is there steroids in the chemo drugs

worriedmom · Regular Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 41 Location: arizona

just wondering if there is steroids in the chemo drugs, my son has had 2 chemo treatments and his appetite has increased so much. he is hungy all the time. has this happened to any one else? thanks for any input from any one. kathy

rlee · Site Admin Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 245

Some Lymphoma treatment include prednisone so maybe he is receiving steroids. Also many chemotherapies use steroids as a pre-drug to prevent allergic reactions. Ask your doctors what exactly he is receiving including any ancillary drugs that accompany his main chemotherapy.
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RLee, MD

Any information provided is NOT intended to provide specific medical advice to users but rather to provide users with information to help them better understand their health condition and related care. All readers are strongly encouraged to consult with a qualified physician for answers to their personal medical questions.

alihamilton · Regular Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 21

I was given a small amount of decradon (another steroid) before each treatment. I have been eating ever since! And my last treatment was in January. It is always wise to ask exactly what medications are being given.
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Alison

worriedmom · Regular Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 41 Location: arizona

my son went to the doc. today and we asked about the steroids. he said he gets a steroid in his iv before every chemo treatment to help with nuasea.my son has put on 15 pounds in 3 weeks so the doc is going to cut the steroid in half.

summerlover55 · Regular Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 22

hey!
they usually give you steroids to make you eat..
i am currently taking prednazone 3x daily and it makes me eat so much!! they say that it is expected to gain weight..
the only thing i really dislike is the acid that it produces in my stomach..

CrescentMoon · Regular Joined: 07 Apr 2007 Posts: 22

I thought people on chemo lose weight... Surprised

Everyone is telling me to gain weight before I start chemo cus I'll be real skinny and weak, maybe I should lose weight?
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brainman

CrescentMoon, do not intentionally try to lose weight!!! Most chemotherapies do cause you to lose weight. However, your weight is the least of your concerns right now. Wait to see how YOU react to the chemo. If you start to gain weight, talk to your medical team before starting any diet changes.
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Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
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worriedmom · Regular Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 41 Location: arizona

my son has been on chemo , abvd (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) now for 2 months and is HUNGRY ALL THE TIME, and he has put on 40 pounds. when he first got sick he had lost about 25 pounds. but he eats all the time so the dr. said if this keeps up we may have to put him on an appetite suppressant. the dr. did cut in half the steroid he was giving him in his iv at the begining of every chemo treatment hoping it would cut down his appetite but it really hasn't helped.

brainman

Echo, unfortunately, increased appetite is not very common with cancer patients. Usually, chemotherapies do decrease appetite. However, as RLee said and other have said, some chemotherapies have adjutant steroids either in their formulation or given to them separately. Sometimes, patients are receiving a "cocktail" of medications that they do not even notice that one is a steroid. I took steroids for several months prior to and post surgery. I noticed an increase in energy but no weight gain. However, I also remained active and a physically demanding job for as long as I could.

It is also helpful that I am poor and cant by all the junk food that I would normally eat. Laughing

_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

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