I had Ethyol (aka Amifostine) injections prior to each of my 39 radiation treatments. In my case, I always reported to the Chemotherapy area of our CCC before radiation. On Mondays I received hydration, a steroid, anti-nausea medicine, my Cisplatin, then my amifostine, which has to be given within 30 minutes of the radiation. The balance of the week I just received hydration and the Amifostine. It is given in the IV for hydration, so no issues with the administration.

You can get nausea from the Ethyol. Some people get severe nausea. At the beginning, I had no noticeable side effects from the Ethyol. About halfway through, I began having nausea about 45 minutes after getting the injection. It never progressed to vomiting, and was short lived (< 30 minutes), but it caught my attention. ;-)

Keep in mind that my submandibular glands were removed during my neck dissection (not malignant, just being cautious due to BOT location and 1 lymph node involved). As these provide about 70% of your saliva, I have issues with dry mouth today. While I have to be more vigilant with my dental care, use the Biotene products and drink lots of water, it does not dramatically interfere with my daily life. Like anything else, you get used to it. I do a lot of public speaking, so I have to be mindful of the water, as the mouth will really dry out after talking for 30 minutes or so, and also after exercise.

My credo during treatment was to do whatever the doctors recommended, including the Amifostine. Best of luck!