Melatonin and TNBC

Kayrem

This was published Jan 6, 2019. I hav been taking Melatonin for over 5 or 6 years (10 mg). I read somewhere that it killed or prevented metastasis in the lab or something like that.

http://www.alliedacademies.org/articles/a-phase2-study-of-highdose-pineal-antitumor-hormone-melatonin-as-an-adjuvant-therapy-in-triple-negative-breast-cancer.pdf

Pretty exciting evidence for it helping. If I had known about this article 7 years ago I would have started taking it then and I would have taken a heck of a lot more!

Hope this helps someone...

santabarbarian

For TNBC both melatonin and Metformin are very good complimentary treatments. My Naturopathic physisican suggests 20 mg of Melatonin at roughly the same time each night. I do 1000 mg (500am, 500 pm) of Metformin too.

Kayrem

Dear Santa (I always wanted to say that!!) - I think the Metformin really depends on the individual. My GP wrote me a script for 500 mg a day (250 twice daily). I never moved off of 250 mg once daily for over a year. I was hungry all the time. Sometimes so hungry it was like I was having a panic attack for food (light headed, etc.).

I took myself off it. I was a normal weight back then now I have gained a few lbs. maybe it would work better for me now.

What I think has worked incredible with me with no side effects is Simvastatin. I had high cholesterol for several years (4 at least - not so good for TNBC survivors) but not so high so that my doctor was worried about a heart attack. I took 1 months worth of pills (30 pills of 10mg) over 3 months and had normal numbers for the first time in over 5 years. I also drink a ton of green tea (which impacts different statins indifferent ways) which may have increased the amount of simvastatin that I was absorbing. Lots of interesting stuff with Simvastatin, it crosses the blood brain barrier, it’s good with triple negative breast cancers and seems to have immune effects.

http://www.oncotarget.com/index.php?journal=oncotarget&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=12284&path%5B%5D=38897

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190510095059.htm

I did not know about a lot of this stuff when I started taking it. My thinking was I had to eat low fat and keep my cholesterol in check. I am eating more healthier fat now (at least 1 tbsp of olive oil a day). It will be interesting to see what my lipid profile is next month when I get it retested.

santabarbarian

Statins seem to have anti-tumor effects too... If you look at the book How To Starve Cancer she talks about it... There is an alternative oncology clinic doing a course of repurposed drugs in a combo for BC... a statin + metformin + mebendazole (pinworm drug) + doxycycline... between the 4 prongs, a lot of cancer stem cell replication pathways are attacked.

Interesting what you say about hunger, I have been hungrier too since getting on metformin, did not realize it was a SE because I have been recovering post treatment in general... but anyway, I want the metformin benefits. Ironically, I have found intermittent fasting has brought my hunger level down.

I am NED after neoadjuvant chemo but have been thinking that now might be a good time to ask my MO about adding a statin, and to do a course of doxycycline & mebendazole, before there is something larger to fight... May I can convince him to let me do 60 or 90 days of it. I

have pushed that poor man to his breaking point.... he's Mr. Double Blind.... but he has been a trouper to hang in with me on all the complimentary therapies i have pursued. I keep thinking, if it doesn't hurt and it might help, then I want it....

Other compounds I am interested in are berberine, DHEA, chloroquine, dipyridamole... I am already on curcumin, EGCG, quercetin and I have been doing hyperbaric oxygen + Vitamin C IV once per week. I am hoping a full court press during first 3 year prime recurrence window will help me....