Neulasta for Neutropenia Associated with Chemotherapy User Reviews (Page 2)

• Rifle...
• March 14, 2017

"Oncologist ordered my Neulasta injection the day following each chemo treatment for lymphoma. Two days after the first injection, I experienced debilitating bone pain in my femurs, hips and pelvis. Could barely walk & pelvis actually throbbed with deep bone ache! The pain lasted for three days, eventually subsiding on Day 3. Oncologist's nurse informed me of that specific Neulasta side effect AND that she'd heard that if I took over-the-counter Claritin the day of chemo (no benadryl), and for the following five days, it may reduce the bone pain. Tried the Claritin path and experienced NO bone pain after Neulasta! My only complaint is that, in two out of six treatments, white cell count was not up enough for next chemo, delaying me 4-5 days."

• Every...
• February 24, 2017

"I have to rate this so low because of the side effects. I cannot even put into words how excruciating and debilitating the pain was. 72 hours an eternity. A experience that would stop me from taking chemo, but the doctor said he will not give it again. Hope this reaction does not happen to anyone else."

• Oreo
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 6, 2020

"DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG Neulasta. My husband has colon cancer. His neutrophils were extremely low. He was given the On Body Injector 7/1/20- severe left shoulder pain with 1 hour. Took claritin as directed. Went to ER 7/4/20 told had torn rotator cuff. NO help. Saw primary Dr 7/6/20 given shots. After week , shoulder pain got a little better. 7/16/20 second dose Neulasta On Body Injector. Went to Primary two times. Cancer Dr. ordered MRI. Took from 7/1/2020 until 7/29/20 to get MRI. Saw orthopedic. 08/3/20 no torn rotator cuff tear. Some arthritis, tendonitisin shoulder, neck has some spurs, arthritis, pinched nerve. My husband is 71 years old. Worked full time with own Pest Control business, lifted weights, stretching, used bands for strenthening, rode bike. No pain until Neulasta injections. As of 8/6/2020 can not use left shoulder, he has extreme pain, nothing touches the pain. Drs should tell patients this drug can cause disability."

• DBJ
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 22, 2012

"I've been taking Neupogen for low WBC prior to chemo. After getting several mosquito bites that didn't heal, hemorrhoids, that wouldn't go away and four days of acid diarrhea each cycle, my oncologist decided to try neulasta. My hemorrhoids are less painful and the acid diarrhea I had has seem to have gone away. I have experienced daily aches in my large bones...thighs, hips, sternum and lower spine. Tylenol helps. I won't know my counts till next week. "

• Kennedi
• August 26, 2015

"I am not sure if Neulasta is working yet. I have only had once so far. Pain on day 2 and 3 were terrible. My jaw even hurt. I did take Tylenol and Aleve but pain was untouchable. I will not take again unless my MD gives me something stronger for the pain."

• Skywa...
• December 15, 2016

"Hodgkin's lymphoma , had five nuelasta shots to date...each time it takes longer to kick in ... Now at eight days after the shot for it to start working. I spend about 36 hours with terrible bone pain, fever the whole time, flu symptoms...each time, but I am always neutropenia at my nadir (7 days) and then when it kicks in, counts go way up. Take Claritan and Tylenol for pain/fever, but it is hard to feel like it is helping..."

• Anonymous
• July 17, 2008

"I have had five injections of Neulasta in conjunction with chemo therapy. The only side effect I notice is one that is not listed. About 12 hours after the injection I develop a headache, low grade fever, and very tender glands. This lasts 48 hours and eases away. It does improve my counts."

• Annie...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 29, 2015

"I was given neulester after my chemo treatments as well. I was expecting the worst, because that is what you hear from others. I received 16 treatment of chemo and 16 of neulester and I can truly say that I was blessed with everything. I do recall having a little pain in my legs one day,but it last for appr. Two hours on and off. My count remain where it needed to be,never went down."

