Brain tumors, whether they are malignant or benign, can impair a person's life and her cognitive ability. Symptoms vary depending on the tumor's location in the brain. One of the difficulties that brain tumor patients deal with is that many of the medications have side effects that can be exacerbated by the brain tumors. While some are not serious and can be treated with other medications, others can be more threatening.
Brain Tumors
Brain tumors can be broken up into two categories: primary brain tumors and secondary brain tumors. Primary brain tumors start in the brain, while secondary brain tumors are an off-shoot of cancer in another part of the body. Part of the other cancer breaks off and travels in the bloodstream to the brain. Both types of brain tumors are treated the same way: either chemotherapy, radiation or surgery if the location allows. However, because brain tumors can leave the brain more vulnerable, a brain cancer patient can exhibit more severe side effects to medications, even those used to treat the brain tumor.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a common treatment option for cancer, using a combination of chemicals to kill off the cancerous cells in the tumors. However, chemotherapy therapy is not without side effects. Regardless of the type of cancer, patients may experience fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and weakness. However, many of these side effects can be treated with additional medication. Patients receiving chemotherapy for brain tumors may experience worse weakness, as the chemotherapy treatment is being targeted at their brains. While the goal of chemotherapy is to shrink the size of the brain tumor, some patients may have swelling of the brain, or edema, as an initial reaction.
Drug Wafers
Another option for chemotherapy is to have a drug wafer implanted. While this drug wafer does reduce some of the side effects associated with chemotherapy, drug wafers have the associated risk of infection, which require monitoring by a doctor.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants may be prescribed to treat depression in some brain cancer patients. Bupropion, a type of antidepressant, inhibits the reuptake of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. When the reuptake of these neurotransmitters are inhibited, more is absorbed and results in an elevation of a person's mood. However, bupropion has the possible side effect of causing seizures. Because brain tumors also can cause seizures, the use of bupropion increases that risk.
Steroids
Steroids are also a treatment option given to brain tumor patients because of their ability to reduce swelling. The side effects of steroids are insomnia, psychosis, blood pressure and blood sugar irregularities, weight gain and muscle weakness. If the brain tumor is located in a region of the brain that a person's personality or behavior is altered, steroids can exaggerate the effects.
Tags: side effects, brain tumor, brain tumors, brain tumors, brain tumors
