More decisions*****Anyone have input
Comments
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A little input on Tamoxifen
Hi, Kathy -
I'm nowhere near menopause, so I can't speak to that part of your situation. I'll just share that I've been on Tamoxifen for 2 months now -- at first, I was having wicked night sweats, but those almost completely disappeared after I switched to taking the pill in the morning instead of at bedtime. Though I know this isn't the case for all the women here who've taken Tamoxifen, I can honestly say I haven't had any other side effects at all.
Traci0 -
Hicarkris said:I have the same picture
I have the same picture awaiting me. I have never been on the meds so maybe people will weigh in. I do worry how the lupron will affect me. My doc also wants me on fosomax fun fun
I wasn't given a choice, Tamoxifen it was, I challenged it last year, he told me I had to be on it for 2 years then maybe I could switch to something less toxic......Fingers crossed, I'm real hosed off with the night sweats. Hope this helps........ Jxxxxxxxxx0 -
tamoxifenTraciInLA said:A little input on Tamoxifen
Hi, Kathy -
I'm nowhere near menopause, so I can't speak to that part of your situation. I'll just share that I've been on Tamoxifen for 2 months now -- at first, I was having wicked night sweats, but those almost completely disappeared after I switched to taking the pill in the morning instead of at bedtime. Though I know this isn't the case for all the women here who've taken Tamoxifen, I can honestly say I haven't had any other side effects at all.
Traci
ive been on tamoxifen for a month now havent had any problems from it dr didnt give me a choice .
teresa0 -
After treatment I was on
After treatment I was on Tamoxifin for awhile. I had trouble and he took a blood test to deternine if I was in menopause or not. It was determined that the chemo caused the menopause and he switched my medication and sent me to a GYN. I was 52 when diganosed.The onc wasn't sure if the Tamoxifin was part of the cause of the spotting but when he determined I could be on something else he switched me. My onc told me the same thing, a year with no period is considered menopause. In my case they had to know right away because of the spotting and my family history.0 -
I'm kind of in the same boat
But not quite where you are yet. I'm still doing the chemo, but did have some questions for my onco about tamoxifen, since it does have some scary SEs.
I wasn't sure where I was in the menopause picture because I'd been taking BC pills up intil about 3 months before my diagnosis. My GP had told me that I would continue to have a monthly cycle while I was taking those and I wouldn't know if I was in menopause until I stopped taking the pills. Since I stopped, my cycle has been very irregular, so I was hoping it would just stop any time now. Plus, I've been having night sweats for about the past 3 years anyway, even when taking the pills, so I figured my hormone level has to be lower than it used to be.
My onco told me that if I was having any bleeding I was still considered pre-menopausal, and she wants to put me on Tamoxifen for about 2 years, and then probably change to an AI. I personally would rather just have my ovaries removed than take the medication, but have not had the follow-up conversation with my doctor yet.
I'm very interested in what you decide, and what others' experiences are with this.
Cindy0 -
Femara or Arimidex versus Tamoxifencindycflynn said:I'm kind of in the same boat
But not quite where you are yet. I'm still doing the chemo, but did have some questions for my onco about tamoxifen, since it does have some scary SEs.
I wasn't sure where I was in the menopause picture because I'd been taking BC pills up intil about 3 months before my diagnosis. My GP had told me that I would continue to have a monthly cycle while I was taking those and I wouldn't know if I was in menopause until I stopped taking the pills. Since I stopped, my cycle has been very irregular, so I was hoping it would just stop any time now. Plus, I've been having night sweats for about the past 3 years anyway, even when taking the pills, so I figured my hormone level has to be lower than it used to be.
My onco told me that if I was having any bleeding I was still considered pre-menopausal, and she wants to put me on Tamoxifen for about 2 years, and then probably change to an AI. I personally would rather just have my ovaries removed than take the medication, but have not had the follow-up conversation with my doctor yet.
I'm very interested in what you decide, and what others' experiences are with this.
Cindy
if you want to take aromatase inhibitor such as femara, Arimidex or Aromasin you need to menopausal for sure.
Menopause can be achieved by several means, including surgical removal of ovaries, medication, some of us got it from Chemo drugs.
It is personal choice how become post menopausal drug versus surgery. Keep in mind that either way you will experience menopausal which are different for any individual.
Tamoxifen does have side effects as well, including 1% uterine cancer if you take it for 5 years.
I have been taking Tamoxifen for 9 months and absolutely not ready for another major surgery such as removal of ovaries and uterus.
At this point I have decided to stay on Tamoxifen for another 6 months.
I hope it helps.
Good luck with your decision.0 -
I'm just starting Rads nextNew Flower said:Femara or Arimidex versus Tamoxifen
if you want to take aromatase inhibitor such as femara, Arimidex or Aromasin you need to menopausal for sure.
Menopause can be achieved by several means, including surgical removal of ovaries, medication, some of us got it from Chemo drugs.
It is personal choice how become post menopausal drug versus surgery. Keep in mind that either way you will experience menopausal which are different for any individual.
Tamoxifen does have side effects as well, including 1% uterine cancer if you take it for 5 years.
