Bill Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 I would be interested in hearing about how soon after starting your Tarceva and / or Iressa did adverse effects appear ( presumably skin rash and / or diarrhea ), severity of those symptoms and how those symptoms played out over time ? Lastly, are you aware of any evidence correlating side effects with therapeutic effect ? Thanks much for any input on this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justakid Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 I was on Tarceva for 60days, started at 150mg....within a few days the rash started (mostly to the face). Within 5 days I was on antibiotics and diflucan for a throat yeast infection (turned out that the rash had gone into my mouth etc), also had it on my feet and hands. My doseage was reduced to 100mg which I tolerated a lot better. Not as much rash on the face but this time on the neck, arms, back and back of knees....wherever it was it was raw. Stopped taking the Tarceva in February when my CT Scan showed progression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Ry Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Bill, I can only talk about Iressa and the length of time before side effects kicked in. With Iresssa it took about two to three weeks before the side effects were as far as they would go. I can say maybe the same for Tarceva. It is hard to say because I went from Iressa to Tarceva with in 24 hours. Tarceva seems a little hasher than Iressa as far as the rash is concerned. Send my best to your wife I hope she continues to improve. My best to you too. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marion Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 I started taking Iressa, one pill a day at first, and not long afterwards I started breaking out on face and other places. Diahrea, also. Was taking Imodium and Lomotil also. Helped some. After the first month, he changed me to 5 pills a week and the next month 5 1/2 pills a week. The breaking out on face is calmed down considerably but have itching spells on back, chest, arms and various places. Still have diahrea and lost of appetite but if it keeps me in check; will continue as long as it works. That is unless something better comes along. Have lost about 25 lbs. and I am sure this is from the diahrea and lost of appetite at times. Just hits me different ways at different times. Do hate being weak but can't have everything. Marion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 I am on Iressa. Within 1 week the rash started on the face/scalp and headed to my toes within about 3 weeks. It took about 2 1/2 months to get it pretty well under control on my face/scalp which were the worst. I still take prescription acne medication to ward of the pimpley rash on my face and back. The overall body rash is pretty much gone with an occasional light rash for a day or two that disappears quickly. Dry skin has been an issue since about two weeks into the drug. I just keep on slathering the lotion. Comes and goes by the day. Stomach issues have not been a huge issue and started about two weeks into it. Over the past 6 months I will get the diaherria for about 5 hours every couple of weeks, then it's over until the next time. Oddly enough in the last month this has changed and affected more more frequently and with less warning so I was taken off the drug for 7 days to see if it would give me a break. Keep in mind that I also had surgery on my throat in the last month so this new symptom may be side effects from antibiotics and steriods I was on to reduce swelling. Otherwise, no major problems here. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Bill, I don't remember exactly when the rash & diarrhea started. Maybe 1-2 weeks. It was worse in the beginning, but just kept getting better. The rash was especially bad in the area where his shoulder was radiated. It was one solid, bright red, burning, itchy area. He used over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream and it started getting better very quickly. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by your second question. If you are asking if the degree of the side effects affects the effectiveness of the drug, assuming the worse the effects the more effective the drug, I would think the answer would be "no" in my husband's case. His side effects have been mild and the effectiveness has been positive. In a different scenario, however, I think it was Fay A. that reported that she had pretty severe side effects, but now has clean scans. I sure hope and pray that your wife is still improving! Love, Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted March 11, 2005 Author Share Posted March 11, 2005 Thanks for the replies. It's Day # 9 of Tarceva and my wife's adverse effects profile with Tarceva is still unclear. As of this writing the skin rash, which popped up a couple of days ago, is mild and is isolated to her chest and back. Scattered / pink / raised / itchy small spots but really no problem for her. The problem right now is the GI distress, namely cramping, nausea and diarrhea. IMO the diarrhea is being worsened because she is also in the process of having her daily narcotic load reduced. This is proving to be a complex process as she is coming off of a very high dosage level of I/R and L/R oxycontin. Also, she is being weened off of prednisone. BTW, she reports that her respiratory functions feel " normal ". No visible signs of respiratory distress that I can see. Also, she states that her hip pain has lessened and the sciatic pain in her left leg is gone. One last thing. We all know that " traditional ' chemotherapy can be brutal on blood values. But, I have heard or read nothing re: the impact of Tarceva or Iressa on blood values. Does anybody have any info on this ? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Ry Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Bill, My onc nurses check my C.B.C. I would say about every ten weeks. They have been fine. I think once they mention lower red count and suggested an Iron supplement, which I am taking 325mg plus what ever is in the Multi vitamin I take daily. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAnn Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Bill, It sounds like your wife's rash is similar to mine. Mostly on the "trunk" of my body and arms and legs...hmmm....guess that's everything but the head! Anyway, I've been on Tarceva for approx. 3 months now and the rash sort of cycles. Really bad breakout, then those bumps heal for a few days and then another bad breakout. I have not had any trouble at all with blood counts with Iressa or Tarceva. I have not heard that this is an issue for those of us on Tarceva. My symptoms started less than a week after starting Tarceva and are much worse than the side effects of Iressa. So glad to hear of the improvements in your wife's condition. Hope the weaning off of the pain meds goes smoothly. That's a good sign! TAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay A. Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Not the sharpest tack on the bulletin board today, but I have small and from my face to my feet...some of the small black and blues (no larger than a pencil's eraser) are actually more like small blood blisters under the skin, and are bleeding through what appears to be an enlarged pore on the surface of the skin. Also, a reminder to avoid foods and drugs that are CYP3A4 Inducers/Inhibitors. This includes Grapefruit and it's juice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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