Taxol Rarely Triggers Fatal Reactions

Pam,

Pam, thank you for posting this...I think it is essential that women take every precaution possible about this drug and if you feel very strange as the infusion starts ask them to stop it immediately..

I posted this, here, several months ago in the Welcome New Members forum-


Topic: warning about TAXOL
    Posted: 25 Apr 2009 at 7:27pm
In September 2004 my daughter embarked on a four months chemo program..2 months of AC and then 2 months of TAXOL...

Sue's sister's recent post about her sister's experience with an adverse chemo reaction(ixempra/antifungal) spurred me to write this post.

I attended all but one of my daughter's infusions and got to know the oncology nurse quite well...G-d bless her for all her kindnesses to my daughter..about a week before the transition from AC to TAXOL I asked her for the booklet that comes with PACLITAXEL(TAXOL)..you now those little booklets that you need a magnifying glass to read (I wonder if all the drug money that goes to politicians has anything to do with that?)

I asked for the booklet because at the end of the previous session my daughter went to the bathroom and I spoke to a patient in the waiting room..she told me about her experience with TAXOL.."when they started the infusion I felt like all my bones were crumbling..I have never experienced something like that in my life..My husband told me he had never heard me scream like that not even in a difficult childbirth I had..be careful with it"..so I asked for the book..

http://www.bedfordlabs.com/products/ViewProductDetails?brand=Taxol

and then click on package insert

my daughter and I had a meeting with the oncologist before the TAXOL.
I told him I read the following-

WARNINGS
Anaphylaxis and severe hypersensitivity reactions characterized by dyspnea and hypotension requiring treatment,
angioedema, and generalized urticaria have occurred in 2% to 4% of patients receiving paclitaxel in clinical trials. Fatal
reactions have occurred in patients despite premedication. All patients should be pretreated with corticosteroids, diphen-
hydramine, and H2antagonists. (See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION.) Patients who experience severe hypersensitivi-
ty reactions to paclitaxel should not be rechallenged with the drug.

..................

To be honest I do not remember if my daughter was "pretreated". I think I was so concerned with the "fatal reactions" part that I concentrated on that. I gave the book to the oncologist and expressed my concerns and his response was "I have been doing this since this drug came out and I have never seen this problem"..."well, do you have a 'crash cart' in the infusion room?". "No, I can always call a cardiologist friend who is a couple blocks away"...at that moment, unbelievably, the oncology nurse barges into the room without knocking and tells the doctor, motioning to the hallway, "I need to talk to you, NOW"...the door is left open a crack and my daughter and I hear "the guy in rm 4 is crashing..we just gave him TAXOL"...

In any event there was a crash cart in the office when she got the TAXOL and my son-in-law came to be with her for the first couple of minutes and Thank G-d she did not have a reaction but I was petrified. I know it says 2-4% but sometimes stuff happens so for those of you about to take this drug please make sure that everything is done, as much as possible, to prepare for an emergency..We were told if there is a severe reaction to the drug you should stop the infusion immediately...also I have read that sometimes you don't know you are having an adverse cardiac reaction and sometimes it is recommended that your heart is monitored for a certain time as you are receiving the drug.

I am not recommending that this drug not be taken...just be aware there can be awful side effects...probably can be with other chemos as well..My daughter hated this drug..she had constant bone pain and severe aches and still suffers at times even four + years later. But she is almost 5 years NED so hopefully it did its thing..

all the best,

Steve

Edited by steve - Jun 28 2009 at 11:54am

Mainy,

Can you (or anyone else) please expand on your comment in the post about Taxol coming "off patent" and what the ramifications of that are?

Is more information on a drug's side effects made public when something comes off patent?

Please explain.

Thanks,

Donna

Although this information is good to have, I find it very scary. I have one more A/C treatment scheduled, then they are switching me to Taxol. Everything I've read about Taxol seems negative. As if the pain and possible permanent neuropathy associated with it isn't bad enough, now it may cause more cancer and it's not patented anymore? And the drug itself can cause death?? Scary. Now I don't want to take it...but what other choice do I have being triple negative? Someone I know who is also triple neg. will be getting Taxotore -(spelling?) instead of Taxol...does anyone know the difference between the two drugs?

I read an article with Melissa Etheridge that I found interesting. She had like one dose of Taxol, and it affected her so badly that she stopped taking it. She is still cancer-free today, as far as I know. Does that mean anything?? This is just scary.... what to do?

Hi, Interesting reading! I was given Taxotere and had a severe reaction on my second dose. I was pre-treated with a variety of drugs as is usual. However, ten minutes into the infusion started seeing stars, and having trouble breathing, nausea and severe back/kidney pain.    My chemo nurse was right on top of things and administered the drugs necessary to control the reaction. It was pretty scary and people were moving quickly all around me.   I was then (several weeks later) switched to Abraxane. Evidently, the solvent, cremespore is the thing that most people react to in the Taxol/taxene drug and abraxane does not have that in it. The solvent in abraxane is human albumin. I asked why they didn't just give Abraxane to begin with and was told iit is very expensive and usually used primarily for metastatic disease. I went on to have three rounds of that with no reaction, except for the neuropathy that over 70% of people get with this type of drug.

gerriesue,

Thanks Arlene!!! I needed those words of encouragement!

I'm glad you wrote that Denise, and I know you are right. Most people do not get this reaction. My oncologist said she has given many treatments of Taxol/taxotere and had not seen this type of reaction ( similar to mine) except once before.

Thank you Denise