I'm about to begin treatments with Vidaza, what should I know?

My husband just finished his first round of Vidaza, 7 days on and in 1 month again treatment. He went thru the treatment very well, real fatigued some days. He received the treatment by an injection in his stomach, his only real complaint was it really irritated at injection site. He has a pikline and the next treatment will be thru the pikline. Good luck to you, you’ll do great.

I have MDS IB2. My blast count was 10% when diagnosed. After 3 rounds of vidaza with venaclax my blast count was 2%. I am continuing my long term chemotherapy on these two medications. You may have some low white cell counts along the way. Your doctor should explain this to you.

My first shots resulted in severe vomiting and a trip to the er.
I was told this is unheard of .
Also, read that Vidaza is only effective for 30%to 40% who start it.
I have lost interest.

What did they do for your low wbc..mine are 2.6...I am worried

Hi @bettersleep68 I just wrote a reply to your other comment regarding low WBC here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/1273884/

Here’s the cut/paste version:
It’s not unusual mid cycle for blood numbers to drop. Basically, chemo targets quickly dividing cells, such as cancer cells. But it’s not discriminatory so it can impact all of the rapidly dividing cells such as red/white/platelets, mucosal lining of stomach, intestines, mouth, hair follicles and nails. During mid month the drop reaches a low point called neutropenia or nadir. At least for me, that was several days of low mental and physical energy. Then the numbers start to climb again, just in time again for the next round of chemo.

It’s not uncommon for a drug such as Neupogen or Neulasta to be administered the day following the last day of a chemo round. These meds can promote faster neutrophil production. These WBC’s are important for fighting infection.
During this time of neutropenia, be vigilant for any sign of infection such as a fever. If you develop a fever of 101.3 let your cancer team know right away.

Has your doctor mentioned an injection of Neulasta?

Welcome to Connect @shot. You sure got off to a rocky start with your chemo. I’m sorry to hear you had such a miserable time and ended up in the ER.
Nausea and vomiting are actually a pretty common side effects with chemo. Fortunately, there some good meds on the market to help offset the worst of it.

I realize this experience isn’t something you’d like to repeat. Were you given any anti-nausea medications to take with your injections?

Since Vidaza is used to treat various blood cancers and conditions would you mind sharing your diagnosis?
Will you consider trying an alternative?

My wbc count was in the normal range after the third round however in the first two rounds they were between 0.8 and 1.5. Now in my forth round they are down again to 1.3. So my treatment is on hold until they return to normal which my doctor assured me they will. In the meantime I use caution, for example avoid people with colds take antibiotic (LEVOFLOXACIN). In addition during first 3 rounds I took antiviral (ACYCLOVIR) and anti fugal (POSACONAZOLE).

Thanks for your response..it good information

They gave me nausea medication that I took initially.
Obviously did not help.
Diagnosis is myelodysplasia and Myelofibrosis
Dr. has recommended prenausea treatment prior to another attempt.
Is it possible to get an overdose of Vidaza ?