Taxotere Hair Loss: Why Are Cancer Survivors Complaining? • Drugwatcher.org (2023)

FAQs

Is permanent hair loss a side effect of Taxotere? ›

Patients undergoing chemotherapy with Taxol (paclitaxel) are able to regrow their hair after their course of treatment is completed. However, with Taxotere, the hair loss can be permanent. Taxotere has been used in the treatment of breast cancer for over twenty years.

Taxotere manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, alleges that long-term alopecia–permanent hair loss–only occurs in about three percent of patients. This differs from the findings of other studies, which identified a higher risk of permanent baldness. Dr.

Over the last year, a growing number of product liability lawsuits have been filed against Sanofi by women who took Taxotere for chemotherapy and suffered permanent vision damage from excessive tearing.

Taxotere lawsuits claim the chemotherapy drug can cause permanent hair loss and eye damage, including vision loss. There are nearly 11,000 Taxotere lawsuits pending in Louisiana federal court as of October 2022. Litigation is ongoing and no settlements have been announced.

Most people will lose all their hair, including eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair. You may begin to lose your hair about two weeks after the first treatment, but it can happen earlier.

The most common long-term side effects of docetaxel are two types of nerve damage called sensory and motor peripheral neuropathy. Although it is less common, patients have also reported hair loss that lasts for years and appears to be permanent. In extremely rare cases, patients have developed leukemia.

As long as the hair follicles have not been permanently destroyed by Taxotere, the hair should regrow. But up to about 6% of Taxotere patients have permanent hair follicle damage.

Can hair loss be prevented? No treatment exists that can guarantee your hair won't fall out during or after chemotherapy. Several treatments have been investigated as possible ways to prevent hair loss, but none has been absolutely effective, including: Scalp cooling caps (scalp hypothermia).

About: Docetaxel (Taxotere)

Docetaxel works by disrupting the microtubular network in cells, which is essential for cell division and other normal cellular functions. Docetaxel interferes with the function of microtubules, resulting in inactive microtubule bundles, causing cells to die.

Is there an alternative to Taxotere? ›

Taxol (Paclitaxel)

Like Taxotere, Taxol is a member of the taxane family of medicines. It is designed to stop cancer cells from repairing themselves and inhibit the growth of new ones. Both drugs operate the same way and there is no drop-off in quality when choosing Taxol.

Has Taxotere Been Recalled? With the side effects of Taxotere, you may want to know if the authorities have recalled it. The U.S. FDA has not pulled the drug from the market. However, that Taxotere is still legally circulating doesn't affect your lawsuit against the manufacturer.

Pain or swelling at the injection site, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive tearing, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, feeling drunk, constipation, and loss of appetite may occur. Nausea and vomiting can be severe. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe medication to prevent or relieve nausea and vomiting.

Drug-induced hair loss is usually completely reversible and is, in most cases, a consequence of a toxic effect of the drug on the hair follicle matrix. In rare cases alopecia may be permanent.

Early studies indicated that Taxotere might be more aggressive and successful at eliminating cancerous cells in the body because the drug could infiltrate the cell at higher levels than Taxol.

It was neoadjuvant chemotherapy, including Taxanes (Taxotere), Carboplatin, and Trastuzumab (Herceptin). Days 4 and 5 were the hardest: nausea or just energy, emotions. Got better on Day 6 and got better on Day 7.

Background: Prednisone and other corticosteroids can provide palliation and tumor responses in patients with prostate cancer. The combination of docetaxel and prednisone was the first treatment shown to prolong survival in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

It generally takes about 48 to 72 hours for your body to break down and/or get rid of most chemo drugs.

How long does it take for docetaxel to leave your system? ›

In general, the chemotherapy drug- Docetaxel may take 2-3 days to leave the body altogether. Precautions such as staying hydrated during the chemotherapy may help flush off the excess drug dose out of the system.

three months). The SWOG trial investigators reported a 27-percent increase in disease-progression-free survival and a 55-percent increase in objective response rate in the Taxotere®-containing arm. In addition, the majority of patients had a PSA decline of more than 50 percent.

Hair growth after chemo can be stimulated to grow back faster by applying minoxidil or minoxidil alternatives. Research suggests that minoxidil (Rogaine) might speed up hair regrowth after chemo.

Try a moisturizer that contains ceramides such as CeraVe® or Curel® or organic oils such as coconut, sesame or olive oils.

Look into cold caps and scalp cooling systems.

These devices have helped many people keep some or quite a bit of their hair during chemotherapy. Learn more about preventing hair loss with Cold Caps and Scalp Cooling Systems.

Use baby shampoo or other mild shampoo (such as Aveeno® or Vanicream™). You should also use a cream rinse or hair conditioner. Use shampoos and conditioners that have sunscreen to prevent sun damage to your scalp. Always rinse your hair well and pat it dry with a soft towel.

