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Suggest Treatment For Fall In Blood Count While On Pegasys
Question: Hello,
I am a 65 yo female just started on Pegasys to assist in stopping the progression of myelofibrosis from previous ET. By accident I started myself on a 1/4 of the recommended dosage and was very reactive meaning my counts immediately dropped. After 3 weeks my counts have continued to drop platelets down down to 320,000 and neutrophils down to 1.17. This is with continuing at only the 1/4 of normal 90 mg dosage for this disease. Is there any precedent for this type of response. We are skipping the next week to see if my counts rebound a bit.
I am a 65 yo female just started on Pegasys to assist in stopping the progression of myelofibrosis from previous ET. By accident I started myself on a 1/4 of the recommended dosage and was very reactive meaning my counts immediately dropped. After 3 weeks my counts have continued to drop platelets down down to 320,000 and neutrophils down to 1.17. This is with continuing at only the 1/4 of normal 90 mg dosage for this disease. Is there any precedent for this type of response. We are skipping the next week to see if my counts rebound a bit.
Brief Answer:
Yes this can happen
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for your query.
You have mentioned the current counts but not those before starting pegasys. That would help in understanding the degree of fall.
However, fall in blood counts is known side effect of pegasys. Especially in myelofibrosis, as the normal marrow is compromised, this fall can be drastic at the beginning. That is why sometimes doses are low to start with. 22.5 ucg per week as starting dose is fine. But in you, as neutrophil count is quite low, further escalation can't be done at present. Skipping one week is fine.
Hope this helps. I will be available for followup.
Regards
Yes this can happen
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for your query.
You have mentioned the current counts but not those before starting pegasys. That would help in understanding the degree of fall.
However, fall in blood counts is known side effect of pegasys. Especially in myelofibrosis, as the normal marrow is compromised, this fall can be drastic at the beginning. That is why sometimes doses are low to start with. 22.5 ucg per week as starting dose is fine. But in you, as neutrophil count is quite low, further escalation can't be done at present. Skipping one week is fine.
Hope this helps. I will be available for followup.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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