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Can anyone share their experience with Pluvicto?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Oct 22 6:00am | Replies (79)Comment receiving replies
Pluvicto update:
I had my fourth Pluvicto infusion last Wednesday, Today is Saturday, three days after the infusion. As you know if you have been following me on this thread, I have a dosimeter (geiger counter) which I purchased from Amazon for about $100 and use it to monitor my radiation levels. Their generic guidelines tell you to stay three feet away from everyone for three days (a week from small children and pregnant women) and sleep in separate beds for that three day period. If you just follow these generic guidelines you are led to believe that after three days you no longer pose any danger to anyone else (what I call "collateral damage") and it is perfectly safe to resume "normal" life. I disagree. My dosimeter radiation reading at the end of three days is still 1.86. That's maybe half of what it was when I left the treatment center three days ago but, in my opinion, still poses a significant risk to others. They try to minimize the risk, I suppose trying not to scare you in this area that few of us know anything about (but we become knowledgeable out of necessity). They tell you not to worry, that any exposure to others is minimal and can't even begin to manifest any signs or symptoms for twenty years. Well, just think about that for a minute. If you expose your 25 year old grandson or granddaughter to your still ongoing radiation emission you are opening them up for potential problems when they become 45. I choose not to do that. I start by isolating myself not for the three days they tell you is "safe", but rather I isolate myself for a week to begin with, and then allow limited contact for another week.
I will update everyone again at the seven day mark after infusion.
Hope my experience will be helpful to others currently undergoing the Pluvicto treatrment or contemplating doing so. My side effects have been tolerable and manageable. My primary side effect is constipation. That is not the same for everyone and others in this thread have had much worse side effects, so just be cautious and monitor your side effect reactions closely.
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@redroadtraveler, you're right that the use of PLUVICTO involves exposure to radioactivity. And I appreciate your diligence after treatment in keeping your distance from others and monitoring your radioactivity.
For all members taking Pluvicto or considering it, please note that it is not necessary to monitor with a dosimeter or geiger counter. With proper attention to instructions from your radiation oncologist you can keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
Read more about what to expect and precautions on Pluvicto's website here https://us.pluvicto.com/about-pluvicto/what-to-expect-when-taking-pluvicto
For more complete details, you can also download the pluvicto_patient_e.pdf Patient Information Insert.
Here's a relevant excerpt
After administration of PLUVICTO
For 2 days after the administration of PLUVICTO, drink plenty of water in order to remain hydrated and to urinate as often as possible to eliminate the radiopharmaceutical product from your body.
Because this medicine is radioactive, you will have to follow the instructions described below to minimize radiation exposure to others unless otherwise instructed by your nuclear medicine doctor.
Contact with others in your household, children, and/or pregnant women
limit close contact (less than 1 meter) with:
o others in your household for 2 days
o children and pregnant women for 7 days;
sleep in a separate bedroom from:
o others in your household for 3 days
o children for 7 days
o pregnant women for 15 days;
avoid sexual activity for 7 days;
use effective birth control throughout treatment with PLUVICTO and for 14 weeks after your last dose.
Use of toilets
Take special precautions to avoid contamination during the 2 days after treatment.
You must always sit when using the toilet.
It is essential that you use toilet paper every time you use the toilet.
Always wash your hands well after using the toilet.
Flush all wipes and/or toilet paper down the toilet immediately after use.
Flush any tissues or any other items that contain bodily waste, such as blood, urine and feces
down the toilet. Items that cannot be flushed down the toilet, such as bandages, must be placed in separate plastic waste disposal bags (according to “Waste disposal recommendations” below).
Showering and laundry
Take a shower every day for at least the first 7 days after treatment. Wash your underwear, pajamas, sheets and any clothes that contain sweat, blood or urine separately from the laundry of others in your household, using a standard washing cycle. You do not need to use bleach and do not need extra rinses.
Waste disposal recommendations
All items to be thrown away should be discarded in a separate plastic waste disposal bag to be used only for this purpose. Keep the plastic waste disposal bags separate from the other household waste and away from children and animals. A member of the hospital staff will tell you how and when to get rid of these waste disposal bags.