How painful are Faslodex injections.

tmackain

I will begin Faslodex injections in a week or so. How painful are they? What type of side effects have you experienced?

thank you so much. Toni

Anonymous

Hi Tmackain, looks like this is your first post, so welcome to bc.org. I have found so much help and hope on this site. No one understands what we are going through except those who have this dx.

I have been on Faslodex/Ibrance for 7 months now (hard to believe!) . I have not found them painful for the most part. The advice I got on the boards is to make sure

1) the shots are warmed up - I warm them up in my hands.

2) take the weight off the leg /side you are getting the shot in and then switch. So your muscles aren't tense.

The nurses seems to know where to give me the shot to avoid a nerve but one time the nurse hit a nerve on one side (must have been a sciatic nerve) and that was uncomfortable for a couple of hours.

Side effects: maybe fatigue, joint pain in my hands (I also had this when I was on femara). I am also on Ibrance so it's hard to say which one is giving me a bit of fatigue but overall, it's not bad and I feel really good. Thankfully.

I think you will find some threads with more info if you need it!

tmackain

Thank you, Aprilgirl1.

Moderators

Dear Toni, welcome to the Community! As you can already see, members here have a ton of advice and experience, which we're sure you can learn from.

From our main site, you may find some helpful information on Ibrance and its related side effects in the following page: https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/druglist/ib...

We hope this helps! Let us know how you're doing!

The Mods

Anonymous

Toni, you are welcome! I should have added that I work fulltime and for the most part feel fine and am able to lead an active life (well, Covid did make me slow my pace as it in it made my company close the office, work from home and not have to work as much.). Take care!

nopink2019

Not as terrible as advertised. My cancer center gets a 2nd nurse to assist, so both shots go in/out at the same time. Greatly reduces anticipation. Slow is the key. If you feel anything, just say it hurts and they'll slow down. The past 2 times, I've walked a couple of laps around the parking lot before driving 2+ hrs home. I look like a weird runway model a hand rubbing each hip up & down with each step. Sure reduces the injection site soreness.

tmackain

Thank you, Moderators. Lots of great info there

tmackain

Thank you, nopink2019.

Sadiesservant

Hi Toni.

Sorry you find yourself here but it’s a great place for support and to build understanding of how to cope with treatments. There is a pretty active thread devoted to Faslodex. Pajim started it and gave a full rundown of the considerations for minimizing discomfort. I’ve been on it since January 2017 and find it a very easy treatment.

Wishing you all the best.

Sadiesservant

Hi Toni.

Here's the link to the thread: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/816419?page=106#idx_3155

It's call Faslodex Girls Thread 2014. It's been around for awhile but there is a lot of very useful information. I have my next shots tomorrow and am doing great on it.

Zillsnot4me

besides walking and rubbing the best thing are heated seats.

Bestbird

Below from book,. The Insider's Guide to Metastatic Breast Cancer" (which is also available in a complimentary .pdf) is a list of helpful hints when Faslodex shots are administered. For more of this type of information, along with approved therapies by subtype and cutting edge research, please visit https:www.insidersguidembc.com/about

Below are some tips when taking Faslodex (Fulvestrant): Faslodex injections are administered intramuscularly in the buttocks and can be quite uncomfortable during and after the shots, which is due in part to the thickness of the vaccine. These suggestions should help to minimize discomfort:

Consider taking an over-the-counter pain relief tablet an hour or two before the injection.

Warm the syringes under your armpits for several minutes until the vaccine reaches body temperature, which makes the shots easier to administer.

Ask the nurse to gently massage the injection sites before the injections.

Have the nurse put numbing spray on the area before injecting the vaccine

Ensure that the nurse will use the "Z-track" method for the injections to prevent leakage of the serum into the subcutaneous tissue. Z-track instructions are located at: https://www.healthline.com/health/z-track-injection#how-to

Make sure the nurse will inject the vaccine slowly (1 – 2 minutes per injection)

Ensure that there is no weight on the area being injected by standing with your weight on the opposite foot or lying down on your stomach and pointing your toes inward (most patients prefer this method).

After the injection, apply ice packs or heat pads to the area (some patients drive home with the car seat heater turned on), drink lots of water, walk as much as possible, and avoid sitting for long periods of time.

tmackain

Thank you, Sadiesservent.

tmackain

Thank you all so much

DaughterOfStageIV

The 2 tricks to reduce pain:

1) warm the injections in your hands first

2) ice the area to be injected for a good amount of time before the shots. Good luck!

tmackain

a big thank you to everyone. I had my last biweekly shot last week. It wasnt as bad as I thought. I think not knowing is the worst.

tmackain

UPDATE: 8 months after my first injection. They aren’t bad, but I do get knots at the injection site. My nurse says some folks get them and some don’t. They go away in a couple of months. I get tired, but find that B-12 injections the day of my Faslodex injection helps a lot.

Thanks again from all the support.