At my every-three-weeks infusion Friday, I was given a new drug, Zometa. It has a long list of side effects: dizziness, headache, flu-like symptoms (such as fever, chills, muscle/joint aches), cough, vision problems, diarrhea, constipation, tired feeling, joint or muscle pain.
The side effect I was most concerned about was dizziness. But my doctor was most concerned about pain. I was given Tylenol before the infusion and directed to take more when I get home. The infusion lasted only 20 minutes. I felt fine in the evening, just a little bit tired.
The next morning I went to the farmers market. After I got home, I felt very tired and had to take a nap. That's when I got the flu-like symptoms. I didn't feel well at all and was shivering even though I didn't really feel cold. I didn't bother taking my temperature because I had taken Tylenol.
In the afternoon I got up to eat and attend my support group session. After the session ended, I went back to bed and slept fitfully till the next morning. At one point I woke up and noticed muscle pain in both arms, joint pain in the fingers of my left hand, and muscle pain in both thighs. Thank goodness I took more Tylenol or the pain would have been worse.
Most of the pain was gone by morning. I still felt tired but was fine after a few hours. The side effects lasted 48 hours. My doctor said they usually last 24-72 hours.
I will get Zometa every six months. The dose I was given was 3 mg, which is what the endocrinologist suggested a couple of weeks ago. The good news is that the side effects usually happen at the first infusion only. But not always. For some patients it happens at every infusion.
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