Aa
Q's About Neulasta
How many of you folks have used neulasta or neupogen as a rescue drug for low wbc count? My absolute neutrophils are at 1.1 and my wbc count at 2.3 currently.
However, I did seem to see where some of you folks said its best to try to do without the neulasta if possible? Did I read this correctly and if so why do people feel this way? Is it due to sx with neulasta or?
Just looking for a bit of info and anecdotal experience with this rescue drug as I have never used it before. I have plenty of experience with procrit, but none with neulasta. Any advice as to pros and cons? I'd love to hear everyone chime in with their opinions and experience. thanks so much in advance for anything anyone can offer. Appreciate it!
However, I did seem to see where some of you folks said its best to try to do without the neulasta if possible? Did I read this correctly and if so why do people feel this way? Is it due to sx with neulasta or?
Just looking for a bit of info and anecdotal experience with this rescue drug as I have never used it before. I have plenty of experience with procrit, but none with neulasta. Any advice as to pros and cons? I'd love to hear everyone chime in with their opinions and experience. thanks so much in advance for anything anyone can offer. Appreciate it!
OMG, you never thought you'd get told to irionize your boobs I'll bet!!!!!!
on a more serious note, what if anything did they say to you about stroke/clots/driving.
I know you are independant but still, we gotta drive some right?
I'm concerned because I have 13 hot white spots in my brain, and they say these drugs can add to this stoking or demylenzation....did they warn you at all about this?
on a more serious note, what if anything did they say to you about stroke/clots/driving.
I know you are independant but still, we gotta drive some right?
I'm concerned because I have 13 hot white spots in my brain, and they say these drugs can add to this stoking or demylenzation....did they warn you at all about this?
Serum iron can rise on tx due to the destruction of red blood cells. As they disintigrate the iron that was bonded to them is released to flow freely in the blood.
You might try the solution they use in Denmark. Magnetic inserts placed in your brassier will draw the iron into the breast tissue, where it can't do any harm. An added benefit is you will always be able to find North - though you could have trouble at airports.
OK kidding about the bra - not about the raised iron levels though. Not a worry, as I understand it. Iron will most likely return to normal after tx.
You might try the solution they use in Denmark. Magnetic inserts placed in your brassier will draw the iron into the breast tissue, where it can't do any harm. An added benefit is you will always be able to find North - though you could have trouble at airports.
OK kidding about the bra - not about the raised iron levels though. Not a worry, as I understand it. Iron will most likely return to normal after tx.
You are so sweet. My mom loves juicing too and she raised us on a hybrid macrobiotic diet. I'm fairly certain that kind of saved me now because at least with my other health issues I don't have to worry about clogged arteries and as taxing as my chronic anemia has been, at least my heart is free of obstructions and seems to be able to handle the extra work.
Unfortunately though, this quack of a hematologist I used to see misdiagnosed me as having iron deficiency anemia (I have anemia of chronic disease) and about four years ago she overdosed me on IV iron. A liver biopsy later showed that I do have some iron that has settled in my liver. At the time, I had very large amounts of iron circulating in my bloodstream as well. It was causing horrible intestinal issues and I couldn't keep any weight on. After checking with researchers and other specialists my primary care doctor slowly bled me and I was taking procrit already on the other side so that kept my hgb up during the process.
We did it over a period of time and it brought everything back to normal and I guess in essence (chelated?) the iron from my bloodstream. Since the onset of the hepatitis my iron levels have gone a little high again, although not nearly as high as before, and I am kind of curious about why that is.
I hypothesize that perhaps when my liver became inflamed upon having acute hepc, it released some of the iron into my bloodstream. If so, that's not necessarily a bad thing because you don't want iron hanging out in your organs anyway. Or maybe the liver threw it out to help with blood production because I have an increased need for it now. That would be even better because if the body uses it then that's less iron that I have stored in my body.
Anyway, who knows. I'm going to ask my hematologist about it at my next visit.
Unfortunately though, this quack of a hematologist I used to see misdiagnosed me as having iron deficiency anemia (I have anemia of chronic disease) and about four years ago she overdosed me on IV iron. A liver biopsy later showed that I do have some iron that has settled in my liver. At the time, I had very large amounts of iron circulating in my bloodstream as well. It was causing horrible intestinal issues and I couldn't keep any weight on. After checking with researchers and other specialists my primary care doctor slowly bled me and I was taking procrit already on the other side so that kept my hgb up during the process.
We did it over a period of time and it brought everything back to normal and I guess in essence (chelated?) the iron from my bloodstream. Since the onset of the hepatitis my iron levels have gone a little high again, although not nearly as high as before, and I am kind of curious about why that is.
I hypothesize that perhaps when my liver became inflamed upon having acute hepc, it released some of the iron into my bloodstream. If so, that's not necessarily a bad thing because you don't want iron hanging out in your organs anyway. Or maybe the liver threw it out to help with blood production because I have an increased need for it now. That would be even better because if the body uses it then that's less iron that I have stored in my body.
