Tamoxofin, my weapon or not....

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  • Mamita49
    Mamita49 Member Posts: 538
    edited November 2009

    Kerry,

    WOW, You look so hairy.........:) Nice. 

    Just a ?...Is it "better" to leave your ovaries and take Tamox, or ovaries out and arimidex.

    And what is the difference between Femera and Arimidex?

    Are those as "powerful"  than the Tamox. My surgeon will not give me more surgery, but he whants to give me the Tamox only for one year, and thnt Arimidex, but without surgery.

    (  I might go just for those question to seek another opinion........)

    Any input 

    I dont get all this....... 

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  • KerryMac
    KerryMac Member Posts: 3,529
    edited November 2009

    OK, so there seems to be no "right" answer to this. My Onc wanted to give me Lupron to shut down my Ovaries, and Tamoxifen. I didn't want to have to go in every month for the shot, I asked if I could just get the Ovaries removed. She said sure. That is how I came to have the ooph.

    Because I had the ooph, she could give me Arimidex. In studies comparing Tamox and the AI's, the AI's had a higher survival rate, but that is because some people don't metabolise tamoxifen. If those people are removed from the stats, then the survival rate is very similar. She told me that really they are all "the same" and if the SE's of Arimidex were too awful we could change to another one. There is a study going on now I believe comparing Arimidex and Femara. My Onc says Femara is very good with bone mets, so we are keeping that in case we need it. Hopefully not!

    I have also read that 2 years of tamox followed by 3 years of Aromisin is better that 5 years of Tamox alone./ 

    So, really, I had the ooph as I wanted to remove as much estrogen as I could (I am 100% ER+) I am doing fine on Arimidex, so am sticking with it. If I was on tamoxifen I would be sure to have the metabolising test. 

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  • KerryMac
    KerryMac Member Posts: 3,529
    edited November 2009

    Also,m my Onc wouldn't give me an AI with my Ovaries still in me. Apparently even if you think you are menopausal, you sometimes aren't, and the AI can "switch" them on to over produce Estrogen. I wouldn't take an AI if I still had Ovaries, even with Lupron.

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  • Mamita49
    Mamita49 Member Posts: 538
    edited November 2009

    Ok, now you got me really mixed-up.

    My doc does not even let me have the metab. test.

    I will phone next week for another opinion about this hormone stuff. Hopefully, its not too late. Anyhow, I am on 20mg daily Tamofofin. And so far I still believe its my guardian angel drug, but I am so much " Not trusting " any docs anymore, that I even start to ? the Tamox. Dont worry, I will take it, but what if its better to get ovaries out and switch to Arimidex.

    Is it more effectiv............ 

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  • gfrey
    gfrey Member Posts: 43
    edited November 2009

    Ladies, a question about Tamoxifen. I started it about 3 weeks ago, after my surgery. They went ahead and started me before my rads b/c my tumor didn't respond to chemo as well as hoped. I didn't have any SEs except hot flashes and fatigue until this week. Now I'm having some major problems with nausea and I'm having some bladder issues (feels like a UTI, but it's not). Is it normal to have a later onset of SEs? I don't want to stop taking the Tamoxifen b/c I believe in its effectiveness.

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  • lexislove
    lexislove Member Posts: 2,645
    edited November 2009

    gfrey,

    It took me around 2 months before I started to be aware of the se's caused by the Tamoxifen. We are all different...I remember fatigue and insomnia. I still have the insomnia but the fatigue is gone!

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  • KerryMac
    KerryMac Member Posts: 3,529
    edited November 2009

    Carol - I would get a second opinion. I have no idea why your Onc wouldn't let you get the test. Makes sense to me. You could also ask about the Lupron shots which shut down your ovaries without having to have Surgery. I think Tamox is as effective as an AI as long as you are metabolising it. If you are not metabolising it, it will not work for you.

    gfrey - I started at the beginning of Rads too. I am finding with Arimidex that the SE's come and go. I am finding more stiffness in my feet and hands with the weather getting damper. I occasionally get iunsomnia, then I am fine. I think you will probably find that you SE's will come and go, I think that is normal. Stick with it - my Onc said things even out SE wise after a while. Or maybe she is just saying that to keep me on it!!

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  • cakeisgreat
    cakeisgreat Member Posts: 660
    edited November 2009

    interesting that you mention UTI/bladder issues gfrey because I am dealing with a hainous (sp?) on right now.  I'm going to ask my onc about it on 12/4 because it's not going away.  I have NO other side effects...still menstruating too, which worries me.  I'm going to see if I should take out my ovaries because mine was 100% ER+. 

    Will keep you posted on what the onc has to say.

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