Verzenio (Abemaciclib) for Breast Cancer: Who Gets it? What are the Side Effects?

Рет қаралды 2,811

Күн бұрын

Explore abemaciclib (Verzenio), a targeted therapy for treating breast cancer, with Dr. Jennifer Griggs in this video. Discover who can benefit from abemaciclib and the common side effects associated with its use. This video is a resource for anyone looking to understand more about abemaciclib's role in breast cancer treatment.
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Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
0:40 Who receives abemaciclib?
2:12 How does it work?
3:42 Side Effects
6:52 Side Effect Management
#targetedtherapy #breastcancertreatment #breastcancer #cancertreatment #breastcancer
Disclaimer: Yerbba KZfaq videos are for informational purposes only, do not constitute medical advice, and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical team, mental health professional, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your medical condition.

Пікірлер: 48

@kathysheridan3454 Ай бұрын

Have recently started abemaciclib. Also on Letrozole. Stage 3 ILC. 2 surgeries....Lumpectomy and lymph node dissection. Heavy lymph node involvement. 28 nodes positive. Chemo and radiation and now the endocrine/targeted therapy. 🇨🇦 Thankyou for these videos. Very informative

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to share your story. We are wishing you the best.

@rebeccaherder8296 Ай бұрын

I will be praying for you dear.

@jdchong Ай бұрын

Thank you Stage3 patient here I undergp12taxol 4ac Left breats mastectomy 6+/11 lymnode 4days radiation 1amonth injection For 6months Letrozole Next month abe or brca+meds Waiting for genetic testing So far so good Pain and side effects all tolerable.i always say no pain because I tend to tolerate all GODS GRACE AND MERCY ALL GLORY TO GOD

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your journey. It sounds like you've been through a lot, but your resilience and faith are truly inspiring. It's incredible how you manage to stay strong despite the challenges. Wishing you continued strength and grace.

@finley7165 Ай бұрын

Thank you for making this video. I was one of the people who requested it and wanted to hear your take on it. Thanks for listening to us!❤

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re glad the video was helpful and appreciate your suggestion. Listening to our community is very important to us, and we’re happy to address the topics that matter to you!

@gabrielasaez9601 Ай бұрын

Contact the pharmacy of your hospital, they will ask you for your last year income taxes and then they will connect you with the laboratory who has a foundation for helping with this medicine. If you qualify you will receive this medication for free for one year. At least this option is available in Florida US.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your experience. It is possible that assistance programs are available for people who meet the criteria.

@amya9597 Ай бұрын

I was stage 2, ER PR positive, Her 2 negative, grade 3 and had 2 lymph nodes positive. I had a double mastectomy with clear margins, chemo and radiation. I started with Letrozole and was given Abemacyclib to try in addition. My oncologist stated if I had any side effects with the Abemacyclib he would take me off of it. 3 days into the medicine I had 2 incidents to where I had sharp pains over my chest and my heart would skip a beat. I also had nausea and headaches. I was advised to go off the medicine and was sent to a cardiologist to be safe. Everything was good and after stopping the medication, my heart beat went back to normal and the nausea and headaches went away so they do feel that the medication was involved in this. I was also switched from Letrozole to Arimidex due to my cholesterol slowly creeping up. Medication can affect people differently.💕

@rebeccaherder8296 Ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing! I'm having liver issues from verzenio and my doctor looks at me like it's my fault. Don't they know that we'd love to have drugs that kill cancer cells and don't make us sick?

@amya9597 Ай бұрын

@@rebeccaherder8296 I’m sorry you’re having trouble with your liver. Hopefully, your doctor can listen to your concerns, but always advocate for yourself. You got this.❤️🙏

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story here with the Yerbba community. We hope you're feeling better!

@justcomment8516 Ай бұрын

I've been on it for 1,5 years now, my side effects are nausea, hair thinning (in the beginning), low white blood cell count (weekly Ratiograstim injections to boost), liver issues (milk thistle to support) and diarrhoea (attention to nutrition and additional medication against diarrhoea as necessary). I've been very strict with my nutrition and exercise/fasting regimen and both helped me counteract the side effects. So, my side effects are minimal, which allows me to continue the treatment.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story here with the Yerbba community. These tips are bound to help our other viewers.

@vilmavelazquez1979 Ай бұрын

For me bad diarrhea, thin hair and nails, high liver enzymes and low neutrophils have been my main side effects along with extreme fatigue.

@rebeccaherder8296 Ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing

@yerbba Ай бұрын

We hope you're managing with all these side effects. Thank you for sharing your experience with our other viewers.

@CindySwinkels-j1d 19 күн бұрын

Thank you for all the valuable content you provide on breast cancer. I was on this medication for a few months and had issues with a persistent cough. Have been getting chest xrays to monitor a node on my lungs to see if it is growing. During that process they noticed an increase in inflammation and decided to take me off the medication and treat the inflammation with steroids. Been quite the journey but will not go back on the Verzenio.

@yerbba 6 күн бұрын

Thank you for your kind words and sharing your experience. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to go back on Verzenio after that. Your story illustrates how not everyone tolerates this medication.

@renovoice Ай бұрын

Thank you for this info. I started both Anastrozole and Verzino this year. My most frustrating side effect is that I have been loosing my hair in greater amounts daily. My Oncologist was surprised and reduced my dose to my instigation. I'm hoping the hair loss won't be as great now.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Hair loss can be a distressing side effect of medications like anastrozole and abemaciclib (brand name: Verzenio). Reducing the dose may indeed help. Hopefully, the reduction in dosage will help mitigate the hair loss. Thank you for sharing your experience.

