after all treatment/ medications

020306p
020306p Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
How long should one stay on preventive medications after all treatments.. I took tamoxifin for 5 years and the past year on femara and Dr. thinks I should take it for 5 years.. I am 9 years out since my surgery. It did spread into a few lymph nodes.

Comments

  • Christmas Girl
    Christmas Girl Member Posts: 3,682 Member
    Welcome to the group, 020306p
    Without knowing more specifics about your diagnosis, I can only share that...

    There are so many individual and unique facets to each person's situation - it's very difficult to compare. Do you understand why your doctor is recommending the medication? Do you know your risk of recurrence level with and without the medication?

    I took Tamoxifen for 2 years; then, was switched to Arimidex - 3+ years now and still counting. I will most likely be on the Arimidex for a total of at least 5 years - maybe 10 (yet to be confirmed due to currently on-going clinical trials). WITH the medication, my current risk for recurrence is 20% - almost 6 years since diagnosis. Believe you me, if there's something else available in the future to either "hold" my risk where it is - or, even better, lower it... I'll gladly take it!

    Best wishes to you.

    Kind regards, Susan
  • seof
    seof Member Posts: 819 Member
    Hard to say
    I agree, it depends on many things and is different for everyone. I was only on Herceptin for one year and I am off all of those drugs. Ask your Dr. to explain pros and cons of taking the drugs versus not taking them. Maybe seek a second or third opinion and see if other Doctors share the same opinion as yours. It is so hard to make decisions about cancer most of the time because there are no guarantees and the stakes can be high.

    Best wishes, seof.
  • Kristin N
    Kristin N Member Posts: 1,968 Member
    I would think your doctor
    I would think your doctor would advise you on this. And, it probably varies with each person. None of us are alike. And, some take the preventive medicines and some don't. It is always a personal choice.
  • ksrjw
    ksrjw Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2019 #5
    affordable medicine

    Try goodrx.com. Iam taking Anastrozole (which is a generice of one of those drugs. With goodrx.com I was able to get it for $4 a month at Sam's Club.

  • robert.nevada
    robert.nevada Member Posts: 1
    edited December 2019 #6
    ksrjw said:

    affordable medicine

    Try goodrx.com. Iam taking Anastrozole (which is a generice of one of those drugs. With goodrx.com I was able to get it for $4 a month at Sam's Club.

    Yes I know Good Rx is a better choice for affordable medicine.

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