Starting Hormone Therapy

Hello Active!
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but you've come to the right place for advice and support I am on tamoxifen since last June and despite all the 'horror' stories I had heard about it, I have been very lucky (so far anyway). I did have dreadful hot flushes at nighttime for the first four/five months but thankfully they have subsided. I also found that I was extremely tired for the first few months but again that has settled down so no complaints. I would suggest you talk to your oncologist if you start to get any annoying side effects as mine suggested another medication to combat the hot flushes but in the end I decided not to take it (I didn't want to add yet more tablets to the mix ). With a bit of luck, you'll have nothing major to report

Resolute x

Thanks Resolute. We seem to have similar diagnoses. How often can I expect to see oncologist once I start Tamoxifen? Is GP best for advice from this stage? Have not had to see him since I casually mentioned that I had got a call back from Breastcheck and he immediately reacted,
urging that I make sure to go for that appointment.The unrelated symptoms which had brought me to his surgery that day paled into insignificance.

Active

Hello Active - I' m new to this forum too -just joined about a week ago! Its an anxious time wondering how you ' ll get on with tamoxifin - I know I was very very anxious about it. I've only taken it for three weeks and its nothing as hard as i expected- i certainly had myself all built up for something so much worse . Durning chemo I was like a walking pharmacy taking a cocktail of drugs to keep my head above water - much of which was trial and error. I had a break of all the drug taking while on radiotheraphy for eight weeks , but was given a script to start tamoxifin as a trial for four weeks straight away when I finished radiotheraphy. I will then see my onchologists to discuss my further use of this drug on long term basis. All I can say to you is that while I'm not symphtoms free it's difficult to know if it's the tamoxifin or as a result of my other threatment?? I wasn't on HRT previously and was safely through the menopause-or so I thought until after my surgeries and chemo thretment and got a lot of hot flushes at that time but not a single one while on the tamoxifin - so far!! Hopefully your experience will be a good one too and it will be a smooth transition for you in your life.
Best of luck -let us know how you get on
Stargazer x

Hello Stargazer,

Your experience so far on tamoxifen sounds encouraging. Hope you continue like that. Fortunately I didn't need chemo and coped fine with radiotherapy, so maybe need not worry so much about tamoxifen. Not sure how to input all the medical details as everyone else seems to have done on their first post!

Active.

Active
To input your details, just go to control panel (at top beside log out) then click on profile and then signature - you can enter your details there and then preview them if you want before you submit.. Hope this helps
Resolute x

Hello Active,
Your diagnosis and treatment sounds like a dead ringer for mine.
I too was apprehensive with Tamoxifen. I've been on it since mid August last, and so far, only the very odd night sweat (I have yet to go through the menopause).
The one absolute bummer though for me is that it has flattened the libido - not particularly nice
I have discussed this with my oncologist last week (I see him every 6 months for the moment, at the same time as mammogram) and he encouraged me to suck it and see for a while anyway (the alternatives are also about suppressing oestrogen, so would have the same effect, and I may not tolerate them so well as I do Tamoxifen). He accepted that "very few" women report this side effect - which is big of him, seen as he is a T afficionado: he once told me that if all cancer drugs were as side-effect free as T, treatments would all be a walk in the park.
He also hinted that, because of my own low risk or recurrence (your risks can be calculated), ceasing after a few years, before 5th year, might be an option should the enforced sex drought become intolerable...
Anyway, as I said, only very few people appear to have that problem, and hopefully you won't be one of them

Best wishes!
Catherine

Hello Catherine,

I don't like prospect of zero libido. My oncologist is female .Might be more sympathetic than yours when I see her on Friday. I can add libido to my list of questions.
When a male consultant told me I needed a hysterectomy due to uterine prolapse, I promptly went to a female gynae physiotherapist and 3 years later prolapse and libido both doing well!

Active

Hi Active, and good for you!
I would be very curious to hear your female onc take on tamoxifen and libido, and what suggestion she might have to deal with the problem should it arise? I also sincerely hope it is not a problem for you - I can tell you from four women I know personally who take it that it is not a problem for any of them, thankfully.
All the best for the rest of your treatment!
Catherine

Hi Catherine,

Will let you know what she says on Friday.When I saw her before she seemed to be a strong advocate of Tamoxifen, so afraid she may downplay side effects and talk up benefits. More wait and see. Seems to be what treatment is all about.

Active.

Was expecting to be starting Tamoxifen , but have been put on aromatase inhibitor, Letrozale (Femara). May be changed to Tamoxifen in couple of years.
Also on calcium and vit D as letrozale can thin your bones.Will have to wait and see if there are side effects. Breastcheck nurse recommended taking it at night.Any advice?

Active