Receiving treatment for cancer is a challenging and emotional period in your life. As part of the Ramsay Health Care team, we understand the potential side effects these types of treatment can cause and are here to support you with professional and quality care. Our knowledgeable, compassionate and friendly pharmacy team are experienced in providing advice and managing the side effects of cancer treatment. We understand that not everyone reacts the same way and can provide a free consultation with a pharmacist to chat through the side effects you may experience and design a plan, in consultation with your treating doctor, to better support you through your treatment.
Managing side effects
Side effects typically start in the first few weeks of treatment and can become more intense with each cycle. Documenting your treatment, the reaction and if something provided (or didn’t provide) relief is a good way to understand the impact. This information will assist your medical team and pharmacist in recommending the right solution to help manage side effects.
Our pharmacy team can support you with solutions to provide relief of the following side effects:
Vomiting
Some treatments can cause nausea and potentially vomiting. Nausea may start within a few hours post treatment and can sometimes last up to a few days. If you experience nausea, chat with your doctor and pharmacist to ensure an anti-nausea medication has been prescribed. If you do experience vomiting, you may also suffer from dehydration. Signs of dehydration include dark urine, a dry mouth and dry skin. Your pharmacist can help address these symptoms.
Mouth ulcers
Some treatments may cause mouth ulcers, sores or infections. Chat with your pharmacist if you notice any sores, ulcers, thickened saliva, or find it difficult to swallow.
Skin, nail and hair conditions
You may experience dry, itchy skin or it may become dark or peel after some cancer treatments. Your skin can become more sensitive to the sun during and after treatment for several months. Nails can sometimes form ridges, become darker or form white lines across them. These side effects can be managed with advice from your Ramsay Pharmacist.
Other general side effects we can provide assistance and solutions for include constipation, infections and wound care.
Organising your medication
You may be taking multiple medications treating other conditions whilst you are undergoing cancer treatment. This can be confusing at the best of times. Our pharmacy team is able to assist by offering a service to prepack your medication according to the correct dosage and times required, making it easy for you to keep track and not forget any important medication. We can also hold your prescriptions ready for you when they need to be dispensed and work with your GP to ensure your prescriptions are always up to date.