How long do the side effects of taxol last

[vpoelman]

I had 4 treatments with taxol.  I had already lost my hair with my first 4 treatments of the red devil.  I still had my eyebrows and eyelashes.  My last treatment was May 15.  I noticed this last week, over 30 days after my last treatment that all my eyebrows were gone, and a goodly amount of my eyelashes.  I assumed that I would not lose them because I had completed my treatment.  I have new hair growth on my head, yet I am still losing hair on my eyebrows and eyelashes.  How long does the taxol stay in your system.  For a few days, I have had some stomach aches, about the same time I was losing hair.  Are they related?  I was not nauseated with taxol during the treatment.


This discussion is related to Taxol..Long term side effects??.

[PaulMD]

Hi there.  First of all congratulations in completing your treatment.

Vague abdominal pains may indeed be part of the side effects of Taxol, and this signify some form of irritation of the bowel mucosa.  The loss of hair in the eyebrow is rather unusual, and may not be entirely due to Taxol.  This may be also due to some vitamin and mineral deficiency such as Zinc.  A good and balanced nutrition after chemotherapy with any drug will be really helpful.  Some lingering side effects of Taxol like neuropathy may persist for several months to a year.

With a good diet, excercise, and possibly vitamin supplementation, your eyebrows may indeed recover soon.

Regards and God bless.