Zometa

[Gwennie123]

Hi all

I’ve been on Ibrance exgeva faslodex for the past year. My onc want me to start zometa next month. What sort of side effects can I expect?

Thanks for being there.

Gwennie.

[barbarac76]

Hi.

I had Zometa infusions every 4 weeks from 9/2013 to 6/2015. Then, every three months from 7/2015 to 6/2018. My facility changed its protocol for Zometa in 2015 from every 4-6 weeks to every 3 months. A clinical trial showed more frequent infusions did not improve its efficacy. I switched from Zometa to Xgeva when a nodule in my T9 vertebrae became more active.

I think I can say with almost complete certainty that I had no side effects with Zometa. What I mean is I never had any immediate reactions after I had a Zometa infusion and I didn't have any long-term (less likely) problems that Zometa can cause.

[Hidden]

Hi Gwennie,

I have been having regular zometa infusions (every 12 weeks) since June 2018. For the most part I feel fine during and after the infusions. I sometimes feel a little achy about 24 hours afterwards, but some ibuprofen usually clears that up. If you have any reactions at all, make a note of how you are feeling and let the nurses and your oncologist know.

Sophie x

[Nmartinez15 in reply to Hidden]

I was on pain for 3 days and feeling terrible for almost a week. They want to do monthly and i feel is not necessary. I am not looking forward for the next one.

[Hidden in reply to Nmartinez15]

Hi,

Do you think you are allergic to zometa? I think it's worth mentioning to your oncologist how you felt after your last infusion. If you are going to be having infusions every month it will be unpleasant for you having to cope with pain and feeling bad for several days afterwards. That just leaves three weeks or so out of the month to feel normal! I remember a past post that mentioned having the infusion over a longer period of time might help, rather than just 20 minutes. It's also a good idea to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water afterwards.

I hope you can get this resolved and not have to suffer from bad side effects again,

Sophie

[Nmartinez15 in reply to Hidden]

I will let her know. Thx

[MacroMom]

Will you be taking Zometa instead of Xgeva? I'm curious about why your oncologist would make the change. Did you have a reaction to Xgeva, or a change in symptoms?

[Gwennie123 in reply to MacroMom]

I will find out more later this month.

I am currently on a cruise in Greece.

It’s helping me to feel like a regular

person rather than someone with cancer

Thanks

[Geulah]

I did not experience any noticeable side effects. But, I do urge you to get a good dental checkup BEFORE starting.

Especially if you need a tooth pulled or implant. Its best to.see a dentist who specializes in oncology. After Zometa,pulling teeth becomes complicated and can even G-d forbid can cause necrosis. I was told you cannot do implants for the same reason. This was not emphasized enough by the staff.

Also, somehow teeth seemed not so important compared to the bigger picture.

Blessings for good health and well being

[morty87]

I've been on Zometa monthly for 18 mos. The suggestion I have is drink plenty of water after the infusion. Initially I became sore the next day but found movement helped more than lying in bed. Ibuprofen also helped. SE are not that bad. I think my body began to get used to it. Good luck.

[morty87 in reply to morty87]

I forgot to add that I do take a daily Claritin. I don't know why it works to combat achiness but it does!

[myrtice]

I had a friend that took zometa.

He had to make sure his teeth were in good health before stArting the drug. Don’t know much about it.

[Red71]

No problems at all with Zometa, even with the first dose. My oncologist asked me after my first dose and I told him no, was I supposed to have side effects? He laughed but he seemed surprised that I didn’t. The nurses didn’t linger to talk about them and I’m the type that doesn’t go looking for them, but I do take a daily Claritin for allergies so maybe that’s why I didn’t have a problem.

[Buffwright]

I’ve been on Zometa since summer 2016. I now have infusions every 3 months. No side effects for me. I was told I might have flu like symptoms so it gave me a great excuse to take a day off work....but they never materialized!