Side effects of hydroxyurea

Hi @lynns51 One thing that might be helpful for you is to drink plenty of water. When I was undergoing my treatments for leukemia the daily intake of water was at last 84 ounces. I still drink at least 64 to 80+ daily. It can help to keep the toxins flushing through the kidneys. Room temp water is absorbed better and most people can drink more during the day than with ice water.

Just curious with your comment though. I wonder if you meant to say your eGFR dropped from 60 to 48 instead of the other way around?

@loribmt Thanks for your reply. I did mean the estimated GFR. I do drink a lot of liquids, but I also urinate a lot because of that. I exercise, but don’t sweat like I use to. Might be my age ..74? I am very achy and tired, also. I hope that will eventually go away. My blue/black/red fingernails are taking some getting use to, but I’m loving the much lower platelet counts with HU! It’s still early for me in the treatment plan. I don’t know what my dosage will be yet, but since my numbers have come down so quickly, I’m optimistic I will know that soon.

@sunshine1983 Hi there! I tried HU for a month and by the end I was in so much pain with fevers and chills that I had to stop. How hard was it to get on Besremi and how are you tolerating that?

@sunshine1983 Hi i’m on Besremi For my ET on 150mcg Started March 1st on 50mcg two Shots than upped too 100For two Shots Did one Shot So far at 150mcg platelets Where Down From 601too 527

@mdramsey48 Hi there. My oncologist wanted me on either Besremi or Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) but my insurance stated that I needed to try HU first. Once that didn't work, my oncologist sent over both the Besremi and the Pegasys. My insurance chose the Besremi. It was approved in 24 hours. I have read from others that it is pretty difficult to get on Besremi because it is so expensive. I would talk to your oncologist and your insurance to see if this drug they would approve. Also go to their website, they might have help for the cost. I started at 50mcg with Besremi then moved up to 100mcg stayed at that level for a couple of rounds of treatment and they just gradually kept upping the dose by 50mcgs. I am now on 300mcgs, and I have been on Besremi for over a year now. 300 seems to be my sweet spot. This treatment has made my life so much better. I tolerate it very well. Yes, I do get nausea at times, but I take a pill for that, and it goes away. Yes, I do still have exhaustion, fatigue, brain fog, some days are better than others, but I don't have pain from my MPN like I use to. I do get some flare ups ( I call them that) but it usually happens when I overdo myself or if I am coming down with something. If you go on Besremi I will say this, watch your mood because Besremi can cause extreme mood swings. You can be overly happy, hyper and then want to bite someone's head off, or be extremely depressed. I'm also on medication for depression/anxiety and since being on Besremi we have already had to switch up my medication for that. My oncologist has stressed to me that they can only try to treat the symptoms, the treatment is to help your quality of life and is not curative. I feel that it has helped the quality of my life, but I am also still very exhausted by the end of the day and there is still things that I can't do due to the exhaustion and fatigue I feel. Besremi like any other medication will affect everyone differently. I hope this answered your question and if you and your oncologist decide to go forward with this treatment, I hope that it does wonders for you.