Vagifem 25 mg

Amber555

Hi everyone,

well I had my Zolodex injection 2 weeks ago and the symptoms have been ok'ish.  I have had headaches, but today is the first day that I have not had one.... I have experienced some sweating at night... but no hot flashes yet!!!

I have one very important question that I hope I can get some answers to.  I have been told to use Vagifem 25 mg once a week.  Now I have read that this has been discontinued in the US?  Is this true?  With having to take Zolodex I have been told that the dryness will be unbearable and that it will affect my everyday life and it will affect intimacy too.  My oncologist and breast surgeon have said that it will not be absorbed into the blood stream if only used once a week.  Do you agree?  Is there any other product that is safer?  I really don't want this to affect my intimacy with my DH, so am prepared to take the Vagifem if it is definitely safe to use. I have tried it only once, and its been fine, but need to decide if I will continue with it.  Please, please can I have all your opinions on this?  I am taking Tamoxifen as well everyday.  I have been told I don't need chemo as my oncotype result was very low at 9 and apparently the Tamoxifen will do the job.

Regards

Amber555 

 

SelenaWolf

Hopefully, someone who uses this product will chime in and let you know their experience.  Although I have never used it, I have heard from my own oncologist that she has absolutely no worries about me using this product should I need to as the amount of oestrogen absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin is negligible if used as prescribed.

Unfortunately, this type of decision comes down to risks vs. benefits, and how much you - personally - are willing to risk in order to achieve a good quality of life.  It's a deeply personal decision.  For many women, any risk involved in using this product is far outweighed by the ability to enjoy intimate relations without discomfort.  For others, it's not worth taking the risk.  Only you can decide what is right for you.

AnnNYC

The dose you asking about is actually micrograms -- 25 mcg or 25 ug.  In the U.S., only 10 mcg (10 ug) is now available. 

The manufacturer made this switch in July 2010: http://press.novonordisk-us.com/index.php?s=20295&...

I took the 25 ug dose weekly from July 2007 until they switched the formulation, and took the 10 ug from July 2010 until I stopped sometime in 2013.  The lower strength seemed to work just as well as the higher.  (Micrograms are tiny, anyway -- so it was probably a tiny difference!)

I stopped taking Aromasin in December 2011. My onc said she thought I would probably still "need" (or at least "appreciate") the Vagifem.  But by sometime in 2013, after being off Aromasin for a year, I think I started to get some of my own estrogen back -- and I stopped the Vagifem after the last two doses preceded a horrible lower backache that felt like I had my period (and I was 7 years past menopause) -- so I quit the Vagifem and haven't had that kind of backache since.  But I was very glad I was able to choose to take it while on AI.

Anonymous

I tried Vagifem for 3 months then stopped.  I could not tell any improvement at all.  Also it does have some SEs like yeast infections.

Blessings2011

I do not take Vagifem, but my MO did prescribe Premarin Vaginal Cream 0.625 mg, just a tiny bit applied around the outside of the vaginal opening, and around the urethra.

The real problem with any estrogen-sucking drug is tissue atrophy, and the only thing that can reverse lady-parts atrophy is estrogen. Obviously, ER+ ladies do not want to put any estrogen back in their bodies, and I am 100% ER+.

My MO explained that topical application of the cream does not cross the blood barrier and enter the bloodstream. The tiny amount is enough to prevent the dryness and discomfort of not only intimate activities, but also the irritation and pain of urinary tract issues.

Vaginal tissues can get so atrophied that they are like tissue paper, and can bleed just from the act of walking. Urethral tissues can become so atrophied that they are as inflamed as during urinary tract infections, and can even cause temporary incontinence.

The Premarin Cream, applied sparingly, a few days at a time, a few times a month, made these side effects disappear.

But in the meantime, my MO said it was necessary to keep the tissues MOIST, and recommended a product called V-Magic, by Mountain Mama's Apothecary. It is completely natural, and SO soothing on irritated tissues.

The other thing she told me was once the horrible irritation was gone, to "use it or lose it"... in other words, keep up with intimate activities when pain was no longer an issue.

DH thought it was Christmas and his birthday all rolled into one. She became his new BFF.