Are chills a side effect of chemo?
Symptoms like chills, shaking and fever are the body's way of trying to increase temperature through muscular activity. Chills are particularly common with certain cancer drugs such as interferon, interleukin-2, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), but they can occur after treatment with most chemotherapy agents.
Chills are nothing to be concerned about during chemotherapy, but it's unusual for them to persist months after the completion of treatment. They may indicate a separate medical problem, one that may or may not be related to your cancer treatment. One thing to consider is whether you are continuing to take any medications other than chemo that could be causing this side effect. Unless your doctor has advised against it, there's no reason not to treat chills with ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin. But because there are numerous causes of these symptoms and they've persisted for a long time, you should go to your medical practitioner to determine the specific treatment.
I also have been experiencing chills, even days after chemo. I take the chemo twice per week, say Tuesday & Friday or Monday & Thursday in the mornings. The chills usually happen in the afternoon. They come and go, but usually I have to sit in the couch to watch tv or read with a sweater or blanket around me. During my week off chemo, I usually do not get the "chills". Chemo is no picnic!
