Paclitaxel Side Effects

Nausea and vomiting, hair loss, and muscle or joint pain are some of the most commonly reported paclitaxel side effects. Those that occur rarely but are more serious include high or low blood pressure during an infusion, blood in the stool, and severe fluid retention or difficulty breathing. These rare side effects of paclitaxel should be reported to your healthcare provider right away.

 

An Introduction to Paclitaxel Side Effects

As with any medicine, side effects are possible with paclitaxel (Taxol®); however, not everyone who takes the medication will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider.
 
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with paclitaxel. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of paclitaxel side effects with you.)
 

Common Paclitaxel Side Effects

Paclitaxel has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials, in which a group of people taking the drug have side effects documented. In these studies, the most common side effects of paclitaxel (used alone or in combination with other chemotherapy medications) included:
 
Other common paclitaxel side effects, occurring in 3 to 80 percent of people, included:
 
(Paclitaxel Side Effects Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;