anticipating side effects of 5-FU... supplement suggestions?

have2believe
have2believe Member Posts: 134
in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hello,
My mom is going back on 5-fu after being off Folfox for several months because of some "minimal" activity in her abdomen. My mom experienced fatigue, thinned hair, and skin discoloration as a result of the 5-fu before. In anticipation of this, does anyone have personal experiences with supplements to help with these side effects? I also want to add that I'll speak with the onc before taking supplements and also do research on the sloan kettering herbs website. But I want to have something to start with. Thanks.

Comments

  • tanstaafl
    tanstaafl Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    #2
    starting
    You might want to search and review about juicing, TCM, and supplements with 5FU.

    I don't have experience with infused 5FU but my wife on a daily oral form has prospered under a highly modified LEF protocol. She has used glutamine, IV vitamin C, and PSK especially for folate-5FU toxicity, and replaced ordinary synthetic folate sources (enriched foods like bread, pastas and multivitamins) with leucovorin (closer to natural folates) and natural folate food sources to reduce cumulative synthetic folate toxicity.

    The sources are often a few critical papers, so I am not sure that conventional medical references will have filled many gaps in detail.
  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    #3
    Vitamin B6 is commonly used
    50-100 mg 1-3 times/day may help with the neuropathy. Also look into Glutamine.
  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member
    #4
    do forget digestion
    gut relief powders, probiotics helped me among others. i found finding an experienced naturopath really helped, its so much easier than doing it yourself.

    with so much treatment going on i found outsourcing the supplement side of my care useful. of course i still read and researched and then i would have a professional to forward articles to.

    the point is how your mum's body reacts, so everybody is different. is individualised care, just like the onc provide is where i am at now and during treatment. as things stablise i am looking to backof the naturopath and do my maintenance supplements myself.

    just some thoughts.

    hugs,
    pete
  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #5
    Probiotics helped me a lot
    I agree with Pete. Probiotics helped me a lot. I used liqud probiotics, they do not have to be expensive to be good. My doc recommended an expensive brand of probiotics, I showed him the one I purchased. He said it was very good also. (at about 1/3 the cost of the recommended one.) Ginger in many forms, cookies, candy, dried ginger, etc... Queesy drops were good also. Jojoba oil for the skin. My skin dried out and then I got a rash from all of the antibiotics, and the FolFox killing the good bacteria. The Jojoba oil kills bad bacteria and moisturized my hand and feet. Goat Milk and Goat cheese helped build back the normal flora in my gut. I still use goat milk for coffee, and cooking. Baby Wipes and Nupoer Canal are a Must Have! Be prepared for when the diarrhea gets bad.

    Thinning hair, nausea, and fatigue, is just going to be a new normal for 6-9 months. My hais is starting to fill in, my nausea went away, and the fatigue is going away. The neuropathy issues are fading but still here for me. I stopped 7 months of Chemo in April.

    Best Always, mike
  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    #6
    thxmiker said:

    Probiotics helped me a lot
    I agree with Pete. Probiotics helped me a lot. I used liqud probiotics, they do not have to be expensive to be good. My doc recommended an expensive brand of probiotics, I showed him the one I purchased. He said it was very good also. (at about 1/3 the cost of the recommended one.) Ginger in many forms, cookies, candy, dried ginger, etc... Queesy drops were good also. Jojoba oil for the skin. My skin dried out and then I got a rash from all of the antibiotics, and the FolFox killing the good bacteria. The Jojoba oil kills bad bacteria and moisturized my hand and feet. Goat Milk and Goat cheese helped build back the normal flora in my gut. I still use goat milk for coffee, and cooking. Baby Wipes and Nupoer Canal are a Must Have! Be prepared for when the diarrhea gets bad.

    Thinning hair, nausea, and fatigue, is just going to be a new normal for 6-9 months. My hais is starting to fill in, my nausea went away, and the fatigue is going away. The neuropathy issues are fading but still here for me. I stopped 7 months of Chemo in April.

    Best Always, mike

    mouth
    i had really bad mouth sores on 5fu...lots of skin and eyes ....

    aloe was good....and a local doc had a mothwash that just sort of numbed the mouth

    skin and sun sensitivity were a major problem...I have very dark skin and never have had to avoid sun exposure but on 5fu I burned so easily...

    sorry....i know I am not suggesting solutions....just anticipating problems...

    maggie

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