r/braincancer • u/Realistic_Durian5494 • 2d ago
TMZ Cycle 3
Hi all! I’m currently on cycle 3 of 5/23 TMZ. Having a really rough time. Just took dose 3 last night. Been sick the last two days, can’t keep anything down. I’m just vomiting bile at this point. I anticipate it only getting worse since I have no food at all in my system. I’m not sure if we have any Drs in this group. I meant to ask my neuroncoloigist and just didn’t email her in time. I’m considering delaying my TMZ dose tonight and pushing it back until tomorrow. I just need some relief and to be able to keep something in my system. Any thoughts? What helps you with the nausea?
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u/Mundane_Sky_1994 2d ago
I did 8mg of zofran (ondansetron) one hour before the tmz per my dr. I never got particularly nauseated but had extra doses handy if needed later on.
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u/imi95 1d ago
Just sharing how i did might help somehow idk
All cycles on monday to friday
First cycle was hardest and lowest dose but i think it was because i was getting off of dexamthasone i had radiation and tmz 29sessions before starting cycles
So what i do for cycles is
I wake up First thing take Kepra 1000mg
I eat something-anything i can tolarate taste wise( taste changed a lot i dont like most foods but everyday taste is coming back slowly) In middle of breakfast i take 0.5mg dexamethasone always monday to friday when doing tmz - i taper off after within 4-5days example saturday i dont take it sunday i do, monday i dont deppending on how i am feeling i stop totally until nezt cycle begins or go another day again
End of breakfast i take a shot of milk with a tsp blackseed oil with a pill of vitamin D with K2, and another multivitamin These are called liposomal duo d and oncovit (Milk and oil so vitamin d gets better absorbed from the body, it got low at one point now been stable last 3months doing this) No foods of any kind from this point or drinks, only water
45minutes to 1 hour after i take one pill- on.setron-denk 8mg 45minutes to 1 hour after i take my dose of tmz with big glass of water also I keep drinking water after tmz as many times as i want
1-2hours after i eat smth often drink a lemonade ( sometimes some food first, sometimes espresso)
1st cycles was 280mg daily 5days 2nd cycles was 400mg daily 5daya 3rd cycles was 300mg daily 5days 4th cycle was 300mg daily 5days
I have 2 cycles to go as of right now will take an MRI next week since yesterday was last day of cycle 4, so today i didnt take dexa but tomorro i will if i feel good i wont take any at all until i start 5th cycle
My food problem was mostly after i finished the "tmz followed by radiotherapy 29 sessions with saturdays and sundays off" had about 4 weeks off then started 1st cycle and everything got better finishing/after 2nd cycle
Im no doctor and never had a clear answer but i think it was taprijg off high dose of dexa and starting cycles again what created my food issues
I try and do 1 hemogram weekly is i think called in english
Sometimes wbc and rbc and other stuff gets low sometimes high especially when i had a cold and stuff
But even tho i culdnt eat i could drink I drink 3 liters of water daily now more if i dont drink my juices
Juices i make with nutribullet say one beetroot, one carrot, one orange juice, one apple, if i am missing smth then i am just buy it later for other times, put as much water as i have the mood for Sometimes like right now i finish it in 2 hours lol sometimes 2 glasses a day but i think it helps because when i do this more consisteb my hemograms are always better I dont use juicers any more that way you end up just with sugar nothing else and its better to add water also and get fiber off of whole fruit (of course a lot of them peeled cause i cant find organic or are too expensive)
English isnt my first language first time i am writing about this apologies if its all over the place..
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u/No_Confidence3700 2d ago edited 2d ago
I am not a doctor, but had my wife in similar situation where she could not hold anything down on cycle 2. She stopped for a few days and got her anti nausea meds adjusted
Have you been taking any anti nausea/antii vomting meds? She ended up on zofran + reglan + pantoprazole and that did work for her
I would suggest you go to ER and get some fluids back in your system. I took my wife to ER as well to get her stabilized. They will most likely start you off on anti nausea meds via IV to stop vomiting
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u/Realistic_Durian5494 2d ago
Yes, I have both dissolvable and regular zofran.
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u/No_Confidence3700 2d ago
Awesome, take the disssolvable zofran. That should help. If it still does not then go to ER
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u/No_Confidence3700 2d ago edited 2d ago
our next step was if zofran + reglan + pantaprazole does not work, then there is a medicine called Emend (aprepitant), that will pretty much make sure you won't get nausea while on TMZ. My wife did not have to take that med
Hope you feel better soon and are able to continue your meds. Your neuro-oncologist may also reduce the TMZ dosage for the rest of the cycle
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u/Murky-Neighborhood81 2d ago
I had 3 cycles and I didn't experience any nausea, I did catch insomnia at it and called it a day after 3 cycles.
Oncologist then told me the first few cycles were most important and im still around now, it wasnt my best few months in this rollercoaster. I hated the stuff because QoL over insomnia.
I dumped much more anti nausea in my body then the doctors told me to take, same with the powder which targets obstipation from the chemo and maybe the Zofran (?).
Just my 2 cents.
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u/TheShakyHandsMan 2d ago
Not sure on the brand name differences but when I’ve been on Ondansetron I’ve never vomited. They switched me to something else that I can’t spell and like you I couldn’t keep anything down. Not even water.
They switched me back to Ondansetron and was fine. It did come with the side effect of major constipation but that was far more manageable than throwing up nothing all night.