A Meditation on Radiation

[therantingsavant]

Originally Posted by Vespers War

In 2015, a new drug was approved, Neupogen, which stimulates white blood cell production. It's expected that it will help accelerate the recovery of the immune system when radiation damages bone marrow and slows the production of blood cells. It's an injection given daily for up to two weeks, and is recommended for those who receive a dose of 2 Gray or more in a short period of time at a dose of 10 micrograms per kilogram of body mass. It doesn't chelate any heavy metals, so it would be best used in conjunction with other treatments. It can cause damage to the spleen and blood vessels, so it's a bit more aggressive of a treatment than the others.

Neupogen is a trade name for G-CSF which has been around since 1983 actually... although it's use in radiation poisoning may be more recently approved/funded, it's used for supporting people with cancer having chemotherapy. It's a supportive care treatment and is actually very safe and unlikely to cause any side effects although like any medication can have side effects.