This article is a comprehensive list of the Taxol side effects I experienced and heard of, with tips on how to mitigate them. If you’ve followed me for very long or have perused my other articles, you know I’ve already posted one article on the Chemo Survival Guide to Adriamycin and Cytoxan.

As with that article, allow me to state that everyone experiences chemotherapy differently, and so your experience with Taxol may be completely different from mine! That said, this article is based entirely on my experience with the drug and what helped me get through the side effects. If I know some tips that worked for others, I’ll share them below as well to give you some other perspectives.

But overall, this is my experience as a 32-year-old going through four rounds of dose-dense Taxol to treat triple-negative breast cancer.

I have absolutely no medical training, and let’s face it, chemo can have some really wonky side effects. So if you experience anything that makes you nervous or sounds concerning, don’t hesitate to bring it up to your nurse or oncologist! Seriously, that’s what you’re paying them for.

Adriamycin vs Taxol

Adria and Taxol are weird. And by weird I mean people can react to them very differently. Personally, Adriamycin was awful for me, and comparatively Taxol was a piece of cake! Conversely, some people get through Adria rather unscathed, only to get the crap beat out of them by Taxol.

I say that to say this: one of the two treatments will likely be rougher for you than the other. If you feel like you’re walking through the seven layers of Hell while on Adria, take heart! Taxol will likely be easier! If, however, you’re sailing through Adria, you might have a harder time on Taxol. And I stress the word might because again, chemo is weird, and you may be fortunate enough to get through both rather easily.

Dose-Dense or Weekly

There’s an assumption that if you’re younger then your body can handle the side effects better. Thus, those who are younger are more likely to get dose-dense chemo treatment. Your oncologist may choose to not do dose-dense treatment, even if you’re young, depending on what other health concerns you have.

Doses tend to be lower if you’re over 50 years old, which I think also helps with the side effects.

If you do dose-dense, you’ll probably do four treatments, with one treatment every other week. Otherwise, you may do 12 weekly treatments of Taxol.

At one point I discussed lowering the dose of Taxol and going every week. He was onboard, but also warned me that some people experience worse neuropathy by extending the time period, even if the dosage is lower. For that reason, I stuck with dose-dense. If you’re concerned about this, chat with your doctor about your side effects and concerns!

Bald, no eyelashes or eyebrows, and likely having a hot flash since my hat is off. But I’m on chemo #7 so life is good! That smile may not show it, though. I’m obviously still groggy from my IV Benny nap…

First Step: Get Organized!

As with any chemo regimen, I highly advise keeping a log of your side effects day-by-day so you can report that to your oncologist at every appointment! It’s easy for one day to blend into another and suddenly you may remember your side effects, but not when or how severe they were.

Have a 3-inch binder to hold all your EOB’s, bills, resources, discharge paperwork, etc. I then had a composition book for notes at doctor appointments and my log of side effects. Instead of a composition book, there are planners that you can buy online that organize your doctor appointments, notes, medications, side effects, etc. So however jazzy you feel like being with your notebook, you do you, just be sure you keep one!

Common Side Effects

Several side effects I’ve already covered in my post on Adriamycin, so if you haven’t read that yet, you can find it here. Fortunately the metallic taste and increased sense of smell I had on Adria went away with Taxol; same with the heartburn. But the mouth sores were still a concern on Taxol.

There are, however, a few other posts on side effects where I needed to go into more detail in order to do that topic any justice. These posts include:

• Hair loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• The importance of hydration during chemo
• Chemo-induced constipation and diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Neuropathy

Perhaps it’s a cumulative thing with the mouth sores and constipation/diarrhea, but those were worse for me on Taxol and Adria. Be sure to stay on top of those two to avoid complications, and talk to your oncologist if you start to have concerns with them!

On the bright side, I had no vomiting and hardly any nausea on Taxol! This was friggin’ amazing to me because I felt like absolute crap on Adria!

A Word about IV Benadryl…

Depending on how your body responds to IV Benadryl, it can be a beautiful thing…or not so much. Taxol can sometimes cause an allergic reaction in patients, hence why you’re always given Benadryl at the infusion center before you start treatment.

Any of you follow @thecancerpatient on Instagram? If you’re on the Gram and don’t follow them, go do it now! They have some great memes and dark humor related to life as a cancer patient/survivor. And it’s not uncommon for those jokes to be about IV Benadryl.

You know how you get tired after taking Benadryl in pill form? Yeah, multiply that by ten and you’ve got the IV form. Wear comfy clothes to treatment, ask for one of those warmed hospital blankets, and get ready for a nap. Some people end up sleeping through the entire infusion thanks to good ole Benny! I didn’t have that kind of luck, but it did make me rest for a good 45 minutes.

