Simple fix for dry cracked fingertips from Imbruvica

[RJR1]

As I've commented before dry cracked spitting fingertips and brittle fingernails had become a nuisance due to Imbruvica. Constant application of lotions, liquid bandage always close by, use of Hard as Nails, grease up and sleep with surgical gloves...

And then this... I had been drinking about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts of water daily. I might even have slipped a bit and was consuming closer to just 2 quarts

I recently ramped up my water consumption to 4 quarts per day. A full 2 quarts each morning with my coffee.

Within a week or so of starting this the splitting has virtually stopped. Nails are less brittle. Haven't had to use liquid bandage on a cracked split fingertip in days.

Now I'm not a big fan of water on its own. Really prefer to enjoy it later in the day enhanced with rocks and a daily ( medicinal ) dose of bourbon.

But I'll keep pouring water down if it eliminates the troublesome side effect of Imbruvica.

[Hoffy]

Has anyone tried biotin. My dermatologist told me it's strengthens nails. They said it takes about eight months for it to work though. I saw some studies online that said it does work.

[maggiesgrandmom in reply to Hoffy]

Yes, Biotin definitely works.

[KAS8]

I am with you in water consumption. Was never a big drinker in my past but started running a few years ago and realised I needed to hydrate more. So I have been drinking 2 litres a day for a while. I have to confess to not liking tap water so buy it in instead.

[lexie]

May want to run excessive water or any liquid by your doctor. My husband developed hyponatremia from drinking too much liquid which diluted blood sodium. One of his medications always made him thirsty. It got so bad he was hospitalized and his symptoms were alarming as we tried to get him back to normal. It was like Alzheimer's. He had to continue the medication, cut back on liquids to one liter per day plus include more salty foods and ended up on 4000mg sodium tablets per day to stay corrected for years because the brain adjusted to lower sodium than he required. I would say he was consuming about 4 quarts for a few months which started all this. There were no hot days or sweating involved to justify the excess water intake. He did regain his normal mental faculties but it took a couple months.

[tryandtry]

I live in Reno, NV , where it is VERY dry, so I normally drink a lot of water. But, some days I get sloppy, and forget. I never associated my brittle fingernails with Imbruvica and this lack of water, until your post. THANKS!

Gary (tryandtry)

[IAMSUEBW]

Hi Gary, I am a little behind on some posts. I love in Carson City/Douglas County area. I was diagnosed May, 2012, did 6 mos. Chemo and then started Imbruvica May 2016. My fingernails were fine until about 3 months ago. Been taking Biotin for about 3 months but still have issues. Going to try more water and see what happens. Take care neighbor.

Sue

[SurvivingCLL]

Hi to all who've developed skin cracks & splitting, brittle nails while on Imbruvica. I had the same issues while on that drug.

First, a word of CAUTION. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO USE SUPER GLUE ON SKIN!! I joked to my doc that I'd almost resorted to using the glue on my CRACKED HEELS!

He told me to NEVER do that (because the glue would seal in all sorts of GERMS)!

Okay, so what do we do?! I discovered a miracle cream in a neon green pump tub in Big Lots (a discount store). I've also found it in an all white tub. That stuff, for whatever reason, worked wonders with my heels & my fingertips.

The fingernails were a different story altogether. I tried Hard As Nails in multiple varieties (expensive & of little help) & I asked a dermatologist for help. She told me it was Psoriasis (in my NAILS?!). She gave me a specialty nail treatment she'd gotten from a lone, local pharmacist (containing Urea 40%). That stuff helped...a little bit, but over a month or so, it ACTUALLY BEGAN TO SOLIDIFY in the bottle!

I finally, after about 9 months of not being able to grow my nails much past the "quick" (w/o painful splitting INTO the "quick"), found a product that claimed to have been around for a long time. I'd NEVER seen it before, but took the risk of once again being disappointed. It really WORKED! The product is NAIL MAGIC. It's both a nail hardener & conditioner. I cannot make any promises that it will work for EVERYONE. All I can say is it worked for me.

Here's hoping you ALL are able to find RELIEF from these (or other) products! 😁👐🤞💅🤗

[ncosto]

After just 4 months on ibrutinib, I started to have open/split skin fissures on my fingers and the heel of my foot. I used all of the standard OTC remedies to try to close the fissures. One got infected and the dermatologist put me on oral antibiotics. Three antibiotics later, an x-ray and MRI, it was confirmed that the infection spread to the bone and I am now being treated for osteomyelitis, 8 weeks on antibiotics . The long term use of heavy duty antibiotics has led to some other rather unpleasant side effects. I am now in the care of a onco-dermatologist who has a very different approach to treating these skin related side effects from the BTK drugs. I would recommend that if you are experiencing these issues you seek care from a dermatologist who is knowledgeable in treating the side effects of cancer meds. Ask your CLL specialist for a recommendation.