Well
carboplatin is not without problems either, it appears to be more myelosuppressive than cisplatin. I was also told that Carbo- is just as efficient as Cisplatin. Which begs the question why they start you with Cisplatin. Right?, right!. Also, if you look at my signature you see that the dose is 6(!) times higher. They combat the mediocre performance with a much higher dosage. What is perhaps more important is that your friend get a large number of smaller dosages, which in my mind makes a lot more sense.
As far as I recall I got the neupogen shot a before the chemo, I think it was a couple of days before. However, that was at the end of my treatment and things are a tad hazy... also I only got 2 shots....

Best
M