Cancer fighters may be familiar with the chemotherapy drug Docetaxel (Taxotere). A study has shown the effectiveness of this drug in treating breast cancer. Like chemotherapy drugs in general, there are various long term side effects of Taxotere since the medicine is shockingly also dangerously harmful.
Most of the side effects that patients experience are common to chemotherapy treatments, ranging from mild to severe reactions. In consequence, you must find out more information before taking this treatment for yourself or your loved ones. Read this article to absorb the insight!
Docetaxel VS Taxotere
The general public is often confused when hearing these two names, even though both refer to one thing. Docetaxel is a type of drug given to chemotherapy patients, while Taxotere is one of the trademark names that label it. Then, Taxotere becomes the most-known name among the people.
Taxotere is a taxane-class chemotherapy drug made from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree or a plant alkaloid by Sanofi-Aventis. In 1996, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved Taxotere to treat several types of cancer, including breast, head, neck, prostate, stomach, and lung cancers.
Moreover, it has been proven to exist, researchers found that Taxotere can suppress the growth of cancer cells and significantly increase the survival of cancer fighters.
Acute Adverse Effects of Taxotere
Since it is a powerful chemotherapy drug, you also should be aware of Taxotere’s harmful effects. The most common side effect is a decrease in the number of white and red blood cells. It occurs in more than 30% of patients. Then, some of them stop upon treatment discontinuation. Following are its most common acute adverse effects.
1. Neutropenia
Whether using Taxotere or not, almost all chemotherapy patients commonly experience low white blood cell counts (neutropenia). Patients with severe neutropenia are at particular risk of infection. Soon after, an infection can also be one of the deadly long term side effects of Taxotere.
Symptoms caused by infections include fever, rashes, slow-healing wounds, abscesses, and ulcers. That’s the reason why the doctor reduces the dose or pauses treatment until the lowest point of between 10 and 14 days has passed.
2. Anemia
Anemia is a condition that occurs when the body lacks red blood cells (hemoglobin). This component is responsible for circulating energy supplies throughout the body. It can cause patients to feel tired quickly, have pale skin, lose energy, have quick breathing, fatigue, and insomnia.
3. Other Common Side Effects
There are numerous side effects that might not indicate a decrease of the white and red blood cells, such as:
- leukopenia,
- hair loss,
- nausea,
- diarrhea,
- fever,
- nail disorders,
- vomiting,
- stomatitis,
- skin reactions,
- asthenia,
- bleeding gums,
- cough,
- dizziness,
- burning sensations,
- blood in the urine,
- difficulty in moving, and
- nosebleeds, to
- numbness.
5 Long Term Side Effects of Taxotere
Many people combat long term side effects of Taxotere consumption. Many of them disappear after the patient recovers, but sometimes the effects can last a long time from months to years. The length of time depends on the type of cancer and the course of treatment. You can read the explanation of five prolonged adverse effects below.
1. Peripheral Neuropathy
Taxotere can cause side effects that damage sensory, motor nerves, or both. In detail, damaged nerves are nerves that are far from the body’s main nervous control center, the spine, and the brain. The peripheral nervous system also controls the bladder and bowels so that patients may experience incontinence or constipation.
2. Secondary Cancer
The mechanism by which chemotherapy drugs cause DNA damage in normal cells. It can grow new cancer cells or secondary cancer. The risk of secondary cancer growth is higher in people who face cancer at a young age with cancers that have a high survival rate. For example, secondary cancer in lymphoma Hodgkin survivors.
3. Cardiotoxicity
Heart damage is one of the rare long term side effects of Taxotere. The possible effect is the weakening of the heart muscle, resulting in heart failure. Symptoms that patients experience include prolonged fatigue, increased shortness of breath, as well as swelling of the hands and feet.
4. Alopecia
Chemotherapy using Taxotere can cause long-term or permanent hair loss. It happens because hair follicles are the fastest-growing cells, so this drug considers rapid growth as an activity that needs to be stopped.
Not only hair on the head, chemotherapy patients also lose other hair on the eyelids, genitals, face, and hair on the extremities. Some patients’ hair may grow back, but sometimes their hair never regenerates for the rest of the patient’s life.
5. Eye and Hearing Problems
Patients suffer from excessive tearing that causes vision and hearing problems. Moreover, steroids are often given together with it. As a result, cataracts develop rapidly in the patient’s eyes. The use of Platinol (cisplatin) or other drugs can cause the side effects of ototoxicity (damage to ear structures) and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
When Do You Have to Contact Your Health Care Provider?
Although not everyone experiences those acute and long term side effects of Taxotere, if they do occur you need medical attention. Check with your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist as soon as possible if you experience the conditions below.
1. You have complication conditions or have severe side effects.
2. Your side effects are not getting any better.
3. You have signs of infection, including a temperature below 360C or above 37.50C.
Self-Care Tips to Less Side Effects
Despite the fact not all patients respond to the acute and long term side effects of Taxotere in the same way, all patients should understand the risks and know what to do if they experience an adverse condition. Following are some self-care tips that you might find useful.
1. You should discuss possible side effects before taking Taxotere for your treatment.
2. Keep records of your chemotherapy regimen.
3. If your lifestyle is a mess, fix it.
4. Try to live healthier and actively participate in physical activities.
5. Have a healthy mindset and fulfill your body’s healthy intake.
6. Discuss potential new approaches to reduce complications.
7. Consult and discuss with your healthcare provider if you experience new symptoms.
Do You Feel Any of the Long Term Side Effects of Taxotere?
As a chemotherapy patient, you should remain vigilant for any unusual symptoms after the treatment, whether acute or long term side effects of Taxotere. If your symptoms are mild, balance your recovery period with a healthier lifestyle. Regardless, it is necessary to seek medical attention if you feel any potentially severe signs.