• Sue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 16, 2018

"The neulasta did exactly what it was supposed to do, however, the bone pain that I experienced for five days was almost a ten on the pain scale. I could only sleep an hour or so at a time. I took the recommended Claritin, dosages of ibuprofen, and hydrocodone. I started taking recommended doses of pain killers the night before the neulasta Nothing could be touch my pain. My second dose was worse than the first. While my counts have never been low, it is with great anxiety that I gave my third experience this week with Neulasta."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 30, 2014

"My wife is on this medication. Before the injection her count was 0.7 and after the injection it went up to 15. She hasn't felt any side effects, she has had 6 injections and is working ok. She has cancer of the appendix it a rare cancer."

• SSano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2020

"Receiving Neulasta Onpro after chemo for stage 2 TNBC. I've had 3 cycles with it and taking the Claritin definitely helps (in my case) ease the bone pain a bit. I haven't had it nearly as severely as some of the other reviewers, but it is unpleasant, nonetheless. More importantly, the reason for my low review is that my white cell counts are still very low and my ANC is near zero - critically low - I don't think it's really doing it's job. Plan to discuss the possibility of discontinuing with my oncologist."

• annon...
• July 13, 2009

"I have had two shots of Neulasta. There were no side effects at all after the first. Thus I was not prepared for the extreme tenderness, soreness and achiness from my waist up after the 2nd. Even my face hurt. It lasted 36 to 48 hours then was gone. My white blood count does go up so it is doing it's job. Have to wonder what will happen next time after injection 3."

• SPS
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 7, 2019

"I was doing great until day 3. I started feeling a few pains. By day 7 I was crying & headed to the ER. I felt like I was in labor. 1st it was my stomach. My back was the worst. I was in extreme pain."

• Husky
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2020

"Had my first round of Chemo on Wednesday and a Neulasta injection in abdomen the next day. At day 2 pain in knees was increasing. Last night pain felt like my knees were exploding! Pain meds won't touch it! Haven't slept. Dr. said it's a reaction to Neulasta. Please tell me this will go away and not get worse in the next few days!"

• JLB...
• May 10, 2011

"It is Tuesday 05/10/2011 went to my follow up visit and with the Neulasta my white cell count went up to 24.0(normal range is 4.0 to 10.0) now it is too high and my NE# went way up to 21.4 that is what they use to determine what level your immune system is at. Before the Neulasta my NE# was 0.32 which is very low which puts me at a very high risk of infection. Normal range is 1.4 to 6.5 , so the Neulasta is working very well some might say too well :-). Side Effects were really bad on last Friday and Saturday after that I was okay."

• Tito...
• October 22, 2015

"I had Nulasta 24 hrs after R-CHOP chemo for non Hodgkin's lymphoma Some bone pain occurred . Most discomfort in jaw and glands along both sides of throat. Even ear drums ached. Nothing so bad I could not tolerate it. Lasted only about 48 hrs at most. Annoying but worth the better blood counts"

• karma2m
• December 6, 2014

"I have had Neulasta shots twice so far, the day after my chemo. My white count is staying in the normal range, so Neulasta is doing it's job! I get headaches, fever stays about 100.5 & I just feel crummy for a few days. My doctor's office recommends Claritin, starting the day of chemo, to avoid the "bone aches" Neulasta frequently causes & I haven't experienced that symptom yet. I take Tylenol to help the fever, but I also have been experiencing very bad insomnia- not sure if that's the chemo or Neulasta, but when you feel crummy, you WANT to sleep. NOTE: My doctor's office forgot about the co-pay discount until after my 2nd shot, so I hope I don't have to pay for that "oops"!"

• Drew
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 3, 2019

"I have Diffuse Large Cell B Lymphoma and have experienced so far that Neulasta Onpro does work to raise your WBC thats for sure. The big negative that I experienced is the terrible bone pain that occurs several days after the drug is administered, like someone is tapping on your hip and thigh bones, and lower spine with a hammer. Pretty bad pain. The first time, the pain was really bad for 12 hours, couldn't sleep, was in bed flat and couldn't move the affected areas at all, was in so much pain, just as I lay there, it was the worst pain I have ever felt. I am on the second use now, 4 days after it took effect as I write this and the pain is in the same spots and it pretty bad, but not unbearable at this point like the last time.. Hope it doesn't get worse as the night goes on."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 20, 2016

"Pain Level (1-10) Used after NHL Follicular, Stage 3A Retuximab other treatment (2 day sessions) Completed 1 of 6 treatments. Day1: Auto Body Injector set catheter (1), Injection started 27hrs later for 45 min (0). Removed ABI module 15 min after "EMPTY" (6). Waves of bone pain the following day from hips and sternum (5). These hit for 2-5 seconds every 2 to 10 minutes. Next day same as previous but pain level down to (2). Next day minor annoyance, fully functional pain level from same places (1). Also on this day I felt the need to eat normally again."

