I have diabetes and my blood sugar goes up when I take my Decadron. Is there a way to avoid Decadron?
I believe you are referring to your Decadron® (dexamethasone) use before your Taxol® (paclitaxel) or Taxotere® (docetaxel). The general trend has been to decrease the amount of Decadron before these chemotherapeutic agents, although the physicians are largely doing that empirically without any systematic study of the optimal dose of Decadron. However, there is a new taxane, which is called Abraxane® (nanoparticle albumin-bound [NAB] paclitaxel). This new type of paclitaxel does not require any Decadron use before its administration. You should discuss it with your doctor to see if you are a suitable candidate for switching to NAB paclitaxel.
Decadron® (dexamethasone) is given before Taxol® (paclitaxel) or Taxotere® (docetaxel) to prevent allergic reactions, to try to prevent nausea, and in the case of Taxotere, to avoid the side effect of fluid retention. The general trend has been to decrease the amount of Decadron before these chemotherapeutic agents, although the physicians are largely doing that empirically without any systematic study of the optimal dose of Decadron. However, there is a new taxane, which is called Abraxane® (nanoparticle albumin-bound [NAB] paclitaxel). This new type of paclitaxel does not require any Decadron use before its administration. You should discuss it with your doctor to see if you are a suitable candidate for switching to NAB paclitaxel.
