Tamoxifen, Arimidex, Ovary removal..help please

Coblndie

Hello all! I've been on Tamoxifen for a couple months now, and like most of you I can't stand it. Its making me emotionally psycho. I honestly have trouble taking my pill each day because its so bad. My oncologist has given me little help in the way of other options, and has basically said to stick to Tamoxifen but I just can't.

Has anyone here had Arimidex?

If I get my ovaries removed, what meds will I have to be on at that point? I'm 33 currently with er/pr pos cancer and her2neu equivical. I'm on herceptin still until October and have had 6 fierce rounds of a combo of 4 chemos and a double mastectomy already. All my lymph nodes have been clear.

Thanks for your help.

Spookiesmom

Maybe it's time for a new onc? Estrogen is also produced by the adrenal glands, so if your ovaries were removed, you'd still need an AI.

peggy_j

Sorry to hear you are going through this. And to be Dx'd so young--ug! When I was Dx'd at 46, that felt young, but you're even younger. That's just not fair. If you want some good news, my co-worker's wife was Dx'd at 31 and now she's in her mid-60s and she's never had any problems at all!!! (she had a Mx, the standard Tx back then).

I hear you on your concerns. Getting a second option from another MO could help but my understanding is that there aren't any alternatives to tamox for pre-meno women. And if you're ER+ that's the way to go. I recently had my ovaries removed but I'm 50 and my mother has ovarian cancer, so I've got the double-whammy risk. 33 is a lot younger. Another option is to do those shots that shut down your ovaries and then take an AI. At least that's reversible if you don't like it.

While I don't doubt that the meds could be contributing to your emotional issues, have you considered seeing a counselor? When I was doing rads my RO mentioned that some women feel a "let down" when they finish active treatment, and he suggested that I have some fun activities lined up. He meant well, and I did some fun things but...for me, I started having serious insomnia about 3 months after finishing rads (and about 6 weeks after starting tamox). I mean, practically no sleep at all, night after night, for 6 weeks. It was brutal, and I was raging and bawling about everything (including getting into a big fight with my husband when we were on a week-long trip visiting his family. fantastic) In retrospect, I think it was all the emotional issues catching up to me. Cancer Dx and Tx are scary. Plus, at the end of Tx I was doing a big 180-degree shift to looking at the whole rest of my life, wondering if the cancer would return. Super super scary. I found help by talking to a counselor twice, free through my local cancer support center. I also went to a Guided Imagery group for cancer patients. This was my support group. I found my tribe, who understood what I was going through, and we meditated too.

I'll send you good vibes are you get through this next phase. (((hugs)))

Mommato3

You need to be post-menopausal to take an AI, like Arimidex. That can be done by either having your ovaries removed or OS (like Zoladex or Lupron). Everybody reacts differently to different drugs so it's hard to say what SE, if any, you'll have. You could start with OS to make sure you tolerate being thrown into menopause before having your ovaries removed. Then try an AI to see how you do. Good luck

Coblndie

UGH what a bum deal!!!! Thanks for all your input!

I am trying to get into a new oncologist currently for a second opinion. I've been seeing a counselor. Maybe I'll try to take the Tamoxifen at night.

grumble

Professor50

Just chiming in with my sympathies on all fronts. I told my MO I could not stand the SEs of tamoxifen and she pretty much just shut me down. I finally persuaded her to switch me to something else. I am currently doing lupron+aromasin (exemestane). The lupron is a shot to shut down my ovaries and the exemestane is an aromatase inhibitor. The emotional/mental side of things is much better for me on this regimen. Unfortunately, the joint pain is much much worse. Still, I am hanging in there. I was diagnosed at 50 and I have an 11-year old son. So. I am trying my best to do whatever I can to prevent a recurrence... but it is definitely challenging.

peggy_j

professor, I have a friend who had joint pain from AIs (she's post-meno) and she had surprisingly good luck with acupuncture. She went just twice and even the acupuncturist thought she was done, so at least for my friend, it doesn't have to be a big committment of time or $.