Hydroxyurea Medication and Anorexia

My experience with Hydrea. Hopes this helps with your question. I haven't been diagnosed with anorexia but I have to make myself eat. Nothing tastes good and over the last year I've lost over 10 lb. Which doesn't seem like a lot but I don't weigh that much.

My platelets recently
went up to over 1200 due to a drug trial I was on. They took me off of that and increased my hydrea which I have been on since 2021 to four pills a day, from 2. The side effects I've had from hydrea before this taking a thousand milligrams a day was my taste buds. I've gotten to the point where nothing taste good and it's hard to eat resulting in weight loss. My doctor says that Hydra will work to lower platelets. It's only been a couple of weeks so we'll see what happens.
I'm having severe symptoms of the higher platelets, dizziness, double vision, arm and leg weakness, numbness in lips and tongue. Very scary.

Thank you for your care and concern for your father. That's a really tough diagnosis. Now more than ever, he needs to eat well to stay strong.

Please bring this up with his oncologist as soon as you can.

When a medical problem strikes, we all rush to the internet. Some of what we "learn" is helpful. And some is not!

That's why only his oncologist knows what's best for your father. Hydroxyurea (HU) does a lot of good, but not everyone can tolerate it.

Until you're able to get guidance from the oncologist, I'll share advice posted on this forum. Never take HU on an empty stomach. And if by chance your father is a dairy lover, he may find that milk washes the capsules down easily. That works really well for me.

I am so sorry your family is going through this.

God bless you and thank you for sharing! Your loss of taste is a huge help to me and my research.
I will be praying for you!!! 🤗

Thank you for your insight; it means the world to me!
May God bless you and know you’re in my prayers. 🤗

Thank you I appreciate the prayers! Just so you know I also take my pills with milk.

Hello & thanks for sharing your father’s story. I am taking 500 mg hydroxyurea a day for high platelets pending a bone marrow biopsy next week. Have been taking it for about a month.
I’m usually always hungry. But lately I have to force myself to eat. I only weigh around 104, so really can’t afford to lose much weight. Of course not having an appetite is alarming to me.
Prayers for your father & please let his Dr know of this side effect! Insist on an alternative, if available.

God bless you and prayers to you for next week! Not sure if the Hydro is causing the anorexia, but I’m sure going to find out.
My father has always been skinny, but now it’s getting out of hand.
Thank you for your insight! 🤗

Hi there sorry to hear about your father, my platelets were high 800 so doctor put me on Hu which brought reading down to where it should be , I have been on 500 hu day plus 1 baby aspirin for over a year now aged 83 and never had any side effects other than some heart burn which may be the aspirin, it just shows how everyone is different, speak to your doctor to try a change of drug there are several available now,
Best of luck with a nother drug.

Thank you for sharing! May God continue to bless you! 🤗

I found it easiest to take the HU first thing in the morning with bfast. It upset my stomach at night. I take the same dose as your Dad.