[edoherty]

Velcade and fever / chills?

by edoherty on Wed Nov 02, 2016 6:20 pm

I've been taking Velcade subcutaneous injections for two cycles. This second cycle, doses were increased to two times a week. No significant reactions yet, until Monday. Three hours after the injection, I got very tired, went home, and got worse. By 5:00 p.m., I had chills and 100.5 F (38.1 C) fever. On-call doc said to go to Emergency Room for precautionary reasons. Nothing appeared alarming (besides feeling nauseous and miserable), so I headed home after 5 hours of tests. But no explanation.

Is this something that can sometimes be expected with Velcade?

[margiehmb]

Re: Velcade and fever / chills?

by margiehmb on Wed Nov 02, 2016 7:02 pm

Hi Emily,

My husband had this reaction to Velcade a couple of times, either the same day, or the day after. First time was a little scary as his fever spiked to 103 F (39.4 C). Taking two extra-strength Tylenol (para­cetamol, acetaminophen) when he felt the symptoms coming on seemed to suppress it. He's also more vigilant about taking his temperature if he feels a little off.

Hope this helps. All the best,
Margie

[edoherty]

Re: Velcade and fever / chills?

by edoherty on Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:27 pm

Thanks, Margie. That does help. I had a rough week so only now saw your response. Thanks!

[Gala]

Re: Velcade and fever / chills?

by Gala on Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:11 am

My sister has flu-like symptoms and fever every time she injects Velcade. She takes ibuprofen, but is worried about what this reaction means. It goes away after a couple of days, but makes her quite miserable for a day or two after each injection. Any further advice or thoughts about this, since the last post above?

[Pauillac]

Re: Velcade and fever / chills?

by Pauillac on Sat Sep 16, 2017 4:59 am

Gala,

In the case of my wife, our doctors always said to avoid all ibuprofen anti-inflammatory pills at all times during treatment. I think it is mostly for preserving the kidneys, but I am not 100% sure of the reasons they gave us.

[Gala]

Re: Velcade and fever / chills?

by Gala on Sun Sep 17, 2017 12:25 pm

Thank you, Louise. We did not think of that. I don't think it was made clear to my sister. She has fever on those days, but again, nothing is found and it seems to be a reaction to Velcade. The trick is to tell the difference between the drug reaction and genuine infection that needs urgent attention. Not practical to go to A&E four times a month, especially considering the place is an infection hazard for someone with low immunity anyway. I will ask my sister to check with the doctor about ibuprofen-based anti-inflammatories. Does it mean paracetamol (Tylenol, acetaminophen) is more OK?

[moonscape]

Re: Velcade and fever / chills?

by moonscape on Sun Sep 17, 2017 4:20 pm

I had the concern about NSAIDs (take one for arthritis) but was reassured by my rheumatologist and oncologist that this is not an issue for me since my kidney function is normal. My rheumatologist said if my creatinine goes out of range then I need to stop, but that NSAIDs do not compromise normal kidney function.

[Gala]

Re: Velcade and fever / chills?

by Gala on Tue Sep 19, 2017 9:44 am

Thanks, moonscape, this is helpful. My sister's kidney function is normal also.