Hi fellow Olaparib users .
I’ve been on Olaparib for 3 .5 years now . Recently developing bouts of gut discomfort and diarrhoea. Have to say up until now on the drug , it’s always been rather the opposite . On the literature it says diarrhoea is a common side effect . I was wondering if others have experienced a similar development and why it’s suddenly happening? Of course it might not be the Olaparib I suppose . Any personal experiences would be helpful .
Grateful for any response!!
Jennifer
Hi. I’ve been on Olaparib now for over 9.5 years. I’ve had this issue for some time and found the foods that trigger episodes. Doesn’t stop me eating those foods if I want but makes me aware. For me it’s usually spicy foods, onions, if I have a lot of veg or salad in one sitting.
Thank you . I guess maybe with long term use , problems may develope? . I think it’s likely to be the Olaparib as it’s not like a gut bug , where you would get repeat episodes in a day for example ??? . I feel well and bloods ok so maybe look at diet ?? Obviously last thing I want to do is stop Olaparib as I’m not NED , and it’s holding the cancer
Thanks for answering, hope all well with you
Jennifer
Yes, it’s diet related (well with me it is). Track yr diet and episodes you have and you will prob find something that sets it off. For example if I have a roast dinnerI do lots of veg, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, parsnip, cabbage and then the next day I’ll have an episode. If I have salad (especially a lot of lettuce) then the next day I’ll have an episode. I can tell because I gave a big build up of wind. Oh, and baked beans! I find I can go a while without any issues then some days within the space of an hour I’ll bleed to go loo as much as 6/7times. I feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. I’m going on a long haul flight soon so I’ll make sure I stick to foods that don’t cause any issues that day!
Hi Jennifer, I've been on Olaparib for 14 months but, like you, started having episodes of diarrhoea (& sickness sometimes), having been ok (although very windy!) for the best part of a year. I now find that I can't eat dairy so I think the drug has caused some sort of lactose intolerance in my guts (which is such a bummer as my favourite food is cheese!) I do have random other episodes so, like Katmal suggested, I'm going to try and keep a diary of what I've eaten and see what triggers it.
When I had a really bad bout of sickness and diarrhoea a couple of times within a month, (before I realised the link with lactose), I did ask my oncologist about it. They said it can't be the Olaparib as I would be ill all the time as I'm taking them every day, but I might have eaten something containing bacteria that caused a stomach upset. Because immunity is lower because of the Olaparib, the food might have caused effects in me that didn't affect the rest of my family, so there's that to consider as well if you have any really bad episodes.
Do you have some immodium/loperamide at home? My oncologist prescribed me some of these when I first started on Olaparib. I don't take them very often but they can be useful in slowing your guts down if you're particularly bad or have somewhere important to be! Xx
Thank you for sharing , always been amazed at the amount of gas Olaparib produces !!!!! So that is really helpful , maybe there is a trigger factor ? Like you I eat a lot of cheese ? I’m taking the loperamide as and when as well . I’ve had a ‘difficult ‘ gut since chemo but this is sort of different . I’ll go back to real basics I think then add different foods and see what happens. Thanks and hope all goes well with you
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer
Thank you for your post. I was really sorry to hear that you have had bouts of gut discomfort and diarrhoea recently. I can see that several members of the forum community have shared their experiences which I hope has been helpful.
I wondered whether you have had the opportunity to discuss this change with your clinical nurse specialist, oncologist or the 24/7 oncology helpline at your hospital? They should be able to help identify the cause of these symptoms and offer personalised advice about how to alleviate them. If you would like any support to plan or prepare for any upcoming appointments or conversations, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0800 008 7054, send us a message through this forum, or email us via support@ovacome.org.uk. We’re here Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm.
In addition, Macmillan’s information about olaparib provides some guidance about diarrhoea as a side effect:
‘Diarrhoea
This treatment may cause diarrhoea. Diarrhoea means passing more stools (poo) than is usual for you, or having watery or loose stools.
If you have diarrhoea:
• tell your cancer doctor or nurse straight away so it can be treated quickly.
• follow any advice from your cancer team about taking anti-diarrhoea drugs
• drink at least 2 litres (31/2 pints) of fluids each day
• avoid alcohol, caffeine, milk products, high-fat foods and high-fibre foods.
Contact the hospital straight away if:
• you have diarrhoea at night
• you have diarrhoea more than 4 times in a day
• the anti-diarrhoea drugs do not work within 24 hours.’
Macmillan's full information page on olaparib can be found here: macmillan.org.uk/cancer-inf...
I hope this information is helpful and that you can access some personalised medical advice soon to help resolve the symptoms you are experiencing. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there’s anything we may be able to support you with.
Best wishes
Annie – Ovacome Support
Thank you Annie
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