Anyone else taking Estrogen despite risks?

Suzie5270

Hi everybody,

I am a 62 y.o. married woman 7 years out from early stage ER BC,  I had chemo and radiation and 5 years of Arimedex. I suffered severe hot flashes, 20-40 per day, significant sleep disruption due to night sweats getting me up 3 to 5 times per night. My muscles and joints hurt and I quit exercsing and now I am 45 pounds overweight. I was a happy person before the treatments but I developed depression and anxiety that was not helped by antidepressents or anti-anxiety meds.I had zero libido but no estrogen caused such vaginal dryness that intercourse was impossible anyway. I sought medical and psychological help to no avail. Finally I asked my OC if I should continue to seek answers since I had a hunch all my symptoms could be remedied by going back on estrogen. He said I was most likely correct but that he would not be the one to prescribe it as it raised my rate of recurrence from 15% to 30%. I was so miserable that I found an OBGYN who did give it to me. That was 4 months ago and I feel fabulous. However, now I feel so good that I want to live a long life.. So, catch 22. Soon, I will stop the estrogen. My OC said I will have done no harm if I stop before 6 months of use.I fear it and want THIS quality of life. So, I am hoping that my symptoms will not be so bad as they were when I started the estrogen and that I can sleep and be fairly balanced. Any and all feedback, others experiences, advice, ideas will be greatly appreciated.

 Thanks to all,

Suzie

TXBadboob

Suzie, I totally relate to what you are saying!  Mixed frustration!  I have read on here somewhere that some women are using an estrogen cream down there for dryness and sex issues, and it has helped a lot.  Their drs. don't worry about that too much.  Maybe this could be a small compromise for you.  You also might ask your dr. about herbal meds that don't have hormones, like black cohosh, but are supposed to help menopausal women. 

  These are just thoughts that I have already had, but I'm still too paranoid to even ask them myself.  I hope things get better for you.

Deen

AnnNYC

Suzie, there are two vaginal estrogen treatments -- Estring and Vagifem -- that have even less systemic absorption than a vaginal estrogen cream (Estrace), and WAY less systemic estrogen than taking an oral estrogen replacement.  My onc has prescribed Vagifem for me ever since I started taking Aromasin -- for me the benefit is worth what I consider to be a very small risk.

farmerjo

I am bumping this old thread to see if anyone else did this. 

Suzie5270

Hi Jilly,

Wow, I forgot how bad things were when I wrote this. I am soooo glad to say that I am doing very well. I sought out a new oncologist who heard me loud and clear. She wrote me a prescription for a drug called magace or megesterol. It was a life saver. It was in a very short time that I was hot flash free. And as a result I could sleep pretty well and hus the mood problems abated.I still take this med because if I stop my hot flashes return. What I didn't disclose when I first wrote this post is that I, myself, am a licensed psychotherapist. And knowing all that I know about mood disorders and sleep disruption didn't help. Because until my hot flashes were treated I was going to continue to suffer. My oncologist is highly regarded and I trust her report that it is safe to use indefinitely. Hope this helps and wishing you the best.

Suzie5270