@CarolynHeldon-fl3to Ай бұрын

Stage 3A invasive carcinoma , lumpectomy, 7/34 lymph nodes positive, chemo, margins not clear and unusual signs in other breast so bilateral mastectomy, radiation. Now on zoladex injections, letrazole, abemaciclib 150mg and zoledronic acid infusions every 6 months. The diarrhoea is a big side effect but I have found for me that if I limit grains, legumes & refined sugar it has helped a lot. Everyone is different though. Here in Australia the drug has just gone onto the PBS, pharmaceutical benefit scheme so is about $32 a month. I’m on disability pension at the moment so I get it for $7.70. Prior to this I was on a compassionate release prescription so didn’t pay a cent. I hope that there are some cheaper options for people in other countries.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story here with the Yerbba community. Other countries often have much lower prices for the same medications.

@ebnanaann5644 Ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this information I am waiting for my liver function to go down again after its latest rise after only 8 days on 100 mg. the side affects detoxing from this drug have been as bad as those going onto the drug. I believe I'll be put onto the 50 mg dose next. I'm only 7 months into letrozole but with 5/20 positive lymph nodes and both types of cancer and refusing chemo, I'm still hoping for a positive outcome.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

It sounds like you’re going through a challenging time with your liver function and medication adjustments. We hope the lower dose helps manage the side effects better.

@rosacentenorosalinda5854 Ай бұрын

Hi, I'm cancer free 1 year 2022 had right breast cancer. Had chemo therapy and radiation therapy now I'm on temazepane for 5 years and believe me I am always tired. Now , do I have to take that pill together with the one I'm taking? Thank you for responding the other times I have commented.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

For our other viewers, temazepam is a benzodiazepine medication used for the short-term treatment of insomnia (trouble falling or staying asleep). It is possible you're referring to a 5-year course of tamoxifen. For people who have completed therapy a while ago, we generally do not introduce a treatment this far out. There are several reasons for this, but primarily it's because the data are from people who went on treatment right away. It's important to note that abemaciclib is used in people at high risk of recurrence. We hope this is helpful.

@PhilippaJaneSkinner 5 сағат бұрын

Have just started taking Verzenio. Is it ok to eat soy products also with this drug?

@karenayla449 Ай бұрын

Are they in the same line of drug as olaparib or lynparza ? I’m on lynprza and letrozole at the moment. Will be starting zometa soon.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Olaparib is a PARP inhibitor that is effective only in people with a BRCA mutation. Abemaciclib is effective only in people with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. These medications work in different ways.

@lisajburden3274 Ай бұрын

Started 5 weeks ago... diarrhea and really weary... my blood tests show high calcium levels in my blood

@yerbba Ай бұрын

We hope these side effects alleviate soon.

@soocee52 Ай бұрын

I have been on abemaciclib for a year now. I have nausea every day mainly for about 2 hours from taking it. I am on the lowest dose 50. What I would like to know to know is there any point taking this low dose when the gold standard is 150? I have had 2 surgeries. chemo, radiotherapy and am also on letrazole. Cancer was found in my lymph nodes and I have been told I am high risk. Thank you in advance.

@rebeccaherder8296 Ай бұрын

I'm similar. Liver issues keeping me at 50mg every other day. Is it even effective? Sure does make me feel bad.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Patients with breast cancer can still have clinical benefit from abemaciclib even with dose reductions to manage side effects. In the MONARCH-E, older patients (≥65 years) and those with other medical problems were more likely to require dose reductions due to side effects like diarrhea, neutropenia, and fatigue. However, patients who had dose reductions achieved similar invasive disease-free survival rates as those without reductions. Dose reductions allow people to stay on treatment for longer. durations. Patients with one or two dose reductions were more likely to complete the first 6 months of treatment compared to those with no reductions. It does not appear that, when doses are reduced to improve tolerance, there is no significant impact on the efficacy of abemaciclib in terms of invasive disease-free survival and distant relapse-free survival.

@user-ko9id3do3l 28 күн бұрын

The why do we have to take 150mg when 50mg do the job.

@rebeccaherder8296 28 күн бұрын

@@yerbba thank you!! My onc never explained that

@rebeccaherder8296 Ай бұрын

Thank you for the video but you didn't address diarrhea or liver issues. My AST and ALT was 10 times the upper normal limit after 6 weeks on verzenio. Every time i stop taking it, my liver returns to normal. Very disappointed that i may not be able to continue this drug.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

Thank you for pointing out that omission. Diarrhea is indeed common in people on abemaciclib. The blood test abnormalities you describe are also common and require monitoring. Sometimes a lower dose can be given rather than stopping altogether.

@elizabethkaufman5912 Ай бұрын

Can you do a segment on radiation pneumonitis?

@yerbba 25 күн бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion. We'll add it to our list.

@salliehunter5091 Ай бұрын

Please mention the other concern that I am facing and that is the cost of this drug. Just the co-pay is toxic!! It is a specialty drug and not all insurance or pharmacies carry it. There is possible financial aid that I can apply for and I will look into that as well. I see how people can go bankrupt just trying to survive!

@mladen1urumov Ай бұрын

From next month my wife will be on Verzenio....In this case I'm so grateful that i live in Europe and all this special very expensive drugs are free for breast cancer patients.

@yerbba Ай бұрын

You are absolutely correct. Financial toxicity is tremendous with many anticancer drugs. A 2022 report by the US Department of Health and Human Services found that overall US prescription drug prices were 256% higher than in 32 other countries combined. For brand-name drugs specifically, US prices were even higher relative to other nations. The hope is that the price will come down in the US.

@mechthildschoeberl4839 Ай бұрын

The brand name is Verzenio and I started this outrage expensive medication ! Will take it for 3 months that is enough for me! Dirrisra cant spell it is one of the side effects ! Don’t eat everything be selective!

@yerbba Ай бұрын

That's right, and we hope you feel better soon.