Generic Name: irinotecan
Brand Name: Camptosar intravenous
Drug Reviews Drug and Medication User Reviews
My husband was forced to take this drug due to a "nationwide shortage" of Etoposide when he went in to begin his day 2 of the second session of chemo. His first session used Cisplatin and Etoposide with no severe side effects. just 2 doses of this Camptosar nearly killed him. This is the worst chemo drug and I would not recommend it for anyone! We just went back to have Day 1 of his 3rd session yesterday, only to find out that his white blood cell count was 700 (too low to even have a chemo treatment) - now we have to wait yet another week, this is so very hard to handle!
I did not start experiencing the stomach discomfort until the last couple of months of treatment. The pre medication helped cut down on the diarreah
Diarrhea four to five times a day ~ it comes suddenly and agree with other reviewer that it is difficult to leave the house! Also constant nose drip and raw stomach feeling. Good news though, after 3 months new tumor growth disappeared and soon will take MRI to see what 3 more months has accomplished.
side effects were terrible. I could not leave my house as I never knew when I would have to run to the bathroom. Food went straight through and I lost 30 pounds.
I had rectal cancer that has not spread to other areas so I am not sure why my oncologist chose this particular chemo as preventative treatment. The treatments were very difficult to endure, more so than chemo/radiation prior to surgery and the surgery itself. I experienced bloating, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. I agree with the other posters, I hate this drug. After completing 6 of 8 treatments, I informed my doctor that I would not take anymore. After 5 weeks of no treatment, I am still experiencing the side effects!
While the medication works, it is a very hard drug to tolerate.
i HATE THIS DRUG