40 to 16.

[Fight11 in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

That’s amazing!!! 😍😍😍 Are you castrate resistant

[CAMPSOUPS in reply to Fight11]

Wish I knew actually. Probably. If Lupron couldn't hold my PSA down anymore as it was then probably CR. I do wish I would have pushed my Dr. harder for T blood level tests to help confirm CR or not.

[Fight11 in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

My husbands MO told him if the Lupron fails it means your castrate resistant.

[bud_manning in reply to Fight11]

That is the problem with SOC (standard of care), there are no guarantees. Nothing has to work. I am stage 4, mCRPC and running out of options. I started researching non-SOC options. I found out there are off-label drugs and supplements that have strong anti-cancer properties and enhance the effectiveness of chemo. I am currently on #6 of 8 docetaxel. I believe, because of the off-label drugs and supplements I am taking, I am having a much greater response to the chemo than anything I had read it would do. My MO scripted the drugs. They are FDA proven safe, virtually no side effects. You can't believe me. I didn't. That is why you do your own research. Hundreds of articles, 1000+ hours, I am still learning. But there are thousands like me, trying to beat stage 4 cancers. And there are hundreds reporting N E D or full remission from stage 4 cancer. Get a book, How to Starve Cancer, Jane McLelland. Great information. She pioneered the use of off-label drugs. Cured her own stage 4 cancer. The Care Oncology Clinic picked up on what she was doing.

careoncology.com/the-coc-pr...

An example of what I have learned: Fighting PCa, a plant based diet is important to starve and weaken the cancer so kill agents can take it out. There is an amino acid in food, highest in meat dairy and poultry, methionine. Cancers love it.

nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/...

I have dozens of med research articles to back up what I an saying. Get Jane's book and read it. I will share more if you are interested. May God bless y6ou and your husband.

[Hidden in reply to Fight11]

It's really night and day with the side effects, for the first week anyway.

For me, the side effects were 3X worse without the Prednisone. I only tried going off for 2 days, then went back.

[Fight11 in reply to Hidden]

I will definitely make sure he does take them. Don’t want to do anything to rock the boat. 🙏🙏🙏

[bud_manning in reply to Hidden]

Please pardon my intrusion here. I too am doing docetaxel, 6 of 8 since April. Not doing prednisone. Was not even mentioned. I am curious about the side effects it helped with. All I have had with chemo is extreme weakness / fatigue, numbness in my fingers, and hot spots on my face and hands like a bad sun burn.

[Hidden in reply to bud_manning]

5mg of Prednisone twice daily should be prescribed for MCRPca according to the prescribing label.

accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatf...

The two main clinical trials for Taxotere + ADT wth HSMPca patients were the CHAARTED and STAMPEDE trials. In the CHAARTED trial, prednisone was not given but in STAMPEDE it was. In addition to helping with the side effects, it's also been proven to help with the efficacy of Taxotere.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

As far as the side effects go, I just felt so much worse without it. Just felt really sick and super-fatigued. Had much less energy without it. I was really surprised how much difference it made.

[bud_manning in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. I had not seen that. Will bring it to my MO.

[Fight11 in reply to Hidden]

You took them everyday? How much? .5 twice a day

[Hidden in reply to Fight11]

I took 10mg every day for the first 10 days after infusion.

[Fight11]

Thank you so much !!!

[Nellienoodle]

My husband has just had his second round of Docetaxel, Zytiga worked for about a year but now we're onto the big stuff. We live in France so things are a bit different here, he is given a big dose of Prednisolone (100g)the day before chemo and the day after, then no more steroids until the next round. He is also injected daily for a week with Zarzio to build white blood cells. He is having side effects to the chemo, all of the usual ones, lost his hair 2 weeks after the first infusion, bone pain, fatigue and now pain in feet has just started. We don't want steroids daily if we can avoid it.

[Fastingguy]

I had extreme psychiatric reaction to daily Prednisone and the other stronger 4-day steroid while undergoing chemo in Germany. Medicos blew it off as anxiety from the circumstances. I knew and know better. But white blood cell count remained strong, so the inevitable multiple effects of most any pharm was at play. Fortunately, I reverted to my standard craziness afterwards and no one was physically harmed while I was insane.

[monte1111 in reply to Fastingguy]

After 4 and a half years of ADT I am too weak to physically harm anyone. But the cats know who's the boss.

[Eddy-Merckx]

I took Dexamethasone the day before, day of, and the day after chemo, but no other days. I am taking prednisone (5 mg) with Zytiga now, but I did not start taking them until I finished chemo.

[EdBar]

If I recall correctly I took it just before and for 2-3 days after each infusion.

Ed

[willy_]

I had hormone therapy + 6 x docetaxel . NO prednisone at all .

