Dont be afraid of taking hydroxyurea, I have been taking it for 5 years, the only effect I had was in the first few days, a single feeling on nausia that lasted for about 1/2 hour. It does the job, my dose has been altered regularly, the highest I was on was 2000 one day and 1500 the next.
Unfortunately after all this time the dose needed to keep my platelets below 400 affects my neutraphils too much, and now I am on a mixture of hydroxyirea and anagralide, again I have had no problems with this drug also.
The message I am trying to tell you is, everyone is different, you may not have any proble,s at all.
best of luck.