• Florida...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 7, 2021

"Do not take neulasta. I was given the patch on the arm after 5th treatment of chemotherapy and it felt like I was tortured! My shins and toes and fingers were literally throbbing with pain, it felt as if someone took a sledgehammer and swung it hard on my bones. I was crying for days. Zyrtec and Claritin and pain pills did not work! I will never ever take Neulasta, nor do I trust the drug companies! I had to use a cane to walk because at times I almost fell because of the pain. This is 9 days later and I am still in excruciating pain. Shame on you drug companies!"

• Brenda
• August 5, 2022

"Horrible nasty Neulasta! Big money maker for pharma. I think the cost of the shot was $17,000!! No wonder health insurance is thru the roof. I had been through 8 rounds of chemo about 14 years before Neulasta was around and was fine. About 3 years ago the breast cancer came back and my oncologist recommended it as a prevention to low WBC. Worst leg pain ever! It took about 3 months for the pain to go away. It hurt to walk. I told my oncologist I would never never take that nasty drug again!"

• Mimi
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2019

"After the 1st. chemo treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma, I had severe lower back pains from the Neulasta injection for almost 24 hours. It felt like someone knocking from the inside. So bad I could barely talk. After the 12 Th. chemo treatment I ended up with still a lower back pain but I had a hard time sleeping since every time I moved a little I would get this discomfort (don’t know any other way to explain it) all across my back, hip and side. Even trying to sit up straight was daunting. Doctor had prescribed a pain killer but it didn’t do much good, and that Tylenol/Claritin combo did not help. That back pain is still going on for several days. I’m constantly afraid to move."

• Dads...
• November 26, 2018

"Hi, I'm writing re: my father's experience. Re: "123mfd123" comment - I track Dad's blood levels. After one chemo/Neulasta round, there was no WBC count spike (typical by day 7). Doctor's henchman said Neulasta "absolutely did not malfunction." I dug the spent injectors out of the "sharps" container (note: injector blue tube isn't sharp), weighed them on a kitchen scale, & called Neulasta (company: Amgen) customer service w/ weights & Lot #s. FDA mandates that Med Device Companies take all complaints seriously. Amgen sent me a box to return the slightly-heavier injector associated w/the missing WBC spike. I want Amgen to have the data, so they can improve their product or recall any faulty product if needed. Other than that dispenser, we've had no issues."

• Josh
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 17, 2020

"My mom has stage 4 extensive small cell lung cancer and is receiving chemo and immunotherapy. Her WBC and neutrophils were incredibly unstable throughout all of cycle one, and resulted in a week long ICU stay when combined with drastically low sodium. For cycles 2-4 she had the Onpro Neulasta injector- which you want to make sure you’re at home for. Two of the four cycles we had more appointments and labs the next day and hearing that thing beep and infuse in the car or waiting room is rather anxiety inducing. My mother doesn’t complain too much about the pain- it’s generally for a day or so and her medical marijuana helps take the edge off. Weekly blood tests for the second and third cycles confirmed it steadied her blood counts through the varying nadirs of her chemo cocktail (carboplatin and etoposide) and helped keep thrush at bay. Overall she’s happy with it. Sorry it seems to go so badly for so many..."

• Winer...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2020

"I started Neulasta (single injection) following my 5th chemo infusion because my WBC and absolute neutrophil count were too low causing my infusions to be delayed by 2-3 weeks. I started loratidine the day before the shot and never experienced any pain, just a strange feeling of my bones pulsing. However, this product never did a thing for for my wbc or absolute neutrophil count. My final infusion was again delayed by a couple of weeks. I am giving this drug a 2 rating only because I did not have the pain that so many others experienced."