Stomach issues w/Hydrea

[spikesnana]

Taking 500mg Hydrea daily. Have terrible stomach issues. Pain in my upper abdominal. Anyone had any success with what to take. Ive tried Nexium which gives me migraines., Prevacid and prilosec. Nothing helps.

[Cja1956]

I would definitely tell your hematologist about it immediately. I had that years ago and thought the same thing. That night I ended up in the hospital with a blood clot in my spleen. They kept me for 3 days. Good luck. Hope you feel better.

[bordeauxgirl]

Hello , I take 500 mg twice a day for PV, but also have had a gastric by-pass so even smaller amount of room for the Hydroxy to sit in, my solution is to have a late supper and take the tablets with the food, much better than all those drugs and as your stomach is mixed with food and they all go 'down' together( if you get my meaning) , with not much time to irritate . It works for me, its safe and works and doesn't hurt to try.

[Osteomyelio]

I have lots of gastro pain with HU. Went through all upper and lower gastric testing and been placed on many medications by gastro doctors with no relief. Sorry, I have similar problem but no answers for you

[kiwitraveller]

I take mine in the morning straight after breakfast. I think the food mixes with it and I am then moving around and not lying down so that helps it to digest. Just my theory - have had no side effects at all.

[Lifam]

I also have very sensitive stomach issue but i take mine exactly same way as kiwitraveller, never had any trouble.

[Mwalimu]

I take mine 'within' my meal which seems to help me. However, do you also take aspirin (most of us do)?. If so make certain it is enteric coated. Sallie

[hunter5582]

Nausea and vomiting are common adverse reactions to HU. It can also compromise your intestinal endothelium, cause constipation or diarrhea. Not sure what you describe really falls into those reactions. I would wonder about something MPN related, like splenomegaly, being the cause of the pain. Definitely follow up ASAP. This is not something to ignore or just try to bear.

Bear in mind that per the NIH hydroxyurea is "a highly toxic substance with a low therapeutic index." While some people tolerate HU with relatively few adverse reactions, others do not. Some, myself included, can not tolerate this medication. That is not to say this is the case for you. We are each different in how our MPN presents, in what treatment approach is best, and in how we react to the various medications.

Please be sure to follow up ASAP on what you are experiencing. It could be something very minor, or something more serious. Better safe than sorry. Hope you get is sorted out soonest.

[azaelea]

I also suffer issues with my stomach and am on the same dose of Hydrea as you. I have nausea at odd times during the day and after having my evening meal, though a small portion, I have a bad feeling of painful bloating on the left side of my abdomen about level with my navel which lasts about an hour. My GP has this week prescribed Ranitidine twice a day so I'm hoping this will help. He did examine my tummy so would have found out if my spleen was enlarged. Still awaiting thr result of a CT scan done over 4 weeks ago. This was on right side for kidneys mainly and also liver as I am having pain in that region too. I really do think Hydrea has a lot to answer for and always note what Hunter 5582 and Socrates (Steve) post on here. Hope you find an answer and if so, let us all know. Good luck. Fran

[Stephen399b]

I take 10x HU per week for ET for the last 3 years

I get very upset stomach and getting slowly worse. I do get some relief from Colpermin which is an IBS treatment. Tend to go from constipation to the 'reverse'! Apart from that ok, so mustn't grumble - my stomach does that for me, much to the amusement of grandchildren.

Stephen

[spikesnana]

Thank you all for your input. I will try with food but I also feel sick after I eat even small portions. I do think its the Hydrea and will talk to my oncologist. Although he tends to blow things off.

[Borage]

I found home made live kefir helpful with the gut side effects of HU.

[NewBloom]

I've been experiencing upset stomach's and some bloating. I also have bouts of bad nausea and fatigue, the last was the worse and couldn't eat for 5 days. It takes alot for me to not want food.

I've been mentioning this with Hematology for a few years but told to see GP which I did. First put it down to stress, followed up with mental health who said a little work stress/anxiety which I now manage, they discharged me as didn't think I was bad enough. After the last bout I called GP who suspect IBS but struggling to find intolerances. I join the last MPN webinar and at the end mentioned Hydroxyreau may cause stomach upsets. My next appointment with consultant (now telephone call) is early Sept, I'll be asking about this and the other post regarding Vit D.