Anyway, who knows. I'm going to ask my hematologist about it at my next visit.
honey, juicing is something I did for umpteen years so I say this only as a cautionary.
you have to be careful you don't drink things too high in iron as this is not good for hep c...people tend to get too much iron accumulation and this can actually backfire and cause other types of aneemia..
beet juoce is high in absorbable iron, so be careful! Even too much vitamin C can cause iron overload.
the ither issue is blood sugar, since tx can push people into diebetic or prediabetes territory ones sugar consumption should be cut back not increased. this will innsure not starting yet another disease process.
carrot and beet juice are very high in sugar, so again, just a precautionary here.
you have to be careful you don't drink things too high in iron as this is not good for hep c...people tend to get too much iron accumulation and this can actually backfire and cause other types of aneemia..
beet juoce is high in absorbable iron, so be careful! Even too much vitamin C can cause iron overload.
the ither issue is blood sugar, since tx can push people into diebetic or prediabetes territory ones sugar consumption should be cut back not increased. this will innsure not starting yet another disease process.
carrot and beet juice are very high in sugar, so again, just a precautionary here.
Hello, I found your post today and first of all I would like to thank you for your responses on my Crying questions. I do not know if it is going to help you, but surprisingly my Hb went up from11.7 to 13 in last 5 days after my mom decided help me with nontraditional medicine- it is very simple drink freshly made everyday carrot and beat root juice. Possible, it is sounds stupid but I would use anything to avoid other chemicals. Besides, my hb was never that good, even before Tx. My wbc also droped to 2.3 and ANA 1.2, and I feel I am in a same shoes as you are, but my mom again found some information to increase wbc with bilberry. I have not started bilberry yet, but I hope it will work. I wish all the best, and Thank you once again for your emotional support when I was about to quit!
NENCY
NENCY
My old hematologist talked to me about aranesp, but at the time, my hgb was so well controlled on smaller amounts of procrit that we didn't want to mess with a good thing.
My ANC was 9, the lowest my hematologist had ever seen in an interferon patient, with a wbc of .2. The neulasta worked well but took time. It got me back to over 2000 ANC and 7.5 wbc. I also used aranesp instead of procrit as both these drugs are longlasting and were taken every 2-3 weeks.
I took neupogen for low wbc and anc. I really hated the stuff but I heard that neulasta was worse.
I was taking it twice weekly. Most people don't take it that often.
BTW: Your mom is right. Those fertilized eggs also last longer in the fridge.
jmjm: Didn't you mean alamode?
I was taking it twice weekly. Most people don't take it that often.
BTW: Your mom is right. Those fertilized eggs also last longer in the fridge.
jmjm: Didn't you mean alamode?
My mom always swears that the most nutritious eggs are fertilized. Growing up we had chickens and a rooster so all of our eggs always were, and were fresh eggs.
bought some eggs at the PSU Farmers Market. They are "tractor eggs". The guys keeps his chickens in a cage that he moves every once and a while wiith a tractor. There is no floor to the cage and the chickens get a new piece of grass to peck on.
(laughing over here). No. That's an urban legend. All except the tiny little cages. That part is pretty much true, the cages are fairly small. I actually don't get the birdies til they've been sliced and diced so to speak. The plants I contract with are not slaughter plants although I've been to plenty of those.
I make further processed items like parfried nuggets and popcorn and chicken tenders.
Chicken is actually pretty nutritious, being a lean white meat. And even though I watch it being produced I still eat a lot of it. I used to do a lot of stir fry and I love tofu, but I am not up to cooking lately.
I make further processed items like parfried nuggets and popcorn and chicken tenders.
Chicken is actually pretty nutritious, being a lean white meat. And even though I watch it being produced I still eat a lot of it. I used to do a lot of stir fry and I love tofu, but I am not up to cooking lately.
whoa. Is it true they cut the beaks and claws off of the chickens and hold them in tiny little cages? And how good is chicken for hep c? Protein question, I guess and definitley off topic, sorry.
ROFL! Alachicken. You are too funny. Oh hey, you DID post a study there. Geez, I am losing my mind. Ok, thanks, that makes sense.
Gee, proactive is a pretty kind term. Most people start off with agressive and move to overbearing pretty quickly when talking about me ;)
That'd be a big "No" on the chicken suit, but thanks for asking.
Gee, proactive is a pretty kind term. Most people start off with agressive and move to overbearing pretty quickly when talking about me ;)
That'd be a big "No" on the chicken suit, but thanks for asking.
First of all, your ANC (1100) isnt all that low. As mentioned, mine went down to 320 at one point and I didn't take Neupogen. Two weeks later it was over 1000, as my NP predicted it might be.
But here's the thing. Getting you ANC up may not make any difference anyway. That's the point of the study I posted above. Apparently low ANC is different when caused by interferon as opposed to other forms of Chemo. So while going to a hematologist seems like a logical move, if they aren't all that familiar with HCV combo treatment, they may not guide you correctly.
