[sandra4611]

Vidaza is a miracle drug for some, ineffective for some, but the majority get benefits far outweighing any side effects. My husband had 13 rounds of Vidaza and was one of the ones that saw results immediately. His lab results stabilized right away and he did not require any more blood or platelet transfusions for the entire time he was on Vidaza. It can take four to six rounds for any changes to be noticed so that’s the reason why doctors want you to stick with it until you are sure it won’t help you. Vidaza is described as “chemo light” by oncologists because it doesn’t have the kind of side effects you associate with chemo. You won’t lose your hair but some longer time users notice thinning of hair. Anti-nausea drugs are routinely prescribed but many experience no nausea at all. (My husband didn’t.) He didn’t have problems with soreness at the site of the injections although that is the most widely noted “side effect.” He was on a 5 day cycle and had injections in rotating places to decrease the odds of having soreness. (Center stomach, right arm, right stomach, left arm, left stomach) Some people get Vidaza via IV and avoid any chance of localized soreness altogether. My husband had hiccups for a few hours after round one and two but not again. He would usually have one day where he felt tired and once in a while had muscle aches, but as he said, everybody has those once in a while, so who knows if it was because of Vidaza. My best advice is don’t go looking for side effects. If you have a list of them, I’ll bet you get everything on the list! Just relax and let Vidaza stabilize your lab results for as long as it will last. The one thing everyone on Vidaza can say is that it quits sooner or later. There are several ongoing studies trying to figure out why is stops or for some, why it doesn’t work at all.

[Author]

Posts