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aranesp vs procrit

This topic has 6 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 17 years, 10 months ago by bety.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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June 30, 2006 at 6:12 pm #13730

bety
Member

Most of you seem to be on procrit. Do your doctors prefer it to aranesp?

June 30, 2006 at 7:57 pm #13731

Rackon
Member

My dad did better on Aranesp.

He had Aranesp injections every 3-6 weeks for almost 4 years and remained TX free during that time.

People here actually take both.

July 1, 2006 at 2:33 am #13732

Jim
Member

My doc stated me out on Aranesp. Says it lasts longer than Procrit.

JW

July 1, 2006 at 4:27 am #13733

Neil
Member

I was on Procrit for 32 months.
My doc switched me to Aranesp yesterday.
Will see how my counts respond over the next 2 weeks. Feel he will boost my dosage a bit and stretch the interval beetween shots to 3 weeks.
Will have much more info after 7/12.
Also think he has other pts on Aranesp who are doing well. Dosage appears to be an important factor. Too little provides little response. The correct amount provides a good boost in red counts.

July 1, 2006 at 6:40 am #13734

bety
Member

Dear Neil, I hope you do well on arenesp. My husband responded for close to 3 years but after getting neupogen and antibiotics, his counts dropped precipitously. Initially, he was on 200mcg and it was raised after a couple of years to 300. Aranesp is much more convenient because it requires fewer visits. At first he went every 3 weeks, then recently it has been q2w. He will probably get his first tx in a few days.
All the best, Bety
……………
age 86 dx 7/03 RARS RBC 7, WBC .9, PLTS 98

July 1, 2006 at 1:35 pm #13735

CarolineG
Member

Bety,

My Dad was on Procrit (the name is Eprex here in Canada) shots weekly for a few months. It kept his hemoglobin steady at 10.0 (100 in Canada). Dad’s Nephrologist changed him over to Aranesp in the winter. It helps the kidneys as well as the hemoglobin and Dad has Kidney Failure so the Kidney Doctor thought it was a better suited drug for him. After 4 needles his hemoglobin shot up to 150 and we had to stop the shots for 3 months. When the hemoglobin fell back down to 125 we started the Aranesp shots again weekly only this time we gave him 80 iu instead of 150 iu. After 4 shots Dad’s hemoglobin went up to 142 again so now I have been told not to give Dad anymore needles until his counts drop to 120-125 again. He has blood tests taken every 4 weeks and they phone me with the results. Dad has only had one transfusion since last August. He has not had any transfusions since he started erythropoietin shots of any kind. The Aranesp certainly has a better effect on him whereas the Eprex only kept Dad’s hemoglobin at a constant level.

Best wishes.
Caroline

July 1, 2006 at 6:45 pm #13736

bety
Member

Caroline,
I am so happy to hear that your dad is doing so well on aranesp. Initially, my husband was getting 200 mcg every 3 weeks for about 2 years. After that, it was raised to 300. His counts dropped precipitously following a 4 week trial with combined aranesp and neupogen. It dropped further following a couple of weeks of antibiotics. Hopefully, once the drugs get out of his system, he will respond again to the aranesp. Incidentally, pharmaceudical company warns that the hgb should not go above 12 because of the danger of blood clots.
All the best, Bety
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