Again, I don't see you have a problem now, but if it does come up, or you want to be proactive, then best person to discuss these issues with is a hepatologist who treats very large HCV populations. IMO they are the best source for what to do, when and how much.
I know you're a proactive person, and want to arm yourself with as much "help" as possible. That's great, but sometimes too much is simply too much and can work against you, so choose your battles (and weapons) wisely. Right now the enemy seems to be anemia.
BTW do you dress up in one of those Chicken Suits like that Purdue guy? I'm sure we'd like to see a pic. LOL.
Dress warm and feel better.
-- Jim
But here's the thing. Getting you ANC up may not make any difference anyway. That's the point of the study I posted above. Apparently low ANC is different when caused by interferon as opposed to other forms of Chemo. So while going to a hematologist seems like a logical move, if they aren't all that familiar with HCV combo treatment, they may not guide you correctly.
Again, I don't see you have a problem now, but if it does come up, or you want to be proactive, then best person to discuss these issues with is a hepatologist who treats very large HCV populations. IMO they are the best source for what to do, when and how much.
I know you're a proactive person, and want to arm yourself with as much "help" as possible. That's great, but sometimes too much is simply too much and can work against you, so choose your battles (and weapons) wisely. Right now the enemy seems to be anemia.
BTW do you dress up in one of those Chicken Suits like that Purdue guy? I'm sure we'd like to see a pic. LOL.
Dress warm and feel better.
-- Jim
or... I could just sell the house and shack up with my mom or my dad for the duration. Trust me. that thought has crossed my mind a lot lately.
my anc is 1.1, which I believe on labcorp you multiply. But it has continued its downward progression so far, no jump up yet. I've had a depressed wbc count forever, prob it has to do with whatever causes depression in my cell lines overall (according to the hematologist), but it's just never been this depressed. I don't want to stay sick all winter and I do HAVE to support my son, my huge house, the rabbits, the cats, world peace, oh wait. World Peace? Nevermind that one.
But you get the idea. For instance. Somehow I have to drag my sorry butt into the shower today and shampoo and set my big beautiful hair before it all falls out because I have to go to a meeting at a poultry plant tomorrow morning. THEN I get to get suited up and go inside the poultry plant (which is maintained at near freezing temps), and expose myself to hundreds of workers who might be incubating God knows what. this is on top of having an apparent stomach virus this weekend.
So... Yeah. I'm thinking that if my cell count stays down I might actually talk to the hematologist about it. One good thing. HE might have info on helpful it is in general with his chemo patients in general since he works in oncology. He doesn't have many hepc patients. Apparently, most hepc patients don't get a consult to a hematologist? With my pre-existing anemia they couldn't get my axx consulted out of there fast enough, trust me, but apparently they usually do the procrit and stuff in house.
But you get the idea. For instance. Somehow I have to drag my sorry butt into the shower today and shampoo and set my big beautiful hair before it all falls out because I have to go to a meeting at a poultry plant tomorrow morning. THEN I get to get suited up and go inside the poultry plant (which is maintained at near freezing temps), and expose myself to hundreds of workers who might be incubating God knows what. this is on top of having an apparent stomach virus this weekend.
So... Yeah. I'm thinking that if my cell count stays down I might actually talk to the hematologist about it. One good thing. HE might have info on helpful it is in general with his chemo patients in general since he works in oncology. He doesn't have many hepc patients. Apparently, most hepc patients don't get a consult to a hematologist? With my pre-existing anemia they couldn't get my axx consulted out of there fast enough, trust me, but apparently they usually do the procrit and stuff in house.
Neupgoen/neulesta intervention covered recently in this thread: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/321276. Here's the study I couldn't find re the correlation (or lack thereof) between ANC and interferon tx. http://www.natap.org/2003/hepUpdate/day5.htm
My tx team (as well as some other here) do not look at WBC, only the ANC fraction. My take after reading a lot of posts here is that some of the less experienced doctors tend to prescribe Procrit too late and Neupogen too soon -- not understanding the full significance of anemia's affect on tx, and overestimating the signficance of interferon-related ANC decline -- not to mention the fact that ANC bounces up and down a lot while hgb tends to slow downward. And yes, Neupgoen has its own side effect profile, so why use it unless really necessary. Anecdotally, I never used either neupogen or neulesta and my tx team rarely uses either. They treat thousands of patients and are considered top of the game.
-- Jim
My tx team (as well as some other here) do not look at WBC, only the ANC fraction. My take after reading a lot of posts here is that some of the less experienced doctors tend to prescribe Procrit too late and Neupogen too soon -- not understanding the full significance of anemia's affect on tx, and overestimating the signficance of interferon-related ANC decline -- not to mention the fact that ANC bounces up and down a lot while hgb tends to slow downward. And yes, Neupgoen has its own side effect profile, so why use it unless really necessary. Anecdotally, I never used either neupogen or neulesta and my tx team rarely uses either. They treat thousands of patients and are considered top of the game.
-- Jim
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
