What supplements after chemo?

Hi everyone,

 Do you guys know what supplements should take after chemo? I read a lot of articles talk about to take Vitamin C, B12, and D. Is it good for it? because i asked the doctor, he said cancer patients should not take those supplements after chemo? Do you guys know the answers?

 

Cyrus

 

On 6/17/2009 Support all fighters wrote:

Hi everyone,

 Do you guys know what supplements should take after chemo? I read a lot of articles talk about to take Vitamin C, B12, and D. Is it good for it? because i asked the doctor, he said cancer patients should not take those supplements after chemo? Do you guys know the answers?

 

Cyrus

Hi Cyrus,

Some docs don't believe in any supplements at any time.  Why I don't know.  I know there are some supplements that don't go with certain chemos because it causes an adverse reaction. 

What I did before I started taking anything was to go online and search the chemo and vitamin combination I was interested in and read what was out there.  Then made my decision.  I also monitored my bloodwork results to see what my body needed and added that supplement.

I've been on tarceva for over 2 years and take multiple supplements several times a day.  Flaxseed oil for antioxidants, vitamin C, B12, grape seed, green tea, and pomagranate.  And I'm still here.  I believe that as long as you don't over do and take too many and you don't find anything negative on the chemo/supplement combo when you research it, there shouldn't be any problem.

Like I said earlier, many docs are against any kind of supplements or natural treatments.  I have never understood why.

Good luck and God Bless

I posted on the same subject and a received numerous post. I am finally just taking a multi-vitamin daily and eat blueberries,drink carrot juice, and eat nuts and sun flower seeds and all types of protein and nutrition. I just read an article about not taking high doses of folic acid, for it feeds cancer. You might want to check my post at esophageal cancer for the names of the vitamins recommended by everyone. Good Luck.  Phil A.

It's interesting that you mentioned that about folic acid. My mom - on whom none of the chemo/targeted therapies had worked - went on a clinical trial that used Cancer cell's folate receptors to enforce it to take in the chemo drug (they created a conjugate from the chemo medicine and a folate molecule so that the cancer cells will end up processing the chemo med while they try to take in the folatte). This was the only medication that worked for over 6 months, the cancer growth restarted, but at the very minimum it was proof to me that folates end up being part of the conspiracy!!

The previous treatment with Alimta, she had to take additional folic acid supplements. That treatment was out in less than 8 weeks.