Thalidomide

I started thal and dex at the beginning of April in 2003.  I never took more than 50 mg/day.  Within about a month, my IgA went from a little under 4000 mg/dL to 995 mg/dL.  As long as I stayed on 50 mg/day, my IgA showed a steady decline, along with my m-spike.  I quit taking thal about 10 months later, when I felt that the peripheral neuropathy it caused was at a point beyond which I didn't want it to progress.  I still have the PN, which hasn't improved, 3 years later. Thalidomide did work for me at the lowest dose.  It seemed as though the PN came on rather quickly for me.  I do believe I'm very sensitive to drugs, and I'm always cautious about side effects for that reason.

While I was on thal and dex, I was prescribed warfarin as a preventative for DVT.  I was on 11 or 12 mg per day (depended on the day of the week) and had my INR tested often to make sure I was on the proper therapeutic dose. 

The dose of thalidomide I was on didn't cause me any problems with constipation, nor did it make me sleepy.  On higher doses, both of those issues can be quite severe.  The only side effect I was aware of was the PN.  I have numb toes and soles of my feet and an odd sensitivity problem in my hands. 

Beth Morgan (added 15 July, 2006)
www.myelomablog.com