Terry,

I had an Amifostine shot everyday before my radiation treatment. They have a minimum timeframe after subcutaneous injection in order to get you into radiation, so I never had to wait long. I took Compazine as my antiemetic for 5 weeks with Zofran the last week and 1/2. I was only sick the 31st and 33nd day, but I believe it was due to the buildup of mucous overnight followed by some poor breakfast choices.

The other side effect is low blood pressure following the injection. That didn't occur with me either. They are to inject into fatty tissue, alternating sites in case of allergic reaction. We used four sites: the back of both arms and the front of my stomach above the belt line. It did hurt during injection, but less so if they patiently injected (slowly) the drug. After a couple of weeks the sites became a bit sore, and after five weeks started to itch for about five days. Benadryl had no effect, but I didn't feel the need to take anything more.


I was highly motivated to use the drug, especially once I heard it would help throughout the treatment and reduce the effects of radiation. Apparently they were right because I experienced little pain that an occasional Percocet (2 per day) couldn't fix through the first five weeks. Also, I was able to eat solid though increasingly watery/milky food throughout the treatments. Good Luck. Still too early to say how much saliva I have or will have.

Three days out of radiation I had a rapid increase in pain and swelling. The first thing my wife said was, "Too bad you weren't still on the Amifostine."

David