Hi there, has anyone had Taxotere and Herceptin together? I am due to start this combination on Wednesday and would love to hear your experiences! Helen x
FormerMember
Hi Helen,
Yes I had it - 4 cycles of Taxotere and simultaneously started Herceptin. I had a (pretty serious) allergic reaction to my first Taxotere treatment, but the Onc persevered and after a hydrocortisone infusion and various anti-histamines it went through OK. I think this delayed my first Herceptin by 3 weeks, as they wanted to make sure I could tolerate the Taxotere first.
To be honest once the pre-meds had been sorted I found Taxotere a walk in the park compared to the first chemo regime, although I have heard of people having flu-like symptoms, fortunately I never experienced any of these.
A couple of useful tips - you may get a bit constipated for the first few days following treatment, it's worth preparing for this in advance, just in case. Also, if at all possible, try to keep your finger and toe nails painted a dark colour at all times, as Taxotere can react with day/sun light and cause your nails to peel and even fall out. It's a bit of a chore but well worth it.
I know you had Herceptin before so I guess you've already had a baseline heart scan? I think they will monitor you more closely when you're on Tax/Herceptin combined as it's a double whammy on your heart.
Rest assured you are having one of the best (and most expensive!) drug combinations for Her2+ cancer.
Thank you so much for that information its really helpful. I'm facing wednesday with mixed emotions, glad its starting and dreading all that comes with chemo again!