Although first, my tongue felt thick and my vision got all swirly like I was about three Long Island Iced Teas into a good time, and then I got a nap.

Ironically, IV Benny can also cause some weird reactions. It has to be pushed through the IV slowly or it can make your butthole feel like it’s burning. Yeah, friggin’ weird, but you’ll recognize it when it happens!

Generally nurses push it through over the course of seven minutes or more. My body, however, was not a fan, and the nurses had to push it through over at least 15 minutes. If not, I’d get a really warm flush and spontaneously vomit. Like, no warning. You know how usually you salivate for 30-60 seconds before getting sick? Yeah, I didn’t have that.

If you’re concerned about this possibility or tend to be sensitive to medications, I recommend having one of those barf bags at the ready. Just in case.

Neuropathy

Neuropathy is probably the greatest concern with Taxol. Some people don’t experience it at all, while others get it so painfully they don’t finish treatment. I did get some tingling in my fingers starting with the second treatment, though it only lasted a couple days after each treatment.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out this post, where I go into a lot more detail about ways to help prevent neuropathy, as well as how to treat symptoms if they start.

Bone Pain

This was the worse side effect I had from the Taxol. The neuropathy was annoying, but not bad. Even my bone pain wasn’t horrid, but it was certainly uncomfortable!

I will say, however, it was at least consistent. I usually got chemo on Wednesday afternoons, and bone pain started Friday night and lasted through Monday, maybe Tuesday morning. So at least I could plan for it and make social plans accordingly.

How It Felt:

It basically felt like a dull, deep ache in my arms and legs, especially the legs. Rubbing my thighs might provide some small comfort, but there really wasn’t a lot I could do to ease the pain.

I tried taking up to four Advil at one time, and that took the edge off, but not for long. And really I was on enough meds plus additional meds for the side effects, so I really didn’t want to be poppin’ a bunch of Advil on top of it all.

Perhaps it’s also because I already have Restless Leg Syndrome (yeah, it’s a real thing), so my arms and legs also felt really restless when I had the bone pain.

How I Treated It:

Again, essential oils to the rescue! Seriously, chemo made me a believer in the healing power of oils, so if you’re not into them, now would be a good time to start. I have another article that’s just about how I used oils during both chemo and radiation.

I used two different oil blends, both diluted in unscented lotion, to help tame the pain and restlessness. For the bone pain, I used equal parts Lemongrass, Marjoram Sweet, and Frankincense, diluted to 5% in lotion. You could also try Rapid Relief from Plant Therapy if you just want to purchase one oil. I haven’t tried it personally, but my Mom uses it for knee pain and loves it.

For the restlessness, I used Plant Therapy’s Laid Back Legs recipe. I didn’t have Chamomile Roman at the time and didn’t feel like buying it, so I substituted Peppermint for that part. It’s a bit of an odd scent, but it definitely helps!

I typically put on the pain blend in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and applied the Laid Back Legs before bed to help me sleep easier. I know it’s a lot of oils to be applying, but I typically only had to do that for three days every two weeks, and it was worth it!

Regarding Neulasta…

Truthfully, I felt so crappy on Adria that I didn’t even realize Neulasta had side effects until I was on Taxol. I didn’t have the nausea with Taxol like I did with Adria, which was great! But then that meant I felt the force of Neulasta…

Claritin (or any antihistamine) is somehow able to help reduce the side effects of Neulasta. Not sure who experimented with that to find out, but that’s what the nurses recommend. Unfortunately, I never figured out the right procedure to stay on top of it so Neulasta didn’t kick my butt.

One friend, however, got it figured out for herself, and she recommends taking Claritin before going to chemo, then staying on top of it the next few days after that. For timing reference, I had chemo Wednesday afternoon, so Neulasta went off on Thursday evening, and I felt punky on Friday.

I didn’t so much feel nauseated on Neulasta, but I had a hard throat and just felt off. I planned on doing absolutely nothing on Fridays after treatment because of it. Consider it Netflix and chill day. I also wanted only warm and soft foods to eat to soothe my throat, so soups, mac and cheese, and the like were my go-to foods. You might consider making a big batch of soup or stew, then freezing it in single-size portions so you can just heat them up on “Neulasta day.”

Final Thoughts

I know some of these side effects sound awful, and I can’t say they’re fun, but they really were easier for me than Adria! With Taxol, I only had about four days after treatment that I was uncomfortable, then I was fine the remaining week and a half before the next treatment, so that’s a huge improvement over Adria!

As always, because I can’t stress this enough, talk to your oncologist if you have any concerns over side effects! This guide is based on how I felt and what helped me, but this won’t cover what everyone goes through.

Have you already been through Taxol? Have any other tips or tricks you found helpful? Feel free to leave a comment below!

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