Irinotecan side effects and infusion duration?

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joyshna36
joyshna36 Member Posts: 5
in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi please help. I am looking for more info on side effects of the Irinotecan and the duration of the infusion.

I am also trying to contact someone on this site - her username is monicamelia. The reason is her case is similar to mine and i want to contact her personally to ask a few questions.

Thank you.

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  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #2
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    Irinoteacan
    I was on that for about a year or two, two years ago. It was about an hour for the infusion. There were premeds I had to take beforehand that took maybe 30 minutes then the actual med took another 30 minutes. I had trouble with constipation but looking back, I think part of that was due to premeds. Either the Irinoteacan or the premeds gave me some severe stomach cramps. It wasn't pleasant but they became predictable and after a while I would try to make sure I didn't get backed up. For about a year and a half I've been on only Erbitux. I had been taking them both together.

    Check out this profile, the spelling is close, maybe it's her?
    You can try to send an email through this site
    http://csn.cancer.org/user/74748
  • joyshna36
    joyshna36 Member Posts: 5
    #3
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    PhillieG said:

    Irinoteacan
    I was on that for about a year or two, two years ago. It was about an hour for the infusion. There were premeds I had to take beforehand that took maybe 30 minutes then the actual med took another 30 minutes. I had trouble with constipation but looking back, I think part of that was due to premeds. Either the Irinoteacan or the premeds gave me some severe stomach cramps. It wasn't pleasant but they became predictable and after a while I would try to make sure I didn't get backed up. For about a year and a half I've been on only Erbitux. I had been taking them both together.

    Check out this profile, the spelling is close, maybe it's her?
    You can try to send an email through this site
    http://csn.cancer.org/user/74748

    Hi thank you for the info.
    Hi thank you for the info. The reason i was asking for this question is because the info I had mentioned that an infusion lasts for 20-46 hours and sometimes have to be inpatient at the hospital...

    yes thats her but how can i reply to her post it seems i cant have access to her email address...
  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    #4
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    Monica
    Died in July, 2009.

    Sorry,

    Blake
  • yoga
    yoga Member Posts: 87
    #5
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    Irenotecan
    Hi there,
    I just finished 30 rounds of irenotecan - has now stopped working. I was allergic to it so started each session with the normal steroids followed by Benedryl. Infusion took about 1.5 hours. (I am usually in the chemo ward for about 3 hours a session.)
    I then went home with the 5fu pump for 46 hours. In the beginning I had terrible diarrea that lasted for days - after adjustments to the meds it usually happened once a cycle. Some find cramping a problem, but I did the atropine (sp?) injection before treatment and had no problems. You may want to check with your onc about this. I have also found a few things to do at home that helped - I eat about 4 dried prunes a day, take a probiotic after dinner and also a glass of greens (Green Magma) which taste absolutely horrid - these things seem to keep things moving at a 'normal' rate.
    Hope this helps . . . .
    yoga jo
  • joyshna36
    joyshna36 Member Posts: 5
    #6
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    Buckwirth said:

    Monica
    Died in July, 2009.

    Sorry,

    Blake

    Ohhh I'm so sorry to hear
    Ohhh I'm so sorry to hear about that...
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #7
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    joyshna36 said:

    Hi thank you for the info.
    Hi thank you for the info. The reason i was asking for this question is because the info I had mentioned that an infusion lasts for 20-46 hours and sometimes have to be inpatient at the hospital...

    yes thats her but how can i reply to her post it seems i cant have access to her email address...

    FOLFOX
    FOLFOX takes 48 hours, some others may too. Irinotecan was about an hour for me...
    -p
  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #8
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    Joy:
    My hubby is on the Irinotecan also known as CPT-11 and Avastin. Along with pre-meds his infusion takes about 3 or so hours. Everyone has a different reaction to this drug so I can only relate my George's side effects. Many just experience hair thinning but George had complete hair loss, eyelashes, eyebrows, legs, arms, all of it. He also experienced and still experiences very bad diarrhea so staying hydrated as much as possible is important. My George was in the hospital for dehydration. We were advised he should never be without something to drink in his hand so make sure you have things you like on hand. It is hard to drink liquids when you are not thirsty but it is necessary.

