Please can someone tell me how long after stopping hormone treatment do the side effects go away. I went through early menopause with the blink to an eye, no side effects at all. It sort of just happened over night. When I was having hormone treatment I got every side effect there was. I tried three different drugs and I still had trouble so in consultation with the doctor it was decided that I would stop talking them. The side effects haven't stopped yet & I know that it's too soon but the hot flushes are driving me crazy, especially since I didn't have them when I went through menopause. What I want to know is how long is this likely to go on for or if anyone can, give me some tips to cope with it? The other side effects I can manage but the hot flushes and fatigue are a different story.Paula

Hello lovely @PaulaN, I'm still on hormone therapy and still getting my hot flushes. I carry a bottle of spray around with me when I'm at work (couldn't get a plain water atomiser so use swisse deep sea hydrating mist toner ) and I find if I spray as soon as I start to get the hot flush it stops me from dripping sweat. Of a night time I wear a crop top bra and a pair of long pyjama pants as I still get hot flushes but need to keep my knees warm otherwise they ache severely (mainly my left knee )so I play on again, off again with blankets and sheets and just don't bother checking out the time on the clock whenever I wake up cause then I'd stress over how long I have before I have to get up for work. I was prescribed Effexor for the hot flushes but have decided to plod along and see if they start to wane. All the best with yours and hope you get over the side effects soon. Xx Cath

40 is very young,yikes. Brenda5, I've been on the contraceptive pill since 16 years of age for same reason. Taken off it now of course but my oncologist said it could've contributed to my bc. Anyone else been told this?.

Yes unfortunately chemo throws you into a very abrupt menopause, it is hard and Im 3yrs on and still suffering. Also with Tamoxifen or Arimidex or Aromasin, I had zero effects on Tamoxifen for 4yrs but was pre menopausal. I then had a recurrence at 4yrs same spot and after chemo put on Arimidex, side effects galore. You can trial off any of these but it has to be for a 6 week period as I did under the supervision of my Oncologist. It takes that long to get a true indication of things. I did this with Arimidex and kept a log as instructed. I was then switched to Aromasin which is similar and side effects the same. So I just work with it, its fine. I think my Prolia injections have helped alot strangely as my bone density has improved and in turn I find my pain isnt as bad as it was either..strange.

I think it was about 6months after stopping Tamoxifen that I noticed improvements.Still got the odd hot flush here and there but nowhere near as intense.

I thought my letrozole was causing the hot flushes. ..but it turned out to be the regular panadol osteo I was taking to deal with the aches and pains of chemo. It stopped suddenly and when I take it occasionally now I really notice hot flushes are much more noticable. Also coffee, spicy foods and alcohol bring on a dramatic flush. I still get them , especially when ready for sleep but much improved even remaining on letrozole. Normal panadol does it to me too. I carry a fan everywhere.

When Do Side Effects Finish | BCNA Online Network

15 Replies

melclarity
Member
8 years ago
Yes unfortunately chemo throws you into a very abrupt menopause, it is hard and Im 3yrs on and still suffering. Also with Tamoxifen or Arimidex or Aromasin, I had zero effects on Tamoxifen for 4yrs but was pre menopausal. I then had a recurrence at 4yrs same spot and after chemo put on Arimidex, side effects galore. You can trial off any of these but it has to be for a 6 week period as I did under the supervision of my Oncologist. It takes that long to get a true indication of things. I did this with Arimidex and kept a log as instructed. I was then switched to Aromasin which is similar and side effects the same. So I just work with it, its fine. I think my Prolia injections have helped alot strangely as my bone density has improved and in turn I find my pain isnt as bad as it was either..strange.
kezmusc
Member
8 years ago
I go on and off tamoxifen because of the SE. I can see a huge difference in my head and general well being after 2 weeks. It's not long enough to get rid of all the bone pain but it does start to ease in the two to three weeks I stay off it. Fingers crossed it hurries up and sorts itself out for you. xoxoxo
Sister
Member
8 years ago
I'm not on hormone therapy yet - still deep in chemo territory. I went through menopause last year and was "official' timewise in early January. Never had hot flushes during the day but did get night sweats for a while. About 3 weeks ago, I started getting hot flushes (and night sweats again). I reported it to the onc who reckons that although I've gone through menopause (which believe it or not, is considered to be a fairly gradual process), there's still some level of oestrogen being produced and the chemo is cutting that off abruptly. I don't know if this explanation is of any use to you but thought I'd put it out there.
Dimples
Member
8 years ago
Hi LMK74, I was also on the contraceptive pill from the age of 16 until I had BC at the age of 44 ! Now after my mastectomy I am on Tamoxifen 20mg for the next 10 years. Currently going through all the side effects but at least i'm still here to bug my loved ones :)
LMK74
Member
9 years ago
40 is very young,yikes.
Brenda5, I've been on the contraceptive pill since 16 years of age for same reason. Taken off it now of course but my oncologist said it could've contributed to my bc. Anyone else been told this?.
PaulaN
Member
9 years ago
Yea @Brenda at 40 & I can't say I was sorry LOL
Brenda5
Member
9 years ago
Wow at 40, nice! I had always been on the contraceptive pill to keep my periods regular. Most all my life I had been on them. When diagnosed with bc I was still on them at 53 and the doctor took me off of them. Not another period and full on flushes since. I am nearly 55 and on Tamoxifen for a while yet.
PaulaN
Member
9 years ago
Hi @melclarity I went through menopause 13 years ago at 40. It happened overnight suddenly. As I said earlier I've been on 3 different hormone blockers one straight after the other, tamoxifen being the last. I'm finding the most debilitating are the hot flushes, fatigue & bone thinning & aching. All of this is making my depression worse, I'll get there after all what choice do I have & after hearing about @Pink66 today it seems insignificant
Paula
PaulaN
Member
9 years ago
Hi @prime often sit in front of a fan but even that doesn't help, I did try having the air con on but it made the aching worse. I'll just have to bide my time I guess.
Paula
PaulaN
Member
9 years ago
Hi @ToniaM the last hormone drug I was on was tamoxifen which I stopped in Feb this year. I thought it might be too early but hey I thought I could live in hope that it would be sooner LOL
Paula