Folfox Side Effects: What to Expect & Manage

Folfox is a chemotherapy medication used to treat cancers of the bowel. Despite its effectiveness, Folfox has the potential to cause side effects in some patients.

Common Side Effects

• Diarrhea and nausea are common side effects of Folfox, occurring in 60 to 70 percent of users. Mouth soreness affects 40 percent of users.

Other Side Effects

• Other side effects of Folfox include fatigue, numbness in your extremities; pain in the vein where you receive Folfox; soreness, redness and peeling of the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet; and tingling, numbness and dryness affecting your skin.

Time Frame

• Some side effects of Folfox occur within hours of your first treatment, while other take one week to 10 days to start. Some side effects, like fatigue, may persist for up to six months following conclusion of your chemotherapy.

Risks

• Many patients experience drops in white blood cell levels while being treated with Folfox. This increases your risk of developing bacterial, viral, fungal and protozoal infections.

Considerations

• Because Folfox has the potential to cause fetal harm or miscarriages, the chemotherapy drug is not commonly used to treat pregnant women.