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Taken Off Of SPRYCEL for two weeks Low white blood Counts

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Hey everyone, I had to temporarily stop Sprycel 50 mg for Lowering my WBC  to 3.00 . My Doctor stated two wait two weeks to raise my WBC back up then we might discuss lowering the dosage. While waiting I notice minor aches here and there in my spleen. Just trying to see has anyone ever experience this?

Hi Rayyana123. I've experienced WBC's on the order of 3 K/uL in the past on 100mg of Sprycel. The medication has always suppressed my WBC's and it tends to fluctuate somewhere between low 3's to about 5 K/uL. My Doctor did not take me off Sprycel during this period, but that may be because I'd reached a somewhat stable level and it didn't appear to be dropping more. If it is early in your treatment and your WBC's are dropping quite drastically I could perhaps see a reason for taking a very short break from Sprycel and reconsidering the dosage. Regarding the minor aches in the spleen. I had aches around my spleen for about the first year after diagnosis that I attribute to the spleen shrinking and "phantom aches" every now and then, but I haven't had those aches in several years now. 

Hi Rayyana123

I've been taken off my TKI (imatinib) for almost three months now because it was lowering all my blood counts (white, red and platelets).  My situation is unusual because this happened six and a half years after starting, but I know that this is very common in the beginning when you first start treatment.  I hope that they get the counts up soon.  In my case, I am having neupogen injections every week to raise the white blood counts.

As for the spleen - wow, I sure can identify!  I had spleen pain for close to two years after being diagnosed, and I would spend hours poking and prodding it to see if I could feel whether it had enlarged or not.  My doctor told me that there is just so much going on in the spleen when treatment starts that it takes a while to get back to normal again... the poor thing has been coping with so much that it will take time to heal.

Hope you feel better soon!

Best wishes from South Africa

Martin

Thank you for responding! My WBC is continuing to lower it is around 3.26 since I have been off medicine for a month. Now  my doctor wants to put me on Neupogen to build my WBC back up. I am worrie sabout the Neupogen due to the side effects/

Thank you for responding! I have been on Sprycel for about six months. Its weird to me that it drop so low from the 75,000 . Now it is 3.26 and my doctor is giving me Neupogen innjections next week.