TAXOL Reviews (PACLITAXEL)Average Rating: 3.5 (99 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare TAXOL with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Age oldest to youngest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on TAXOL: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR TAXOL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | Metastatic Breat Cancer | Terrible peripheral neuropathy in feet. Extreme fatigue. Worse is the lung damage (irreversible, I'm told..) How can a drug that should be beneficial to me destroy my lungs?? | Is this the only chemo drug used for metastatic breast cancer? As for all the scans and blood tests, the Taxol did OK. | F | 77 | 10 weeks 1X W | 3/18/2017 | 4 | AC for stage 3c BC, reduce tumors | Fatigue, incontinence, more hair loss, low BP, not too bad. Intermittant bone discomfort, | AC reduced BC stage IIIc from 4 cm to 1 1/2 cm. Still not small enough for surgery. Will be 11 more weekly infusions as I seem to respond well to chemo. Am getting benedryl to reduce side effects. I can tough it out! AC was bad, yet I survived that. Am taking probiotics, antioxidents, calorie counting, metamucil, etc. Keep the body alkaline and healthy so the chemo can do its job. Nausea was associated with low blood sugar. Don't listen to horror stories, a positive attitude makes an alkaline body. I know its going to get worse but I have faith in my oncologist. She'll get me through it. | F | 73 | 5 days | 8/21/2009 | 1 | Return of tumour | Nauseous, constipation, breathless, fatigue, extreme tingling in feet and hands. Could not have hot shower as it seemed too hot for my skin. Hair loss, lost some control over bladder but this has returned. A dreadful chemo . Skin rash covering entire torso, under arms etc the rash changed the colour of my skin. | 73 | 14 weeks | 10/12/2019 | 5 | 2nd bout with cancer | Dizziness, bowel disruption, tingling in extremities, muscle aches,incontinence,malaise.loss of body hair, metallic taste. horrific side effects | This chemo was worse than the first time. I was unable to function for 5 days after sessions. But, although I said I could not handle another dosage, the reality is that I am alive. Three months after the last dosages, feet and hands still ache. I fell and fractured some ribs during a dizzy spell,so am still using a cane. But I am alive and am enjoying life. My hair has begun to grow again. | F | 72 | 6 times | 11/24/2007 | 4 | Breast cancer | After 4 3-weekly doses of A/C (few side effects, mainly tired and complete hair loss), I started on weekly Taxol, 12 doses, 3 to go. Apart from tiredness, I had no problems until the 6th dose. Since then I had haemoglobin loss (had to have a blood transfusion) and have had red, swollen, scaly, intolerably itchy hands and wrists, and one badly swollen, red, painful foot and ankle. I had a couple of minor infections. I've also lost all sense of taste except for the metallic taste in my mouth which no amount of mints can cure! | Reading other people's experiences, I realise that I've had it pretty easy. Cortisone cream and vaseline on my hands is helping a bit. Antibiotics cured the infections. Only three more weeks of Taxol to go (then radiology). Don't know if it's 'cured' me, but I trust my oncologist, and he reckons I'm doing very well, and hair, taste buds, and decent hands and feet should soon come back. | F | 68 | 9 weeks 1X W | 10/13/2010 | 5 | Metastatic Bladder Cancer | Following my diagnosis of metastatic bladder cancer to the bone of my neck and spine I was put on unlimited morphine & cycplatin & Gemzar. Lasted only one cycle on regime, Scans showed the cancer was progressing with treatment. Went on a 9 day bucket list cruise. Was put on Taxol & Gemzar. After the first treatment spent day 2 post treatment in bed with chills, fever & fatique. By day 5 fatique subsided. I am now 2-1/2 months into treatment. Side effects are predictable. Day 2,3,4 post treatment some fatique, loss of hair, including nasal lining, I always had osteoarthritis so I can not attribute joint & muscle pain to taxol. Taxol was prescibed as pallative, but I now am almost normal, scan show the cancer has stopped progressing and bone mass in regenerating. | The results of Taxol have been nothing short of miraculous. Prior to treatment I required vicodin every three hours, I have reduced my pain medication to every 6 hours and often forget to take the drugs. Prior to Taxol I could not stand or sit erect for more than 15-20 minutes due to pain in neck and spine. I am now remodeling my home, washing cars and driving again. My diagnosis in Oct was terminal, but I now think I may again have a future. | M | 66 | 2.5 months | 6/4/2008 | 4 | Stage 4 lung cancer | Slight neuropathy and swelling of feet; slight tingling of fingertips; almost complete hair loss including all body hair. Side effects not suffered include nausea, intestinal problem, heart or kidney problems. | I have had 20 injections (each lasting 2 hours) of Taxol in the last 26 weeks. I take 3 weeks in a row, skip a week, and then start another 3 weeks of injections. Currently I will be skipping 3 weeks (impending cataract