t know what the dosage requirements are for Neulasta but it is not taken as often as Neupogen. My experience with Neupogen was 1 injection per week initally, then 2 and several times I was reduced to half dosage or skipped several weeks because my WBC was high. It's a balancing act and usually those on Neupogen require more blood draws than those who are not taking it.
I thought it was some nasty stuff.
White blood cell count by itself should not be used to determine whether Neupogen or dose reduction is necessary. It is the ANC (absolute neutrophil count) that is used.
Absolute neutrophil count: The real number of white blood cells (WBCs) that are neutrophils. The absolute neutrophil count is commonly called the ANC.
The ANC is not measured directly. It is derived by multiplying the WBC count times the percent of neutrophils in the differential WBC count.
My Anc was at 280 last week. They reduced my pegintron and I am taking one injection of neupogen a week for now. I don't blame you for not skipping. I am not too happy about the dose reduction either. I know it's different with everybody, but how much did the neupogen improve your anc? The trial requires mine to be at least 750 to not reduce the peg.
Yes, you inject in the same manner as INF. I used to save my thighs for INF and use my belly for the Neupogen and Procrit. It is the procrit that you want to let come to room temperature as it burns going in. The neupogen does not. I had no visable side effects from the neupogen although after I completed treatment and was still doing the Neup for a few weeks to bring up the whites, I noticed the side effects (bone aches).
I think as small as you can get is the best. The 27-gauge is fine. Seems like I even used 29-gauge. Make sure you get the short needles. I remember my first shot of Pegysys -- the pharmacy gave me 25-gauge and 1" long -- holy cow, that was rough. It wasn't until I checked with the forum here that I found out what to tell the pharmacist.
What week of treatment are you starting the neup?
You’ll probably be better served by monitoring ‘absolute neutrophils’ rather than white blood cells during HCV treatment. Neutrophils are the fraction of white blood cells that are responsible for bacterial surveillance; this is generally the chief concern. This value is usually included in the CBC; if not, your doctor can help you calculate it using other values.
The drug Neupogen promotes white blood cell production; it has been used effectively for several years for this purpose.
Neupogen is a new med for him, also Procrit is another new med for him.
Obviously I have gotten some spellings incorrect.
What I want to do is look up these meds and make a document for him that is easier to read regarding side effects, etc. But, this is not possible until I find someone who knows how to spell these meds, and/or maybe knows something about their side effects personally.
Would someone out there please help me with this?
In general terms, white blood cells are known as leukocytes. White blood cells have several components; neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, esonophils and basophils. If hubby is on treatment the particular component that's getting the doc's attention is neutrophil, which can be affected by the drugs. The 'resuce' drug that is used is "Neupogen".
Neupogen works within hours. I take one shot a week, prolly should take two. It does what it's supposed too while physical effects have been zero.
Someone correct this if wrong. Neup is used to increase WBC/ANC count. WBC is essentially the immune system. A low WBC count won't cause fatigue. Low RBC and Hemoglobin will since it transports oxygen.
Neulasta is a peglated version of Neupogen which is also know as filgrastim. It's used to stimulate production of neutrophils, a component of whilte blood cells. It can be taken less often than regular 'ol Neupogen. I found it rougher than Neupgen in that it had some side effects, mainly bone pain. I found Neupogen to be side-less.
Aranesp is Darbepoetin Alfa which is like Procrit (epo). It is also taken less often than Procrit.
I had awful bone pain when I was on Neupogen. I've always contended for me, the side effects from Neupogen were as bad if not worse than those from antiviral therapy. It stimulates the colonies of white stem cells within the bone marrow causing the level of neutrophils in the blood to rise. It is common to have aching bones and joints for 2-3 days duration starting 1-2 days after the start of the injections.
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