Had covid this week, day6now .First few days rubbish, better now , but this happened…… this week is blood test , get prescription for Olaparib. So I phoned our MDCU, being responsible and said can’t come to hospital to get blood done because I’m still testing positive, seeking advice on management. Well she had an absolute fit, saying , if you have covid you must ring and stop medication immediately. First I knew of it, absolutely never had this advice, Ive been just taking as usual . I’ve only ever had general CEV advice . Anyway after that the consultant phoned to say stop for week —totally stable doors and all that., and annoying cos I’m beginning to feel fine again now and hate treatment breaks .
This little rant is really to see if anyone else aware of this , or is it just me??
Hope everyone ok, lots of covid in sunny Sussex
Jennifer
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Rankij11
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I don’t think anyone has told me specifically to stop Olaparib if I get covid but I did get the invite to ring for the antiviral drugs at home as part of CEV status and I would assume they would ask me to stop the Parp? It’s all a bit piecemeal and who gets what advice a little random x
Did you get a full PCR test through the post after 4th jab so that you can be sent anti viral meds? I'm on a different maintenance drug than yourself and have never been given any advice 're stopping if positive test. Will ask next Monday when I pick up next script. Thanks for highlighting this. 👍
Your welcome Never had 4th jab yet . It’s complicated cos I’ve had 2 and a booster, but not what they call the third dose . Therefore I don’t have a referral letter for third dose , which you need to get the 4th . Catch 22 . I think you can agitate via your GP or consultant . Anyway when I received my positive PCR test back , It has advice re anti virals etc . Lucky I have not been that ill
On active treatment and was sent it in post. Not sure who generated it. GP or oncology? 4th jab invitation came from GP so I assume the PCR was too! I maybe wrong. Thankfully haven't had to use it so far. Still doing lateral flow tests if going to hospital for appointments. If not still testing once a week.
Hi. Glad you’re on the mend! I’ve never heard this but I do get the impression that oncologists are all over the place about when you should stop PARPs. Enjoy your sun!
It’s random . Mine will stop them at any excuse , drives me bonkers . I finally got a deal on platelet numbers after a years negotiating!! But of course she is doing her job , and well . It’s just when she says , it’s risky, I think well probably not much of a risk as the stage 1V cancer in my belly !! Onwards
Glad your feeling ok Jennifer, and your rightI wouldn't have had a clue about stopping treatment. And like you when lm on treatment lm keen to keep up. Hope you get back on track
I had Covid in Dec 2020 and did think about phoning my Oncologist but decided to get a pulse oximetry and moniter myself at home ( ex. Nurse) instead , believing that everyone was so busy. My Oncologist was horrified saying he would have stopped my Niraparib to “ maximise your immune system “However that may well have been the wrong thing to do as many of the Covid deaths were due to people’s immune system going into overdrive !!!
I have read several research articles that discuss Parps in relation to Covid as they dampen down our immune systems and one paper purports using Parps as a treatment !!
Now I’m certainly NOT suggesting for one second that anyone does this , please phone your Oncology dept for advice. It’s just very interesting to me.
Interesting indeed . I’m just feeling a bit aggrieved at having meds stopped , whereas if it hadn’t coincided with blood test week , they wouldn’t have known !! Thanks for replying
I find it a bit puzzling because, after you stop a PARP, its up to six weeks for your immune system to recover, so unless they're telling you to stop for ages,what's the point of stopping it at all? Perhaps they're concerned in case your covid takes a turn for the worse and you get seriously ill or something, or perhaps there is a small effect from not swallowing the drug for a few days, maybe... or they don't know enough about the interaction between covid and PARP and are playing safe, no idea.
Worse thing was I was on day 5 of covid , so over the worst bit . If they had done blood , and found all was well, there would seem no point at all in stopping Think it’s a playing safe default
Just out of interest, how long did they tell you to stop the drug for? Till you test negative again, or some other time period? It's just I recall another member on here, JustKBO, who had Covid quite a while back, pre Omicron variant, and recovered while on rucaparib, and I don't recall her saying anything about being told to stop the drug...
Just a week from when I phoned to sort out blood test (day 5) , I didn’t want to go to lab while still testing positive. Arbitrary figure you ask me . I’m cursing now cos tbh they would never have knownX
Hmm, occurs to me they can't stop you just taking the drug regardless of what they say, but well,, if its only a week's break, you'll be back on it in a flash and it probably won't make much impact from its effect on the cancer anyway. Nor on your bloods either, still seems like a bit of a kneejerk response to the situation to me, but hey, what do I know😃 Hope you're feeling recovered from the covid..
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Things you don't want to hear and I don't mean from your Onc.
Cant believe how things just get worse!!!
Unable to drain my Ascites 
Olaparib question - temperature and feeling rubbish.
advice on how things will go please x
