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ET, Polycythemia, Jax2: Is this a blood cancer?
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Jan 10 8:57am | Replies (26)Comment receiving replies
I totally agree, I myself just started on Hydroxyurea , first, it was every day, but my platelets went way up, so now we are trying three times a week, and will go in for another blood test to see how that’s going. I have no side effects from this drug and feel lucky for that. The way I look at it is, its like a recipe, sometimes you have to add and subtract things to find out what works for your body. I am also Jak 2. You need to inform yourself and write down all your questions for your doctor, and always get a second opinion.
Replies to "I totally agree, I myself just started on Hydroxyurea , first, it was every day, but..."
During my first year of HU, my platelets bounced up and down......finally they leveled off, and have been more or less the same. My oncologist said platelet counts can vary from morning to night.....so you want yours directionally correct, doesn't have to be exact
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I am on it for almost a year. I read it takes about six months or longer to get the dosage correct and that was about right. Started off with 500mg daily and my platelets dropped down too low after about four months. I was having some teeth sensitivity, small brown spots on my skin and hair loss. Went down to five days a week and now currently on three days a week for about four months. Side effects have basically disappeared with the lower dosage. I see my platelets crawling back up and don't want to up the dosage again but time will tell. I just am grateful the medication works and that is it very inexpensive. Do you have PV? or ET? Jak2 positive labs confirmed my PV.