lessie
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Posts:22
Hello, just asking about dizziness. This is presently my 6th month on crizotinib /Xalkori 250 mg, 2x daily. Lung tumor stable, my question is about dizziness, lightheadedness. Since my 3 rd month on this drug I have felt lightheaded and dizzy. Blood pressure has always run on the low side, and scans of brain are clean, labs normal range. EKG normal. Is this just a typical side effect of the drug? My doctor does tells me it's just a side effect. Is this so? ....its daily, all day. Really bothersome and I am concerned about driving. Thank you.
Forums
Reply # - October 6, 2014, 04:38 AM
Hi lessie,
Hi lessie,
Welcome to GRACE. Dizziness is a fairly common side effect of XALKORI. You may want to speak to your oncologist about the possibility of reducing your XALKORI dosage. As Dr. West has written:
"There is really no good study of cutting back on the dose, but I would say that there is a definite consensus that if the side effects are dangerous or intolerable, it’s appropriate to cut back to the point where it becomes safe and tolerable. However, I suspect that, based on very limited work out there, if the drug were put on hold or even cut to too low a dose, the cancer would progress again." - http://cancergrace.org/topic/xalkori-side-effects#post-1245127
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - October 6, 2014, 06:43 PM
Dizziness, especially severe
Dizziness, especially severe dizziness, is not a typical side effect even if it happens. It might be worth either cutting the dose or taking a break from it, at least long enough to see that the dizziness resolves after holding drug or cutting the dose for a few days or a week or so. Presuming you confirm that the dizziness is related to the XALKORI (crizotinib), you can then consider the merits of a dose reduction to balance efficacy and tolerability of the drug.
Good luck.
-Dr. West