I have a question about the side effect of treatment with Velcade & melphalan (VMP). Has anyone experienced hair loss from these drugs?
Thanks so much for any response.
Forums
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barbara1200 - Name: barb
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 75
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
I'm not sure that I can help because I didn't receive melphalan in my treatment, but I had no hair loss with the others.
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Wayne K - Name: Wayne
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself, my sister who passed in '95
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 03/09
- Age at diagnosis: 70
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
Hi Barbara1200,
I think the dose of melphalan will determine whether you lose your hair. I lost my hair with melphalan but that was a myeloablative dose. I didn't lose my hair with Velcade.
All the best,
Libby
I think the dose of melphalan will determine whether you lose your hair. I lost my hair with melphalan but that was a myeloablative dose. I didn't lose my hair with Velcade.
All the best,
Libby
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LibbyC - Name: LibbyC
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2009
- Age at diagnosis: 43
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
thanks for the info--I hope I don't lose it again. I had thyroid cancer 5 years ago & have just regained it back from that. Also, did you have good results from the VMP treatment?
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barbara1200 - Name: barb
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 75
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
I got excellent results for my Bence-Jones with the V/P regimen.
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Wayne K - Name: Wayne
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself, my sister who passed in '95
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 03/09
- Age at diagnosis: 70
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
Hi Wayne,
I personally have not caught a discussion on this forum before on the use of prednisone versus dex in combination with Velcade. Does prednisone offer the same efficacy as dex and does it have any less side effects than dex when taken with Velcade? Why do docs choose one of these steroids over another?
(Barbara, please forgive me for jumping in on your thread, but the context of the thread seemed appropriate and I thought you might also like to hear the answer).
I personally have not caught a discussion on this forum before on the use of prednisone versus dex in combination with Velcade. Does prednisone offer the same efficacy as dex and does it have any less side effects than dex when taken with Velcade? Why do docs choose one of these steroids over another?
(Barbara, please forgive me for jumping in on your thread, but the context of the thread seemed appropriate and I thought you might also like to hear the answer).
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
My impression, partly based on what I have seen posted here, is that dexamethasone is generally believed to be more effective as an anti-myeloma agent than prednisone. However, it also can be more difficult to tolerate. That may be why it is usually the steroid used with melphalan, rather than dexamethasone, since melphalan already is somewhat challenging for patients to tolerate.
Also, I believe doctors will sometimes switch patients from dex to prednisone if they don't tolerate the dex very well. Is that what you're doctor did, Wayne? Or did he start you on Velcade plus prednisone right away?
I have to admit that I have never heard of a myeloma patient being treated with melphalan and dexamethasone. If you do some searches, you'll find some studies that have investigated the combination, but it doesn't seem to be used in practice much at all.
Also, I believe doctors will sometimes switch patients from dex to prednisone if they don't tolerate the dex very well. Is that what you're doctor did, Wayne? Or did he start you on Velcade plus prednisone right away?
I have to admit that I have never heard of a myeloma patient being treated with melphalan and dexamethasone. If you do some searches, you'll find some studies that have investigated the combination, but it doesn't seem to be used in practice much at all.
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
Multibilly wrote:
"Hi Wayne, Does prednisone offer the same efficacy as dex and does it have any less side effects than dex when taken with Velcade? Why do docs choose one of these steroids over another?"
Multibilly I can't really answer your questions. I went through this before finding this this so I was totally in the dark about my treatment.
The only side effect I was aware of from the prednisone was my inability to sleep. At the beginning of each regimen I would take it 3 times with each dose educed from the former. I believe, if I remember right, the first was 400mg.
I suppose there's a possibility that because it is to fight inflammation there isn't a lot of difference in which steroid is used? Also my treatment was spring and summer of '09 and possibly they have changed the preference?
Terry that was my initial steroid.
I should add that because of the affect of Bence Jones on my kidneys I was also put on dialysis. I suppose that my kidney function could have had something to do with the choice.
"Hi Wayne, Does prednisone offer the same efficacy as dex and does it have any less side effects than dex when taken with Velcade? Why do docs choose one of these steroids over another?"
Multibilly I can't really answer your questions. I went through this before finding this this so I was totally in the dark about my treatment.
The only side effect I was aware of from the prednisone was my inability to sleep. At the beginning of each regimen I would take it 3 times with each dose educed from the former. I believe, if I remember right, the first was 400mg.
I suppose there's a possibility that because it is to fight inflammation there isn't a lot of difference in which steroid is used? Also my treatment was spring and summer of '09 and possibly they have changed the preference?
Terry that was my initial steroid.
I should add that because of the affect of Bence Jones on my kidneys I was also put on dialysis. I suppose that my kidney function could have had something to do with the choice.
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Wayne K - Name: Wayne
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself, my sister who passed in '95
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 03/09
- Age at diagnosis: 70
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
Mountain guy & others don't ever apologize for jumping in on my thread. I need all the info I can get. I had never even heard of this disease until about 4 months ago & now I have it.
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barbara1200 - Name: barb
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 75
Re: Velcade + melphalan+ prednisone (VMP) - hair loss?
Hi Multibilly,
Pred and Dex do not have the same effect on myeloma. Dex is really the drug of choice. I have been on both for different reasons and the potency of prednisolone is not the same as dex. For example 100 mg of prednisolone is ~ equivalent to 10 mg of Dex (thats what the doctors said). My doctor doesn't like prescribing 50 mg of pred for more than 3 days - a lot of people on this forum would probably think 5 mg of dex is a walk in the park
For a general discussion, check out this link.
http://www.differencebetween.net/science/health/drugs-health/difference-between-dexamethasone-and-prednisone/
All the best,
Libby
Pred and Dex do not have the same effect on myeloma. Dex is really the drug of choice. I have been on both for different reasons and the potency of prednisolone is not the same as dex. For example 100 mg of prednisolone is ~ equivalent to 10 mg of Dex (thats what the doctors said). My doctor doesn't like prescribing 50 mg of pred for more than 3 days - a lot of people on this forum would probably think 5 mg of dex is a walk in the park
For a general discussion, check out this link.
http://www.differencebetween.net/science/health/drugs-health/difference-between-dexamethasone-and-prednisone/
All the best,
Libby
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LibbyC - Name: LibbyC
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2009
- Age at diagnosis: 43
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