I found this one look question and answer thing from a cancer patient to a doctor about neupogen causing low platelets. My doctor and others I have spoken to have said they never heard of this. Anyone have more info about it?
this is the only thing I can find that mentions neupogen and low platelets, perhaps neup just doesn't effect platelets.
thank you
Answer
Hi, Neupogen acts as a granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor and is known to cause thrombocytopenia. Basically neupogen can enhance the phagocytic ('cell eating') activities of neutrophilic leukocytes (white blood cells), including activity directed at autologous platelets. Neupogen can stimulate white blood cells to the point that they can attack the platelets in the blood, causing the low platelet count.
frijole, thanks for the feedback. I've read various things and I have been getting hit with this and that thing lately. I can't afford to have it impact my work any more than it already is so I need to weight it all out.
Jim...possibly low because of the infection but it won't matter why they're low, just that they're low. However, if the levels go up as I shake off the infection, I'll hold off on the neupogen.
Next time I try treatment I'm going to suggest to my doctor to prescribe neupogen and procrit before I start to get the counts up. Mine have always dropped into the low range. I found especially the neupogen made me feel rough after I was already well into treatment and didn't do a whole lot. Why don't doctors prescribe it before treatment? Would there be a downside to that?
5 and she probably did suggest Neupogen. Sounds to me like he needs both and pretty darn quickly. She seems to be of the opinion that a transfusion will be needed for the low hemoglobin. At 7.3 he must really be dragging. Mine has never gotten that low but a lot of folks are experiencing this on the triple.
So how is this going to work out? You said the GI is not going to reduce ribavirin doseage. I think the insurance company will get in the middle of this -- they sure did with me.
I got a call from my doctor 3 months into my hep c treatment that I had no white blood cells and had to get a shot of neupogen immediately! I was on neupogen for 7 months, and I had all kinds of side effects from it, especially on my left upper back and shoulder (it felt as if maggots were gnawing at my bones). I had pains everywhere which made me have panic attacks that I was having a stroke, not the case. Every time I showed up at the doctor telling him I was dying he said I was fine.
Interferon/Ribavirin. What about meds for the tx? anti-nausea, anti-D, brain-fog. What brand names are working for you? Are they covered by your Insurance? info from exp?
31 treatment shots into it, I've taken 12 Neupogen shots off and on. Now we're trying 1 a week for the past 4 weeks. The outcome of this round will be found out Aug 09. I'm positive about cuz previous test shows it does what it's supposed to do. Finding that Goldilocks spot of shots needed for a relatively stable WBC count is the deal.
Physically, reaction has been zero to 2 or 3. Often it gives me a slight boost.
Hopefully your daughter will have a similar experience.
Ok so I've been on cephalaxin for 10 days, went off for 1 day, and now infection is back so skin doctor wants me to do another 10 days. Just got blood test results, neutophils are around 600, so doc doesn't want me to take shot until I have more blood work done. I am ten weeks into treatment, and I don't understand why neupogen isn't an option. I go for my twelve week test in two weeks and am already nervous about that.
the nite before, emend for nausea 1 hr before. and benadryl and decadron drip before the chemo. Then I have 1 emend a day for next 2 days, and (3) .75 dexamethazone dor 3 days, with phenergan until nausea stops. Then I am so weak from low blood I can barely get the energy to go back. Its been 2 wks this coming thurs., and I hope they can do pt 2 of rd 3 which is gemzar, but 1 time i had to skip 3 weeks so who knows. At least ca125 went from 265 to 36 before last round.
3 so I did the neupogen on Wednesday morning and did my interferon on Friday morning as usual. From what I can tell the neupogen works fast and then leaves my system just as fast.
I let the neupogen sit out for about 15 to 20 minutes and don’t shake it b/c it’s syrupy compared to the interferon and the bubbles that come from shaking won’t leave so you’ll have to throw away that vial.
I just read that a lot of people try NOT to take Neupogen unless it is a necessity due to sx. I am on Neupogen and I take it 3 times a week and have been taking it for 8 mos. now.
Does anyone know exactly why people/anyone would want to NOT take Neupogen?
Your answers may provide some insight for me and my sx's.
I was supposed to do a shot tuesday, however got bloodwork done today and anc is 620, Doc says to take neupogen tonight (I did, the neupogen is 300mcg, im ~130lbs) and get more bloodwork done on thursday, and then he'll call friday with whether or not to take the shot or not. So here I am, waiting, again. Arggg!
Just got the call this morning that my doctor wants to put me on Neupogen for 4 weeks because my white blood cells are so low. I'm so disappointed, I really wanted to be done shooting into myself!! Anyone else out there on this drug? I don't know a thing about it.
I also had a history of low wbc counts going in and I only got maybe three shots of neupogen the entire treatment. I was a particularly severe, kind of worst case scenario patient.
I know you're really scared of the rescue drugs, and I know that treatment is scary. In my case, it was the reverse, I was terrified of the treatment drugs, the interferon (peg) shot specifically, and not the rescue drugs, because I was already ON one of the rescue drugs.
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