surgery) and resuming weekly injections on June 13th. I have found that this skipping allows my body time to rebuild and not leave me completely drained and weak..The day of and the day after chemo are my coming down from the steroids days. Days 3 and 4 after chemo are generally my "don't do anything" and rest days. Days 5 and 6 are my "normal" and productive days. The latest CT scan shows that Taxol has reduced the cancer mass in my lung to one-third the size it was before Taxol. Prior to Taxol I was on Carboplatin every 3 weeks, however this chemo still allowed for the effusion to build up in my lung. Since starting on Taxol last November I have not had the need to have my lung drained of effusion (thoracentisis). As a comparison, between my diagnosis in June 2011 and my last thoracentisis in Nov 2011, a total of 11.3 liters of fluid at 7 different times were removed from my left lobe. | M | 66 | 26 weeks 180 MG 1X W | 5/17/2012 | 5 | Stg.4 OvarianCancerPrognosis 2 mos. | Tired, weak.#10 pain @times in feet and legs.It has been 16yrs. this June and is difficult to remember everything about the treatments. But I have SUFFERED incredible pain since then. Every hair on my body was lost during treatment but came back.That was nothing compared to this last 16 yrs. I would take it again because it helped save my life. I have memory loss and difficulty concentrating. Just something else to work on. LOL. | Thanks to my Dr for putting me on anti-depressants. That in itself helped so much. Knowing that I am mind, spirit and body I went to work on all three. I "raged against the dying of the light", that ol' cancer. I suffer daily but would have missed so very much. Peripheral neuropathy and shortly after I completed the Taxol and Cysplatin I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.Some folks think I'm lying about having Ovarian C.especially metastasis but I have the papers to prove it. First I had to decide whether I REALLY wanted to live. Then I started kicking butt My story is too long to tell now but I'm still amazed that the bark of the Yew tree helped save my life. After 3 rounds we did another CT scan and the mass of 3 tumors in my pelvic area the size of grapefruit were gone. Still had many small tumors "lining the wall of my abdominal region." They had to put me in intensive care to administer it every 21 days because it was so strong. I was diagnosed June 1, 1993. I'm still here.The staph in my port. almost took me out! Sometimes when it gets so bad you just gotta laugh..it helps. | F | 65 | 9 months | 6/22/2009 | 3 | Breast CA, Triple+, Stage IA, Grd3 | Very bad headaches after 6th infusion, nightmares, neuropathy, hair loss started 25th day after start of infusions, weight gain ~10-14 lbs. Hair came out in clumps, had head shaved 5 days later. Horrific to loose hair, whole world knows I'm a cancer patient now! | I hope this and Herceptin work. Dread 6.5 weeks of radiation and not sure if I'll take the revommened AI, due to bone loss, joint paint, hair thinning and weight gain. Major hindrance to quality of life at this stage. | F | 65 | 9 weeks 140 mg | 1/29/2016 | 1 | Breast cancer | Severe neuropathy | Question your if side effects can be perament | F | 65 | 1 days | 12/27/2015 | 3 | stage 2 breast cancer | Experienced the classic symptoms during treatment. However, after treatment, peripheral neuropathy in my feet. Numbness in all toes. Tingling in all toes. All toenails and fingernails are falling off and have fungus infections. Balance and walking are severely affected. | Help! What is the treatment for the fungus???? | F | 64 | 56 days 30mg 1X W | 7/7/2010 | 2 | Stage 1 triple negative breast canc | Pains in legs hips arms and vein issues. Shortness of breath and fatigue on day 3 thru next treatment. Sores in month and throat. | I hope this works I have 11 more sessions. Then 6 weeks of radiation. I think the oncologist should look at all the side effects and either do dense dosage to individuals. No 2 people are alike. | F | 64 | 2 weeks 30 mg | 8/24/2016 | 1 | Breast Cancer | Lumpectomy on Jan. 18, 2008. Tumor was 3.0mm (large) had mammosite and 10 seeded radiation treatments in breast in 5 days. Then last week my first Taxol. I felt great for the first 2 days then WHAM. My first treatment and I hurt so bad I may stop. It's not worth it. | I hurt in so many places I cannot even list. This drug is much harsher than I was told. My scalp throbs. My joints hurt. I have shooting pains all over. I don't think I am willing to become permanently crippled for the small risk improvement promised. | F | 64 | 4 days | 2/25/2008 | 4 | breast cancer | After my mastectomy, I did AC-T chemotherapy. 