My wife has fairly severe stomach upset, bloating and her endoscopy showed gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining). There was no h-pylori or celiac, so her endo feels it’s from one of her medicines. Most of these symptoms started with iBrance, so that’s likely the culprit, but I couldn’t find any posts where others were talking about this. She has also been found to have mildly delayed gastric emptying. She has difficulty eating and the bloating and stomach distress she experiences is severe.
Her physicians seem largely unwilling or unable to check for potential interactions with the meds she’s been prescribed for this. The PPI she was initially prescribed has the potential to reduce the serum concentration of iBrance (this is true for all PPIs), and the PhenoHytro that was just prescribed includes a phenobarbital which is a CYP3A inducer. The prescribing info for iBrance states that strong CYP3A inducers can reduce the serum concentrations of iBrance by over 80%. This can imply that even low doses of phenobarbital can potentially diminish the effectiveness of iBrance, but it’s unclear to what degree.
It’s frustrating that we can’t find relief for her, but it’s even more disappointing that we’re finding she’s being prescribed meds that could significantly diminish the effectiveness of the most important med she’s on for her MBC.
I wanted to post to make sure these iBrance interactions were known, to see if anyone else has had similar gastritis issues, and whether you have found anything that has helped.
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Is it the gastro docs or the oncologist who is unwilling to talk about interactions? If it’s the oncologist, who should be informed immediately about additions to your medicine list, does the practice have nutritionists or others that will talk to you about it? If they don’t have other resources, then maybe it’s time to find a new oncologist. Mine has pain resources, nutritionists, social workers, and people whose only job is to make sure you can afford your meds. Most good oncology practices have some or all of these resources. They want your wife’s meds to work so they should be concerned about this or be able to tell you why they aren’t.
Another thought. Is your wife on pain medications that might cause any of this?
Hi. Sorry you're having such a hard time. I use metoclopramide 10 mg and l take one as l need it. It helps move things along. I don't know why, but one pill before a meal helps for an extended time. I have not needed to take as the label directs ...with every meal. I take gasx when needed, try to eat slowly and be careful not to over eat. Doesn't seem to matter what I eat...pizza, fried clams or plain baked fish. I wish you both all good times.
Thanks for the feedback. We’re concerned about the side effects of Reglan (metoclopramide) so that would be an option but not one we want to try yet. Glad just a periodic pill is working for you, which should avoid the side effects. She’s not on any pain meds at the moment, the side effects of most for her don’t justify the marginal benefit. Her onc missed the PPI interaction, and her gastroenterologist missed the phenobarbital interaction. She has a good team, but they’re human like the rest of us and not the best communicators. We’ve had to do a lot of our own research to understand what she’s up against. Good suggestions to reach out to the specialist pharmacy and nutritionists. Many thanks.
Since the first time in 2010 that I was diagnosed with breast cancer I have had problems with the digestive system. Today I take OMEPRAZOL. Like a lot of papaya and before sleeping, I put baby oil in my stomach and I give small masages in a circular way. I do not drink soda just juices and water. Try this and you will see immediate results. Happy day and quick recovery 🌺
You will always be your wife’s best advocate💕many times I have had to look up the Paloma trials of ibrance just to see if some things I experienced were from it. Ibrance upsets my stomach so I take it with full dinner. I take pantaprazole early in the morning. My doc gave me Zolfran for nausea but haven’t used it. I found timing of meds is important for me and helps minimize gastric issues. Ibrance has to be taken on full stomach also. The specialty pharmacies usually have counselors for questions. It’s great she has you.
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