Side effects for the Hormone/AI tablets verses taking none ??

arpie said:

@ChezaH - well done on nearly completing your Rads (be warned, your last session may be quite emotional!  Mine was!) ..... and good luck with your AI decision!  

Not everyone gets the nasty side effects - some sail thru without being impacted at all - it is just that when you ARE affected, you generally talk about it more - so it appears that 'everyone' gets them!  

So, my advice would be to give it a go - and see how you go.   I've been on 3 different types over the last 2.5 years ..... my current one is giving me less grief than the other 2 - yet some have bad side effects on the one that I am currently 'liking' - so there is no rhyme nor reason to it!!  :(   I am late 60s and considered myself relatively fit & happy prior to diagnosis etc

Good luck .... I hope you get NO side effects, but get the benefits of taking the AIs xxx

All the best for your final Rads xx

iserbrown said:

Like others have said, give it a go!  Mine are for 10 years!
Hopefully you are one of many that have very little side effects 
Take care 

Cath62 said:

Hi @ChezaH,

I have 9 more radium sessions to go and I too need to see my oncologist about hormone inhibitors for 5 to 10 yrs. I hope only 5. I raised concerns with my oncologist about side effects too.

My oncologist advised my that my hormone inhibitors are actually 60% of my treatment (surgery, chemo, radium and hormone inhibitors).  Knowing that the pills for 5yrs are such a big component of my treatment plan has given me the understanding as to why I should have these pills. 

I explained to my doctor that I wanted a good quality of life. I said I read about the side effects and hence worried. My doctor has said that the majority of women do cope well however she also said that if I do experience any side effects that she will work with me to alleviate those  and if necessary try another med. 

I was so pleased to hear the doctor that that. I will give it a red hot go for sure and continue to eat well, exercise, meditate, enjoy activities and time with family and friends etc etc.

Maybe have a chat to your doctor about your concerns and see how much of your treatment the AI's are to help decide what you want to do. Maybe you will not experience any adverse side effects. Is there anything to loose in giving it a go?

Best wishes finishing radium. I won't be far behind you. 

iserbrown said:

Like others have said, give it a go!  Mine are for 10 years!
Hopefully you are one of many that have very little side effects 
Take care 

Leia said:

Hi Cheryl, it seems we are all thinking along the same lines. I’m on letrozole, but as Arpie said, different people react differently. I guess you’d get a lot of different answers if you asked on here which one is best!

arpie said:

@ChezaH - well done on nearly completing your Rads (be warned, your last session may be quite emotional!  Mine was!) ..... and good luck with your AI decision!  

Not everyone gets the nasty side effects - some sail thru without being impacted at all - it is just that when you ARE affected, you generally talk about it more - so it appears that 'everyone' gets them!  

So, my advice would be to give it a go - and see how you go.   I've been on 3 different types over the last 2.5 years ..... my current one is giving me less grief than the other 2 - yet some have bad side effects on the one that I am currently 'liking' - so there is no rhyme nor reason to it!!  :(   I am late 60s and considered myself relatively fit & happy prior to diagnosis etc

Good luck .... I hope you get NO side effects, but get the benefits of taking the AIs xxx

All the best for your final Rads xx

Leia said:

I felt much like you after reading about all the horrible side effects. My oncologist simply encouraged me to give it a go. She said many women tolerated it well. She also said if I developed side effects severe enough to really have a negative impact on my quality of life, she would be happy for me to stop- I’m 71. She’s the specialist, so somewhat hesitantly I’ve been ‘giving it a go’. 4 months in, and nothing worse than bearable hot flushes🥵. Maybe down the track things will change, but my advice for you would be the same- give it a try, you might be one of the lucky ones. All the best with it all.