4 treatments of AC, then 4 of TAXOL. Treatments were intraveinous, once every two weeks. With the TAXOL, I got severe pains in the legs two days after the treatment. I took one ARCOXIA pill - and was pain free for the next 2 weeks. This happened for all four treatments. Hope this works for you too !! | M | 63 | 60 days 1X AN | 10/30/2010 | 1 | Breast Cancer | I had a stage 2b breast cancer. Taxol resulted in an 8cm abscess in my lung. I had anemia. It was discussed on my second treatment if I should have a blood transfusion, and not have the second treatment at that time. I was given an injection of medication that was supposed to increase my red blood cells, and then given a taxol treatment directly after given the. I believe that this treatment resulted in the lung infection, for I had a low grade fever for several days following this treatment. Despite, complaints about feeling ill, treatments continued. Throughout the treatments I was developing pain in my feet and hands. I was told to take large quantities of vitamin B, which I tried. I developed peripheral neuropathy that continues to the present, 5 years after treatment ended. In fact, over time it got worse until finally I couldn't walk. I was told it wouldn't last but tests show I have no reflexes from my knees down. I finally was given neurontin, by a physiatrist, which w | I think if I had a stage 4 breast cancer, I wouldn't be as angry about the resultant deterioration in my quality of life, and would have seen it as it as saving my life (many people have said "well it saved your life"). I know there were other ways to go, with regard to chemotherapy, which I only found out after the fact. I don't believe it was necessary for the stage of cancer I had, but would definitely not have felt that with a stage 4 cancer. I checked off dissatisfied but that was with regard to having a stage 2b breast cancer. I do understand that not everyone has these side effects, but for whatever reason I do, and thus the anger and frustration. | F | 62 | 2 months | 6/6/2009 | 5 | Stage 1 Uterine cancer | Hair Loss / temporary very mild neuropathy | I began Taxol on a weekly basis (3 weeks on 1 week off) in Nov. 2008. Due to thinning I finally cut off my hair the middle of Jan. 2009 and went to a wig. I have not had any of the normal side effects - no nausea, fatigue, body aches. I work 32+ hrs. a week (75% on my feet)and have not missed a day of work. I take myself to and from treatments. My treatment effectiveness is being monitored by CT scans and CA125 blood tests for tumor markers. Both show my tumors are rapidly shrinking. I was determined not to let Taxol get the better of me. | F | 61 | 9 weeks | 1/19/2009 | 4 | Breast Cancer | No noticeable effects until after 4th treatment-now up to 7th. Rash and swelling on both ankles, muscles hurt during exercise, accumulative effect fatigue. | After A/C -four 3 weekly sessions- Taxol is not so bad. However, I believe that the side effects are accumulative and depend on the dosage as well as the capability of the individual's body to deal with the drug. Just hoping I won't have problems with my nails!!! | F | 61 | 12 weeks 80mg 1X W | 11/27/2011 | 3 | BC IIB | Started taking taxol after AC treatment which almost killed me from low blood counts. Hospitalized for thirteen days. Thought taxol would be a walk in the park. WRONG!! After just two treatments I have no energy even just to walk around the house. I'm depressed and lathargic. I've had some pain but mostly just can't get going. I have a horrible taste in my mouth. All food tastes bitter. I'm scared this will last or get worse for the remainder of treatment. Dr's please consider the efficacy of these drugs as opposed to long term side effects. WE have the right to choose how we live all our lives. No one ever told me that the effects might be permanent. How can I make the right decisions for my life if I don't have all the info good and bad. | F | 61 | 2 days | 9/11/2008 | 1 | breast cancer | It is nine months since my last taxol treatment. I had four treatments. After the third treatment, I noticed that I could hardly walk because I had lost my balance. It has not returned. I will never ski again. Nor dance or run. I am so sad. I used to be so active. I would not recommend this drug to anyone. A recent Canadian study said that taxol was not proven to be effective is women who had estrogen triggered breast cancer. My kind. I exercise very hard, but it seems like an uphill battle. This drug is horrible. | I have tried the B vitamins and glutamine. I don't know if they helped. A neurologist said that taxol caused my severe balance problems and that it would probably not get better. | F | 61 | 2 days | 4/15/2008 | 5 | LB Mastectomy (After AC chemo x 4) | As the cycles progressed - extreme fatigue (could never have imagined it happen to me, It overwhelmed me) Metallic taste in mouth (drove me insane) Finger and Toe nails affected (mainly index fingers and large toe nails) Brain Chemo My hair fell out almost immediately with the AC chemo, but with Taxol, the last of it fell out and then my eyelashes and eyebrows all fell out and my body hair followed suit. | If it works, go for it! as much as I did not like the side effects of it, you manage to get through it. The recovery from the side effects after the 12 cycles has been fairly rapid for me. So I am delighted. | F | 60 | 12 weeks 80mg 1X day | 8/31/2014 |
TAXOL (PACLITAXEL): Paclitaxel is used to treat various types of cancer. It is a cancer chemotherapy drug that works by slowing or stopping cancer cell growth. FDA Approval Date: 1992-12-29 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)