Other vitamins and supplements that show up in claimed hair-growing products include vitamin C, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, amino acids, B vitamins, vitamin A, and vitamin E. All of these are basic ingredients in most vitamin supplements (including prenatal vitamins, which many swear by to help their hair grow).

Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells, but it also kills healthy cells. As a result, it has some severe side effects, including possible hair loss. Many people lose some or all of their hair if they undergo chemotherapy. However, this effect is rarely permanent, and the hair should grow back once treatment is over.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are said to encourage regrowth, and many cancer patients wanting hair growth often times rub essential oils such as rosemary, ylang-ylang, bergamot and lavender into their scalp to regenerate and stimulate the cells.

Thinning hair can grow back depending on what caused it to thin in the first place. People who experience thinning hair due to nutrient deficiencies, stress, pregnancy, and other nongenetic reasons could experience regrowth. If you're experiencing new hair loss or hair thinning, it's best to consult your doctor.

Why is dexamethasone given with Taxotere? ›

A small number of people who take Taxotere have severe fluid retention, which can be life- threatening. To help avoid this problem, you must take another medication such as dexamethasone (DECKS-A-METH-A-SONE) prior to each Taxotere treatment.

Taxotere is a highly powerful chemotherapy drug. It's about two times as potent as another chemo drug called paclitaxel, and at least five times more potent against paclitaxel-resistant cells.

Taxotere has an average rating of 4.8 out of 10 from a total of 10 reviews on Drugs.com. 33% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 56% reported a negative experience.

Docetaxel (Taxotere), a semisynthetic analogue of the antitumor agent paclitaxel, inhibits tubulin depolymerization. Paclitaxel produces a peripheral neuropathy.

Drug Type:

Taxotere is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug. Taxotere is classified as a "plant alkaloid," a "taxane" and an "antimicrotubule agent." (For more detail, see "How Taxotere Works" section below).

Health care providers administer Taxotere through an IV for one hour every three weeks, according to the drug's label. Depending on the type of cancer, this can continue for several cycles.

In a clinical trial of docetaxel for CRPC, the frequencies of PN were 32% [1] (maximum 10 cycles) and 41% (maximum 12 cycles) [17]. Considering the results of the present study, the incidence of PN with docetaxel is higher in patients with CRPC than in those with other cancers.

"In all groups, there was a trend for Taxotere to be a better drug," Dr. Ravdin said. Taxotere recipients showed greater tumor shrinkage and tended to live longer " 15.4 months on average vs. 12.7 months for Taxol recipients.

DOCEtaxel food

You should preferably avoid the regular consumption of grapefruits and grapefruit juice while taking DOCEtaxel. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can significantly increase the blood levels of DOCEtaxel.

The chemotherapy drug Taxotere, which is the brand name of docetaxel, has been linked to a range of potential eye injuries and vision problems, like teary eyes and obstructed tear ducts. Some of these eye side effects may be permanent or require surgical intervention to correct.

How long after stopping medication will hair stop falling out? ›

Once a person has ceased the medication, hair can take up to 6 months to grow back. Some people may notice hair growth within 3–6 months, but it may take 12–18 months for the hair to return to normal.

Baricitinib oral tablets — developed by Eli Lilly and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year — is the first systemic treatment for alopecia areata.

Telogen effluvium is the name for a common cause of temporary hair loss due to the excessive shedding of resting or telogen hair after some shock to the system. New hair continues to grow. Telogen hair is also known as a club hair due to the shape of the root.

Taxotere and Pacilitaxel are equally effective, but Taxotere has the added risk of permanent hair loss. Hair loss is typical with chemotherapy, but hair growth resumes shortly after treatments have finished.

Conclusions: Both docetaxel and paclitaxel may cause permanent scalp hair loss, but it is significantly more prevalent with docetaxel compared with paclitaxel.

Hair usually grows back after chemotherapy. It may be curlier, finer or a different colour. You might find that it grows unevenly or in patches. These changes are rarely permanent.

High-dose chemotherapy used in the setting of hematopoietic cell transplantation leads to rapid and complete alopecia [22]. Some chemotherapy agents may cause prolonged or permanent alopecia, most notably docetaxel given at doses of 75 mg/m² or higher per cycle, and less commonly paclitaxel [23-27].

The best vitamin to combat hair loss from chemo and stimulate hair growth after chemo is Biotin, or vitamin B7. Biotin is the go to vitamin when talking about healthy hair, skin, and nails. Biotin stimulates the keratin production in hair and can increase the rate of follicle growth.

By 3 months, hair loss is often complete.

Hair regrowth after chemotherapy usually starts within 1 to 3 months after the therapy has finished.

Chemotherapy. Most people think that chemotherapy drugs always cause hair loss. But some don't cause any hair loss at all or only slight thinning. Other types of chemotherapy may cause complete hair loss.

Why did my hair grow back thin after chemo? ›

That's because chemo targets rapidly growing cells, which damages hair follicles and makes the hair fall out. But radiation therapy can sometimes cause hair loss, too, when it's used to treat head and neck cancers. It depends on the area that's receiving radiation.