Regards , Willy

[Fight11]

Ok and thank you. It seems as though the general consensus is three days after, not long term. His MO said definitely take all three days after his infusion, also said he can take it everyday .5 twice a day while on the chemo, however that would his option. He said some do some don’t. Just wanted to see what most of you are doing? Don’t want to rock the boat!!!

[DrRobin]

Only took it before each infusion: 4hrs & 2hrs before. Dexamethazone though, no prednisone!

[Fight11 in reply to DrRobin]

What is good for the metallic taste in your mouth? I heard some also develop this.

[blms]

Well, I am a MBC person but do get infused with taxol weekly-three on one off. I requested to my oncologist, that I stopped my IV steroid after the first round of three treatments. My reason for that is steroid are kind of counter productive. They are good for a short while but then actually create inflammation. So, that makes little sense to me. I know a number of people take the steroids after treatment. I had to have it the first round because of allergic reaction possibility--which fortunately I had no problem with. So, My onco said no problem and they stopped giving it to me and I have had NO problem and actually feel so much better without it. I think it pumps you up then lets you down. My personal experience was MUCH more positive and even more energetic without them. So, talk to onco about it and see what they say based on your husbands situation. Good luck. Where is your husband being treated.

[Fight11 in reply to blms]

He sees Dr Beltran at Dana Farber. However he has his chemo with his local Oncologist .

[blms]

I have GREAT respect for Dana Farber. I considered a few years ago when first diagnosed with stage 4 status to go there. I discovered after speaking to them and beginning planning that they were the MOST thorough in asking for background info that I could find anywhere in the state, including MD Anderson. I am in the Washington DC area and use Georgetown Lombardi. I did not follow through with Dana Farber only because at that time I felt that Lombardi could handle my situation without travel up to see another. Although I did go to Cancer Center of America in Philadelphia but was unimpressed pretty much across the board except for their integrative oncology department which was a tremendous plus. Where is your local?

[Fight11 in reply to blms]

May I ask how you are doing now?

[blms in reply to Fight11]

I have had cancer for 24 years and metastatic disease fir 4 full years . I got aggressive with my treatments in March of this year when I went on taxol, lower dose than 24 years ago. I am doing extremely well as far as how I feel. One down day when infused then feel good rest of week. I do whatever I feel like. So I am grateful! I gaa as be a lot if energy. Feeling much better than I did on steroids. That’s me, not sure others have or same experience but most font k ow to try. I also do toe exercises to help with any or ding nerve damage

[monte1111]

Dexamethazone pills day of and day before each cycle. Kept me wide awake for three days. (Dexamethazone infusion with first Taxotere infusion, then just the pills.) Was prescribed Prednisone when I started Xtandi. ??? Eventually refused to take and eventually lost the 30 lbs. I had gained.

[Cooolone]

Dexamethasone the infusion prior to Docetaxel at same time, day. Due to its effect upon my blood sugars. The 5th and last Docetaxel infusions my Dexamethasone was halved because it kept pushing my glucose too high... And that was problematic because I went from feeling the effects of chemo on days 3-6 to having the SE's right away, the night if the infusion and lasting through day 6... Eeehhhhhh! I just thought it was the cumulative effect of the chemo until I had a conversation with my nurse who informed me that my MO had cut my steroids due to my blood sugars! Well, maybe I could've informed him if given the chance, that I ate in the a.m. prior to going to the hospital and that was affecting my glucose, not the steroids! Something I wasn't given and opportunity to do, and it hit pretty hard.

Anyways, Good Luck!

[Mollygrace666]

I take my predisone daily , and an extra dose of dexamethasone 1 day before and after each 21 day chemo treatment

[docbulldog]

I am ready for my third infusion this coming Friday, I am given 20 mg of dexamethasone before my infusion and then my OC recommended I take 5 mg of prednisone every day after the infusion. This seemed to help my leg pain, which I had after my first infusion starting on about day four. I was told since my adrenal gland was not working after I finish Zytiga and a steroid, I would probably be on prednisone forever.Best of luck!

[Fight11 in reply to docbulldog]

Sending prayers to you as well!!! 💙💙

[docbulldog]

Thank you, going through these treatments are always interesting.😀

[docbulldog]

I finished my third infusion last Friday and the plan was to take it easy for the first five days compared to how I treated the earlier infusions. I had a shot this past Monday to help improve my white blood count, I’m kind of wondering if that is causing some extra side effects that aren’t giving me a whole lot of pep and a little nausea. Hopefully in my second week after the infusion I will see some marked improvement in my energy level.Keep positive guys, I think there is a turn in the road coming up that will give us some real relief from this terrible cancer.

[docbulldog]

I just finished my sixth infusion. My 0C recommended I keep on 5 to 10 mg of prednisone in between infusions. My cancer center has serval traveling OC doctors every 6 weeks. A couple I have met with recommended this to help support the adrenal gland. Hope I stated the correct gland…chemo brain is slow sometimes.