The generically named medicine docetaxel is sold in the United States with the brand name Taxotere. Your doctor may prescribe it for you as part of the treatment of various types of cancer including prostate cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, neck and head cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer. Other types of cancer also may be treated with Taxotere, the Mayo Clinic reports, including ovarian, esophageal and bladder cancers. Your physician or nurse will administer Taxotere intravenously.
Weakness
There are many potential common yet non-serious side effects of Taxotere. It may affect you by causing weakness in your body that can include numbness. This weakness typically occurs shortly after you have received a Taxotere shot for the first time and generally passes after several days. You may feel an overall body weakness or fatigue that makes you experience the same kinds of tiredness normally associated with vigorous physical activity. You also may experience weakness in specific areas of your body, Drugs.com reports, such as in your feet, legs, arms and hands. In these extremities, you also may experience numbness that may make you feel the typically pins-and-needles tingling associated more commonly with a limb "going to sleep." None of these are classified as serious side effects of the medicine and all should go away without medical treatment. However, if any such effects persist beyond several days, or if they annoy you too much, tell your doctor about them.
Taste and Nausea Side Effects
Taxotere can cause your sense of taste to change temporarily when you first start your injections. This occurs because the drug is changing the way your cells work in order to limit the growth of cancer cells. Foods and drinks that you are familiar with suddenly may taste different when you first take Taxotere. Along with this problem, you also may experience nausea in your stomach, and this may make you vomit. Concurrently with this queasiness, you also may lose your appetite at the beginning of treatment. All of these problems should be temporary and go away on their own.
Pain and Discoloration
As with many medications, Taxotere may induce pain in your body. This typically occurs in your joints and muscles. Pain also may occur at the site of injection or in your extremities as a burning sensation. Another common side effect of the drug is a discoloration of your fingernails and toenails, although this is not necessarily painful. These common non-serious side effects rarely require medical attention unless they continue beyond the first several days of treatment.
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