Irinotecan

Dyanclark
Dyanclark Member Posts: 296
edited March 2022 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Anybody had this. My husband will be starting Irinotecan with Xeloda. Two surgies, radiation, Chemo and still my husband is on the CEA Rollercoaster

Comments

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #2
    Most of Us Have...
    It is a very "tuff" drug, Dyan...

    Some of us do well with the side effects and some of us do not. I found it particularly harsh and punishing...but that was after my 2nd lung surgery...and a six-week stint with radiation treatments and the 5fu fanny pack...

    It is highly effective at shrinking tumors...he should do well with that combo...
  • belindahill
    belindahill Member Posts: 144
    #3
    Irinotecan
    My husband has done xeloda, then oxy avastin and xeloda, then xeloda and avastin with mild progression in liver lung and peritoneum, so is starting Irinotecan, avastin and xeloda the 3rd of Jan, we have been told to expect a loss of hair, a servere loose stools for 3 days! He maybe having loose stools while having the IV! So we are quite scared of what to expect, hoping it will kick the buggers into shape. Good luck.
  • Dyanclark
    Dyanclark Member Posts: 296
    #4
    belindahill said:

    Irinotecan
    My husband has done xeloda, then oxy avastin and xeloda, then xeloda and avastin with mild progression in liver lung and peritoneum, so is starting Irinotecan, avastin and xeloda the 3rd of Jan, we have been told to expect a loss of hair, a servere loose stools for 3 days! He maybe having loose stools while having the IV! So we are quite scared of what to expect, hoping it will kick the buggers into shape. Good luck.

    Input
    Thanks for the input. My husband has had Xeloda before no problems. He also had the OXY with the avastin 5 months it worked side effects were pretty bad. No more avastin for him not working on bringing down CEA. So the Irinotecan has some hairy side affects. YIKES I hope it works. He had to have a colostomy in August and his CEA was 1.9 now it is 11.3 and climbing.
  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #5
    Yuk:
    Like Craig said, this is a very difficult drug. My George lost all his hair, including eyelashes, eyebrows. Now this does not happen to everyone but almost everyone experiences hair loss. Extreme fatigue. Diarrhea is a real big issue. That being said, it does work very well. My George did say Oxi is a a breeze compared to this one, but, everyone has a different experience, hopefully it will work well for you. This drug is also referred to as CPT-11 and Camptosar.

    Best Wishes - Tina
  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    #6
    Hi,
    My husband has done a
    Hi,

    My husband has done a lot of irenotrican. In fact he is on it now. He has had an easy time with it. He has experienced thinning of the hair but that is all. His other side affects are attributed to the 5FU. He has not experienced any diarrhea or nausea. It was quite effective against his cancer the last time he was on it. Hopefully it continues to work well throughout round two. Good luck to you.

    Chelsea
  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    #7
    i was on Irenotecan from may
    i was on Irenotecan from may thru october.. it wasn't horrible.. I lost my hair and had really loose bowels but not diarehea...
    I hated Oxy.. oxy didn't make me ill but the neuropathy side effect is enough to make me want to cut my hands and feet off.. will never take another platimun drug like that again.
    I take Vectibix.. which make your eyebrows, nose and facial hair grow.. lesser of he evils as I see it..
  • Dyanclark
    Dyanclark Member Posts: 296
    #8
    dmj101 said:

    i was on Irenotecan from may
    i was on Irenotecan from may thru october.. it wasn't horrible.. I lost my hair and had really loose bowels but not diarehea...
    I hated Oxy.. oxy didn't make me ill but the neuropathy side effect is enough to make me want to cut my hands and feet off.. will never take another platimun drug like that again.
    I take Vectibix.. which make your eyebrows, nose and facial hair grow.. lesser of he evils as I see it..

    Very Interesting
    Thank You dmj101 for the encouraging info on Irinotecan. I will be taking it starting next weds. along with Xeloda. This is the first time I've commented using my wife's [Diane's] password. I also experienced a lot of neuropathy with Oxy which was bad since I still play drums professionally. Thanks again to you, dmj and to all of you who have contributed! George Clark
  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    #9
    Dyanclark said:

    Very Interesting
    Thank You dmj101 for the encouraging info on Irinotecan. I will be taking it starting next weds. along with Xeloda. This is the first time I've commented using my wife's [Diane's] password. I also experienced a lot of neuropathy with Oxy which was bad since I still play drums professionally. Thanks again to you, dmj and to all of you who have contributed! George Clark

    Good Luck George... keep us
    Good Luck George... keep us posted how you make out..
  • Goldie1
    Goldie1 Member Posts: 264 Member
    #10
    Since Aug 8th...
    my husband has been going every other week for Irinotecan (CPT-11) and Erbitux. No diarrhea, a little bit of thinning hair, and pretty fatigued a day or two after treatment. I think the side effects from the Erbitux have been worse...rash and cracking of the skin around his hands and toes.
    Hope all goes well for your husband.

