Side effects of Herceptin

Herceptin often causes side effects, although many of these will become less severeover time.

The following side effects affectaround 1 in 10 people:

  • a reaction to the medication this can cause chills, a high temperature, swelling of the face and lips, headache , hot flushes, feeling sick, wheezing and breathlessness
  • tiredness and difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
  • diarrhoea or constipation
  • a low number of infection-fighting white blood cells, which increases your risk of infections
  • loss of appetite and weight loss
  • pain in your muscles, joints, chest or tummy
  • a runny nose
  • sore, red eyes (conjunctivitis) or watery eyes
  • shaking (tremors)
  • dizziness
  • a cough
  • increased or decreased blood pressure
  • heart problems you'll have regulartests to check for this (see below)

Your doctor or care teammay be able toprovide a full list of possible side effects.Visit Cancer Research UK for more information about the side effects of Herceptin .

Tell your doctor if you experience troublesome side effects, as there may bemedicines available to treat them.

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018