Hello allI finished my radiation therapy without too many problems. I'm booked in to have a bone density scan on the 12th and will see my specialist on the 19th as she intends to put me on oestrogen inhibitors..Has any one had any bad side effects or any information that may help me. I'm not 100% sure if I want to take these - are they worth the side effects that can/may happen?Any comments and advice would be very much appreciated <3

Hey @arpie,I am 46. Yes, I can change to Zoladex and Exemestane or whatever it is. Onc seems to think that if the tamoxifen is knocking me around like this then the side effects from the others will be worse....I bought a really high orthopedic mattress that helps a little with scrambling out of bed, bit sick of going arse up when I do a loo run..LOL At least I know if I go off the tamoxifen the side effects reverse fairly swiftly so I have little breaks from it every so often.Yes @"Kiwi Angel" that is a f****ng long time. Grrr. I shall persevere for as long as I can. I'm trying various combinations of vitamins, lotions and potions and hopefully I can get a concoction that works. I've been speaking with a couple of ladies on the the U.K. forum that are having all the same problems and they have given me some ideas to try. Fingers crossedxoxoxo

@PatsyN @Blondy both of u look fabulous.

Hi @55Jlz. Has your doctor told you which hormone inhibitor they want you to take? Broadly speaking if you are pre-menopausal it's usually Tamoxifen and if you are post-menopausal it's an AI (aromatase inhibitor). There are three, Anastrozole, Letrozole and Exemestane.There is lots of info here on each of those. The best way to find it is to use the search bar with the name of your drug.It's important to remember that we all react differently to the medications. Some people breeze through with little or few side effects. Cross your fingers and hope you fall into that group! No one gets all the side effects, some of which are incredibly rare, so try not to get frightened by the long list.Here's the BCNA page on hormone therapy:https://www.bcna.org.au/metastatic-breast-cancer/treatment/hormone-therapy/Let us know how you get on. I'm five days into taking Letrozole myself and have aching ankles and knees. Not sure yet whether it's the medication or something else! K xox

I’ve just started taking Tamoxifen and I’ve had no side effects at all two weeks in. So far it looks like I’m one of the lucky ones. I hope it goes well for you.

I think the starting point might be how much additional reduction of bc recurrence will it give you.Then if worthwhile which hormone therapy is appropriate for you .I toowas worried about Hormone Therapy .I am Er+ and it provided a significant reduction in risk.As I am post menopausal I was prescribed an Aromatase Inhibitor - Letrozole/ Femara which I have been on since 1/8/17.Yes there have been side effects - joint stiffness , a few hot flushes .Joint pain has been helped by a daily one hour walk - I learnt I could walk thrust after 10-15 minutes.Also I do a gentle stretch/balance class twice weekly which involves light weights. I was also told by my oncologist to take Krill Oil tablets for joint pain which I do .Basically these side effects have now settled and my body adapted. The more worrying side effects are less obvious - cholesterol spiking and bone thinning. Cholesterol can be managed with statin tablets but I found after a few months they made me think Ihad dementia.I stopped statins and take low dose aspirin and Krill Oil tablets which are both blood thinners.Diet modification can help a lot - rolled oats eg Michael Mosley has explored this area and there is a lot of diet guidance online.It is wise to have a baseline measurement before starting hormone therapy so it can be monitored.Bone thinning is the big problem of Aromatase Inhibitors and a baseline measurement at the outset is wise.I started with osteoporosis at the outset and an osteoporotic fracture so I also have 6 monthly Prolia injections which are very effective at building bones BUT when you stop bone loss is rapid.I would recommend caution before taking bisphoshonate tablets for bone loss because of risk with dental procedures which may make it difficult to get dental work done.I cannot comment on the alternative hormone therapy given to premenopausal women Tamoxifen but it too has its side effects.

Hormone inhibitors | BCNA Online Network

33 Replies

Fionap2017
Member
8 years ago
I’ve just started taking Tamoxifen and I’ve had no side effects at all two weeks in. So far it looks like I’m one of the lucky ones. I hope it goes well for you.
kmakm
Member
8 years ago
Hi @55Jlz. Has your doctor told you which hormone inhibitor they want you to take? Broadly speaking if you are pre-menopausal it's usually Tamoxifen and if you are post-menopausal it's an AI (aromatase inhibitor). There are three, Anastrozole, Letrozole and Exemestane.

There is lots of info here on each of those. The best way to find it is to use the search bar with the name of your drug.

It's important to remember that we all react differently to the medications. Some people breeze through with little or few side effects. Cross your fingers and hope you fall into that group! No one gets all the side effects, some of which are incredibly rare, so try not to get frightened by the long list.

Here's the BCNA page on hormone therapy:

https://www.bcna.org.au/metastatic-breast-cancer/treatment/hormone-therapy/

Let us know how you get on. I'm five days into taking Letrozole myself and have aching ankles and knees. Not sure yet whether it's the medication or something else! K xox
iserbrown
Member
8 years ago
My Breast care nurse gave me this booklet when I was in hospital to have my mastectomy as my breast cancer is hormone receptor positive. Hopefully having a read will give you a better understanding. Some of us sail through with minimal side effects and others not so lucky!

https://www.bcna.org.au/media/2613/bcna-hormone-booklet.pdf

https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/treatment/hormone-therapy/

Take care

Forum Discussion

Hormone inhibitors

33 Replies

Recent Discussions

Lower dose tamoxifen

Early breast cancer treatment decision

Zoladex

Nausea after 3 days on Exemestane?

Conceiving & Hormone Blockers

Disclaimer: