Treatments for Neutropenia

Neutropenia relates to people that have a lowered immunity system because they are on chemotherapy medications. Chemotherapy, though it works to kill all of the cancer cells in the body, also destroys your good non-cancerous cells too. That makes for a very low tolerance in the immune system, and therefore people that are undergoing chemotherapy treatments may catch every type of illness around them that is contagious.

There are ways to treat neutropenia in people that have to take chemotherapy drugs. One of the ways is to stay out of the public as much as possible while undergoing treatment. But since this is not always a reasonable expectation, there are certain drugs which help to build up the white blood cells so that the immune system is better able to fight off illnesses.

Neulasta is one such drug that can be used to help the immune system restore itself. The drug itself was created from a human protein that is part of amino acids, and therefore helps the white blood cells through the bone marrow.

Most doctors would give this drug after you have had the first chemotherapy treatment one day after. This is an injectable type of drug, and your health care worker will give it to you. You may inject it yourself, but only if you understand the doctors instructions 100 percent.

People that would have trouble taking Neulasta are those that may have a rare allergy to the drug, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. This drug has been known to pass onto the unborn child and may cause birth defects as well as into breast milk.

Neulasta, just like any medication, can have a number of different side effects to it. The more serious effects are, (1) feeling short of breath, (2) having a severe pain in the abdominal area, and (3) fever, chills, body aches, and an overall very unwell feeling. Other lesser serious effects from the drug are joint pains, headache, weakness, vertigo, no appetite, nausea, and vomiting. If any of these side effects are bothersome, contact your physician right away.

Another treatment for neutropenia is an injectable drug known as Neupogen. Neupogen is also another man made protein from an amino acid as Neulasta is. This is a drug that is taken on a daily basis to build up white cells from the effects of chemotherapy. The same side effects apply to Neupogen as they would to Neulasta.

Before anyone takes either of these treatments for neutropenia, their prescribing doctor and oncologist need to both be on the same page in knowing each of the drugs you are taking not related to chemotherapy, as well as chemotherapy medicines. This way serious interactions may be avoided.