Chemotherapy Side Effects

What Are the Side Effects and How to Prevent Them?

People with cancer are often concerned with what chemotherapy side effects are going to occur during their treatment. They often hear about how terrible chemotherapy side effects are and how sick you can feel. What many people don't realize is that these days, many people do not suffer as many side effects. Medications can prevent some of the more complications.

How your medication affects you depends on many factors, such as how aggressive treatment is, overall general health, and what chemotherapy drug is being taken.

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy can produce many side effects, such as:

• Anemia, low red blood cell count
  
• Low white blood cell count (this increases risk for infection)
  
• Hair loss, or thinning hair
  
  
• Bleeding or bruising (due to low platelet count)
  
• Dry skin, or rashes
  
• Fatigue
  
• Diarrhea, constipation
  
• Nausea or vomiting
  
• Muscle and nerve problems
  
• Lung problems and difficulty breathing; coughing excessively
  
• Fertility and sexuality problems

These are a wide range of side effects from chemotherapy. Remember that not everyone will experience side effects. One person may experience many effects, while someone else may only suffer from one or two side effects.

Common Chemotherapy Side Effects

A few side effects are more common than others.

• Nausea and vomiting
  
• Hair loss
  
• Fatigue
  
• Diarrhea

With some of these side effects, there are medications to prevent and combat them.

Why are there so many side effects?

Chemotherapy works by killing cancerous cells. However, sometimes it is aggressive against healthy cells, too. Since chemotherapy travels everywhere in the body, damage to healthy cells can occur at various places in the body.