Is anyone taking Ibrance/Palbociclib?
Hi everyone, I had an appointment with my OC this week and he has suggested taking Palbociclib + Letrozole if I can afford it until it gets on the PBS. He says it's most effective as a first line tr...
Forum Discussion
Hi! I've been taking palbociclib (brand called Ibrance) for 13 months already. As an alternative to chemo, it's fabulous!
That's if it works for you AND you can afford it. I was just lucky to have recently retired so I had all my superannuation to spend on it. I had to find it myself overseas, in April 2016, or go onto chemo. Good motivation to find it, which I did, but it cost me $10,000 per month, until now. Now it's available for $4,700 a month in Australia. But Pfizer are giving to me free from this month onwards, on compassionate grounds, because I've spent so much money on it already.
OK so I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the liver in December 2014. I thought I was 2 years 'cancer free' by then, following all the treatments for early breast cancer diagnosed at the end of 2011. But no, it was in the blood all the time and had metastasised. In early 2015, my oncologist said I had only a few months to live and I'd better do the bucket list items immediately. My marker numbers were high - 930. So I had a holiday in Cuba, visited some friends overseas, and held a large party for all my family and friends at Easter 2015.
And I'm still here and still not on chemo yet. Yay!
A succession of hormone drugs including Tamoxifen kept the cancer in check until April 2016 when my oncologist said it's time for chemo unless I could find palbociclib overseas.
Side effects I've had: Fatigue is the only major side effect for me. But I also have neutropenia, which has allowed a couple of infections in (lip sores and mouth ulcers, but that's all). Also, my hair has thinned a bit but not too noticeably.
So much better than chemo, which I know too well, from having had it 5 years ago. I don't look like a cancer patient!
I do recommend it. You can find out other womens experiences by Googling online forums in the USA, where it's been in use for 3 years already. Or get in touch with me here.....and/or ask your oncologist about it. Best wishes to all of you xx
That's if it works for you AND you can afford it. I was just lucky to have recently retired so I had all my superannuation to spend on it. I had to find it myself overseas, in April 2016, or go onto chemo. Good motivation to find it, which I did, but it cost me $10,000 per month, until now. Now it's available for $4,700 a month in Australia. But Pfizer are giving to me free from this month onwards, on compassionate grounds, because I've spent so much money on it already.
OK so I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the liver in December 2014. I thought I was 2 years 'cancer free' by then, following all the treatments for early breast cancer diagnosed at the end of 2011. But no, it was in the blood all the time and had metastasised. In early 2015, my oncologist said I had only a few months to live and I'd better do the bucket list items immediately. My marker numbers were high - 930. So I had a holiday in Cuba, visited some friends overseas, and held a large party for all my family and friends at Easter 2015.
And I'm still here and still not on chemo yet. Yay!
A succession of hormone drugs including Tamoxifen kept the cancer in check until April 2016 when my oncologist said it's time for chemo unless I could find palbociclib overseas.
Side effects I've had: Fatigue is the only major side effect for me. But I also have neutropenia, which has allowed a couple of infections in (lip sores and mouth ulcers, but that's all). Also, my hair has thinned a bit but not too noticeably.
So much better than chemo, which I know too well, from having had it 5 years ago. I don't look like a cancer patient!
I do recommend it. You can find out other womens experiences by Googling online forums in the USA, where it's been in use for 3 years already. Or get in touch with me here.....and/or ask your oncologist about it. Best wishes to all of you xx