    Ellen
  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    #11
    I did 12 rounds in 08. No
    I did 12 rounds in 08. No hair loss or diarrhea. Just a lot of stach problems including vomiting. I just completed another 12 rounds earlier this year. This time i had some hair loss. Brutal diarrhea and vomiting.
  • barbebarb
    barbebarb Member Posts: 464
    #12
    janderson1964 said:

    I did 12 rounds in 08. No
    I did 12 rounds in 08. No hair loss or diarrhea. Just a lot of stach problems including vomiting. I just completed another 12 rounds earlier this year. This time i had some hair loss. Brutal diarrhea and vomiting.

    Hate to ask...
    Hi all
    Will find out my next treatment plan next mid -week for two liver mets and lung nodule.
    Just wondering how your appetite was...
    How did you deal with the vomiting?
    Were you able to work?
    Oh the ups and downs of this are so frightening.
    Barb
  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    #13
    barbebarb said:

    Hate to ask...
    Hi all
    Will find out my next treatment plan next mid -week for two liver mets and lung nodule.
    Just wondering how your appetite was...
    How did you deal with the vomiting?
    Were you able to work?
    Oh the ups and downs of this are so frightening.
    Barb

    Barb, I worked thru both
    Barb, I worked thru both Folfox and folfiri.. the fatigue was tough but I made it..
    I am lucky though.. I work from home.. my company had been very generous..
    It did cause me to loose most of my hair.. the diarehea was managable I didn't really call it that.. it was just really loose.. and thru a colostomy totally managable..
  • luvinlife2
    luvinlife2 Member Posts: 172 Member
    #14
    That's my cocktail......
    I've been on this with Avastin for 4 + years, just did #70. I've never had a liver resection and only one lung met removed (for pathology). So, basically no surgical intervention as much as I wished I could qualify.

    It has kept me alive. I do other treatments to improve my quality of life and keep my cancer at a weakened state so it continues to respond to the chemo. Since I started focusing on my immune system I tolerate the chemo extremely well with little side effects and I do most of what I used to but I'm definitely not the same anymore. I still have my few down days where the fatigue keeps me on the couch. That's probably the worst of everything...the fatigue. I can get tons of things done in my mind...lol. The body just can't keep up anymore.

    We are all different...some of us do well....some of us have a few more problems than others. I hope your husband will tolerate this chemo well, with no complications. All the best to you both. :)
  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    #15
    barbebarb said:

    Hate to ask...
    Hi all
    Will find out my next treatment plan next mid -week for two liver mets and lung nodule.
    Just wondering how your appetite was...
    How did you deal with the vomiting?
    Were you able to work?
    Oh the ups and downs of this are so frightening.
    Barb

    I took all the meds they
    I took all the meds they gave me for vomiting but didnt always work. I forced myself to eat whatever i could to survive.
  • Teresa0287
    Teresa0287 Member Posts: 16 Member
    #16
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1314606#Comment_1314606

    We’re there any creams or ointment that you found to work well to ease this? Thank you for sharing ❤️‍🩹

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    edited March 2022 #17

    This is an old post, with many members passed on. Especially Craig - sundanceh - The Lion.

    Tru

  • Teresa0287
    Teresa0287 Member Posts: 16 Member
    #18
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1695362#Comment_1695362

    Oh I had no idea I’m so sorry 🙏

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    #19
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1695366#Comment_1695366

    No, please don't apologise, it is fine. We have all replied to an old post, every last one of us.

    It is good, in a sad way, to see our friends who have passed. It means their words of wisdom continue on, and that is a good thing.

  • DanNH
    DanNH Member Posts: 185 Member
    #20

    My wife just finished 13th infusion of Irinotecan. It is hard on her. She gets extra fluids which helps a lot. She got a liter prior to and one after the last infusion. She is getting another at pump disconnect as we speak. I made an appointment for fluid during her recovery week just in case she needs it. The fluids help a lot. She is more sensitive to it and the other agents like 5FU. Don’t hesitate to ask about extra fluids.

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