Hi I’ve been on a trial for over two years but it’s stopped working so I’m starting on sunitinib today just wondered if anyone had any tips on dealing with side effects all sounds pretty brutal so want to get prepared.
I have been on pazopanib rather than sunitinib but I understand that they are similar. I think the first thing to say is that all the side effects do not hit all the people taking it. I have been lucky personally and only got a selection of the milder ones.
I suffered from high blood pressure but i was already on medication for this so they just adjusted it. I had some diarrhoea which was managed by the use of loperamide (immodium). I later found that in my case certain foods triggered this, often broccoli or raw onion so I avoided them for a while, I now rarely suffer and can eat pretty much what i want. My sense of taste changed although in my case it returned to normal quite quickly. I did develop hand and foot syndrome which left me with some tingling in my hands but for some time it felt like I was walking on needles. I just used a general moisturiser to deal with mine although others have used Aveeno or Udder Cream to resolve or ease the issue. I wear crocs a lot which I believe helped me as well.
All my hair went white which I quite like. I think others have coloured their hair but you might want to check with your oncologist. When you read the drugs information leaflet you might want to look at what foods you might need to avoid. With pazopanib it is Grapefruit, Lime Pomegranate and the herbal treatments containing St John's Wort.
I was also given medication to deal with any nausea but found that nibbling a few things helped with that. I initially ate a few biscuits but later on moved onto a few bits of raw veg or fruit as I felt that this was a bit better for me.
I hope that this has been useful and I'm sure some others will offer their contributions soon.
