Targeted Therapy Treatment

Hi, I am currently on Everolimus & Exemestane for secondary breast cancer in my liver and bones. Been on this treatment since end of March and now starting to feel the side effects. Has anyone else been on this treatment and what side effects did you have? 

  • Hi Ali, I started on Everolimus & Exemestane nearly 3 weeks ago. After taking just the first tablet of Everolimus I was violently sick for 24 hours. Also had migraine type headaches and insomnia. I started anti-sickness and anti-nausea tablets straight away and it did stop the vomiting, not the nausea but made it tolerable. But the headaches and insomnia continues, along with constipation, shortness of breath and a cough. My oncologist is worried the cough and shortness of breath could be treatment induced pneumonitis but Im waiting to have this confirmed, hopefully tomorrow.  Meanwhile I can hardly walk or talk for very long without feeling like I’m climbing Mount Everest. This is my 4th line of targeted therapy so I think I may be running out of options but unless I can get these horrible side effects under control I will be asking to either have the dose reduced from 10mg to 5mg or change to something else. I have recurrent breast cancer stage 4 metastasised to bones and glands. I am amazed you have tolerated it so long but everyone’s different but you have done very well up until now. Good luck and I hope you can get the side effects under control. 

  • Offline in reply to MIr86

    Hi Mir86, thank you for replying. Sounds like you are suffering much more than me and you have my sympathy. I have a sore mouth which they gave me steroid mouthwash to use which makes my mouth even dryer! I have some nausea but I don’t like taking the anti sickness tablets because I think they make me drowsy. A couple of months ago I started with pain in my feet and my oncology team dismissed it but my GP is treating me for neuropathy which is caused by chemo and anti cancer treatments apparently! At present I am just so tired and want to sleep a lot but having to work full time it’s not easy. Good luck with your treatment and hope you can get some relief fr your side effects soon. I’m thinking they might reduce my dosage too as I’m on 7.5 mg so they might lower it to 5mg. Take care x