Paclitaxel causes blackouts?

[AlaNtO]

When taking any of the Taxols did anyone suffer from a fall due to a temporary blackout? Probably due to low blood pressure? Seems that if the bloods are not properly monitored that these falls can lead to fatalities due to head and other bone injuries? On the first line a year ago I had a fall going to the toilet at night and my head took out some part of the bathroom furniture before I fell into the shower and bruised

the lower back. Now on second line a year later and coping so much better but this Onc checks out the bloods and is quite okay to delay a week before the next course. Your Onc and nursing staff can make a huge difference.

[Lindaura]

Agreed.

I think I answered you last year.

I only suffered a little bruising when I fainted on my way back from the bathroom, when I fell against my bedroom door.

I think the worst part was that I was too weak to call for help from my sister caring for me upstairs and I could not stand up by myself.

Once I realised this was a possibility (the fainting) which occurred usually at the end of the first week after infusion, I paid even closer attention to my body’s signals.

This year I am on Carbo and Caelyx and the side effects are much more manageable.

Best wishes,

Laura

[Lyndy]

Hi AlaNtO

I am don’t think I ever passed out but falling over..yes! I felt my balance was affected by chemo x

[bsooner]

Yes I passed out going from a wheelchair to sit in a chair to get my blood checked. Took me to the hospital where I did it again going into a CT machine because they thought I might have had a stroke. This was after I switched from taxol to taxotere. Spent 5 days in hospital doing nothing. Next 2 weeks I had blood transfusions and skipped the taxols and just had carbo for the remaining chemo treatments.

[Hidden]

I felt close to blacking out many times during my 1st line chemo of Taxol & Carboplatin. Eventually I realised it was caused by the steroids. The worst days were the first & second days after I came off the steroids. It was difficult to be sure it was the steroids until there was a long delay between me taking the steroids and getting the chemo on one treatment day and I had a near blackout in the hospital. My blood pressure was extremely high. Now they know how I react to the steroid tablets so I’m given a steroid drip on the day of treatment and take Amend tablets instead of steroid tablets post chemo.

[delia2]

Is it from orthodontic hypotension? Meaning your blood pressure drops when you stand up? I get that in the second week when I am extremely dizzy and fatigued and in bed for about 4 days.

[AlaNtO]

Thanks ladies. I was just wondering how regular these falls are. Maybe our Oncologists are not as wise as yours and probably restricted by funds as well. I do know of Taxol sufferers who deceased because of falls.