procrit dangers, when are you in the clear?

[his3707]

I feel very lucky that I havnt had to many problems with the ongoing use of procrit 1x weekly.  The threat of blood clots, stroke etc. are talked about a lot here.  With me loosing my temper a lot Im surprised I havnt had a stroke or something else.   I was wondering when are those dangers past post usage, and is there any long term effects known down the road that anyone knows about.

[his3707]

thanks for your thoughts.  I think will will get one more fix of procrit before this is all over.   just wasnt sure how to come off of it.   Just do it I guess.  
Thankyou  I'll be glad to ...  :D

[his3707]

Yes, she pooped in her cage today and you know what that means..... Moma aint paying attention to me!  So a bath it is.

[Sentinel13]

Your body will naturally increase your red blood cells & hemoglobin once you stop taking the RBC killing riba. I still have 5 weeks of treatment left and I'm planning to stop Epogen (Procrit) a week prior to ending treatment. Otherwise, I think I would run the risk of spiking my hemoglobin. So, it sounds like you have the right amount of Procrit left. Seems like your hgb is rising stubbornly. What is your dosage? 20,000 units? 40,000 units? Cheers, Sentinel

[working dog]

i'm thinking iggy needs a bath today

[can-do-man]

Being that your only 5 weeks into procrit you most likely have not felt the full benefit yet but it does seem to be doing its job... There should be no problem ending it one week prior to stopping treatment.

Tips that my doctor gave me about using procrit that seemed to really help was, make sure to let it warm to room temp before injecting, inject it slowly, both of these things help take the sting out. And if possible inject it in the upper back side of your arm. Of course that way takes to people

[80mecheng]

I am in week 5 of using Procrit and have to say it's impact is less than I expected.  I was at 9.2hmg and dropping when I started and have just not reached 9.9.  Biggest side effect is about 2 days of feeling sick.

On a separate subject, my Procrit will run out 1 week prior to completion of the Riba & all.  For those who have used it, when did you stop in relation to the treatment?

[Sentinel13]

I've had about 6 Epogen (Procrit) injections with the most recent injection being a little over 2 weeks ago. I sense the medication only lasts in the body for a week or so. Any side effect I experienced seems to have gone away after a week. I suspect the threat of blood clots is because the bone marrow is being directed to really crank out the hemoglobin (especially the big leg bones) for a week or so after the injection and I surmise the hgb tends to "back up" in the legs. I imagine the threat of blood clots dissipates after a few weeks off Procrit. While on Epogen/Procrit, my doctor advised me to stay relatively active (e.g., go walking, move around) to help circulate my blood and reduce the risk of clots. It's working so far. Best, Sentinel

[his3707]

Thanks for your input!  I appreciate you

[willbb]

Procrit  for the most part is well tolerated ,however as you know it is used off-label in HCV therapy.

It is contraindicated for those with "uncontrolled hypertension" chronic kidney disease and heart disease(ischemia)

Also the risk of stroke/and or heart attack is increased if if the HGB is taken too high..the target should not exceed 12.

Best to you.
Will



http://www.rxlist.com/procrit-drug/warnings-precautions.htm#W


clinical studies, patients experienced greater risks for death, serious cardiovascular events, and stroke when administered erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) to target hemoglobin levels of 13 g/dL and above.
Individualize dosing to achieve and maintain hemoglobin levels within the range of 10 to 12 g/dL.

Increased risk for serious cardiovascular events was also reported from a randomized, prospective trial of 1265 hemodialysis patients with clinically evident cardiac disease (ischemic heart disease or congestive heart failure).

[DoubleDose]

But the side effect I feared the most from my use of Procrit was the one reported as 'rare', which involved the Procrit triggering an autoimmune process that then would actually cause the person to destroy their own red blood cells, and likely ending up in either continuous transfusions to survive, or potentially death.  I read all this stuff before I went on Procrit for well over a year, and let me tell you...it was a leap of faith on my part, and a nasty little fear to have lurking in the background during a very trying, 72 week tx.  Took me awhile to get past the fear, even after I ended all therapy.  

DoubleDose