I have been taking Tamoxifen for 9 months and absolutely not ready for another major surgery such as removal of ovaries and uterus.
At this point I have decided to stay on Tamoxifen for another 6 months.
I hope it helps.
Good luck with your decision.
I'm just starting Rads next week and I am to start taking the Tamoxifen next week as well. They said for a few years and then they might change the drug to something else. I thought chemo put you into menopause. I only have my ovaries and was told there no longer working do to chemo. I still wonder if I should have them removed. My doctor does not think I have to, but it worry's me. I guess we do what they tell us to.0 -
Estrogen produced NOT just in ovaries
Hey Kathy. Decisions, decisions. It isn't just your ovaries that produce estrogen. Fat cells and your adrenal glands (they sit atop your kidneys) also do. So if you're serious about keeping estrogen away from cancer cells that need it to grow, then Tamoxifen is the drug for you! It blocks the cancer cell nucleus from receiving estrogen, NO MATTER WHAT ORGAN IN YOUR BODY PRODUCED IT. You can take out your ovaries, but you can't take out your adrenals nor all your fat. So ask your oncologist about the rest of the estrogen producers we have in our bodies and what to do about that.
~~Connie~~0 -
http://csn.cancer.org/node/135851crselby said:Estrogen produced NOT just in ovaries
Hey Kathy. Decisions, decisions. It isn't just your ovaries that produce estrogen. Fat cells and your adrenal glands (they sit atop your kidneys) also do. So if you're serious about keeping estrogen away from cancer cells that need it to grow, then Tamoxifen is the drug for you! It blocks the cancer cell nucleus from receiving estrogen, NO MATTER WHAT ORGAN IN YOUR BODY PRODUCED IT. You can take out your ovaries, but you can't take out your adrenals nor all your fat. So ask your oncologist about the rest of the estrogen producers we have in our bodies and what to do about that.
~~Connie~~
Kathy,
if you missed previous discussion you might be interested in reading it
http://csn.cancer.org/node/1358510 -
Menopause is no fun
Neither is taking pills that you don't fully trust or having surgery. I think that I would seriously consider doing the surgery just to avoid the rest. It's like making the decision of lumpectomy vs mascetomy. Some choose mascetomy to avoid rads. The decision is yours and I'm sure that you will make the right decision. Do what feels right for you.
Keep us posted
Hugs
Jadie<30 -
My doc says even after chemoJadie said:Menopause is no fun
Neither is taking pills that you don't fully trust or having surgery. I think that I would seriously consider doing the surgery just to avoid the rest. It's like making the decision of lumpectomy vs mascetomy. Some choose mascetomy to avoid rads. The decision is yours and I'm sure that you will make the right decision. Do what feels right for you.
Keep us posted
Hugs
Jadie<3</p>
My doc says even after chemo some women have 20-30 percent ovarian function. so he would want me on lupron. I am not so sure.0 -
23 yr survivor because of tamoxifen
I am about to celebrate my 23 yr mark (February) since I was first diagnosed in 1987. I had a large tumor, estrogen receptor + and 4 nodes. I underwent a mastectomy, radiation, chemo and 7 years (protocol now 5 yrs but back then we didn't know) of tamoxifen. I had a bone recurrence last year but I'm now doing well on arimidex and zometa. Anyway, my opinion is that tamoxifen saved my life. In 1987, tamoxifen was experimental for premenopausal women, but my odds of survival without trying it were slim. Tamoxifen did not stop my periods however. Tamoxifen works by binding with your estrogen receptor sites so that the cancer can not bind with the estrogen and use it for fuel. It literally can starve the cancer. Tamoxifen has some estrogen enhancing effects (makes bones stronger) and some estrogen negating effects (hot flashes, decreased libido, etc.). Personally, I would not hesitate to take tamoxifen again. Hope this helps.0 -
thanks
Cypress Cynthia, I personally want to thank you for chiming in. It raises my hopes every time we hear from a long term (more than 5 years, in my opinion) veteran! I love hearing about issues that bother me from long term women with their unique point of view. Thank you for not disappearing from the breast cancer radar when you were done!
~~Connie~~0 -
Of course it's a personalcrselby said:thanks
Cypress Cynthia, I personally want to thank you for chiming in. It raises my hopes every time we hear from a long term (more than 5 years, in my opinion) veteran! I love hearing about issues that bother me from long term women with their unique point of view. Thank you for not disappearing from the breast cancer radar when you were done!
~~Connie~~
Of course it's a personal choice, but if I needed to choose, I'd try the Tamoxifen and see how it goes. Forcing menopause is not something that I would want to do, if I had other options. If the Tamoxifen has side effects that you can't tolerate, you can always then go the forced menopause route.
I took Tamoxifen for six months in 2000 but had to quit because I developed blood clots. There's no certainty that the clots were caused by Tamoxifen, but my oncologist felt that it was best to stop taking it. I didn't really have any other side effects from it, and I now know that I have a Factor V Leiden gene that greatly increases the chances of blood clots. I'm glad that I tried it and it might have helped to prevent the recurrence that I had earlier this year.
Joyce0
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