    If there is any good news to any of this it is that the drug does work and work very well for many.

    Take care - Tina
  • westie66
    westie66 Member Posts: 642
    #9
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    geotina said:

    Joy:
    My hubby is on the Irinotecan also known as CPT-11 and Avastin. Along with pre-meds his infusion takes about 3 or so hours. Everyone has a different reaction to this drug so I can only relate my George's side effects. Many just experience hair thinning but George had complete hair loss, eyelashes, eyebrows, legs, arms, all of it. He also experienced and still experiences very bad diarrhea so staying hydrated as much as possible is important. My George was in the hospital for dehydration. We were advised he should never be without something to drink in his hand so make sure you have things you like on hand. It is hard to drink liquids when you are not thirsty but it is necessary.

    If there is any good news to any of this it is that the drug does work and work very well for many.

    Take care - Tina

    Irenotecan
    Hi: I too am on Irenotecan (plus oxaliplatin and 5FU pump for 42 hrs). Like others, I take pills before the treatment (6 of them, one of them Emend!) and get an injection of atropine (spelling?) before the irenotecan hits the IV. I get oxaliplatin first then the irenotecan then the 5fu pump (without the "push"). Irenotecan is known for causing severe diarrhea. Mine starts about 2 days after the 5FU pump comes off and lasts about 5 days. I take lomotil for it. Nothing I've tried in terms of food like the BRAT diet works to stop it at the beginning so I just let it go so to speak. The irenotecan infusion during my treatments (I've just finished the 12th) takes about 1 hr to 1.5 hrs. My entire treatment takes 3-4 hrs.
    Cheryl
  • plh4gail
    plh4gail Member Posts: 1,238 Member
    #10
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    For me I think the Atropine
    For me I think the Atropine made me feel very bad. I think it helped my diarrhea but I was always very weak and pale after the infusion. I slept so much this last year. And so very dry, but that is what Atropine does. My hair thinned a lot and I ended up cutting it very short, like really very short! and wearing hats. Its funny because I used to have curls and texture, now its growing back in great and is not curly and very soft. I started taking Biotin for hair growth when I finished chemo.

    Oh and my taste was really weird. I had some nausea and loss of appetite the first week, but was able to eat the second. Only I wanted very flavorful foods. I could not stand anything bland or creamy or soft. Everything had a salty metal taste and I complained about anything I cooked. Even a grilled cheese sandwich would taste salty and I would wonder what I did to it. lol

    Good luck with your infusion :)

    Gail
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #11
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    westie66 said:

    Irenotecan
    Hi: I too am on Irenotecan (plus oxaliplatin and 5FU pump for 42 hrs). Like others, I take pills before the treatment (6 of them, one of them Emend!) and get an injection of atropine (spelling?) before the irenotecan hits the IV. I get oxaliplatin first then the irenotecan then the 5fu pump (without the "push"). Irenotecan is known for causing severe diarrhea. Mine starts about 2 days after the 5FU pump comes off and lasts about 5 days. I take lomotil for it. Nothing I've tried in terms of food like the BRAT diet works to stop it at the beginning so I just let it go so to speak. The irenotecan infusion during my treatments (I've just finished the 12th) takes about 1 hr to 1.5 hrs. My entire treatment takes 3-4 hrs.
    Cheryl

    Cheryl, just curious, with
    Cheryl, just curious, with the atropine, did they change the policy at your hospital, where I was getting the infusions they used to be able to just put it in the I.V line that went to my port, but suddenly they changed their proceedure and I had to get a shot of it in the arm. I asked onc. nurse why, they didn't know, just said change in procedure and they hoped it would go back to the other so they didn't have to prick the patients more than necessary.

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