Household Net Worth's Effect on Finishing Hormonal Treatment

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Check out this article on how levels of Income can impact on whether women and men finish hormonal treatment.

Level of Income and it's effect on following through with Hormonal Treatment.

There are many different reasons why people may not follow their treatment plan, including financial issues, side effects, and depression.

If the cost of hormonal therapy is a concern for you, there are organizations that can help, including the assistance programs of many pharmaceutical companies and the National Cancer Institute. For more information, visit the Breastcancer.org Staying on Track With Treatment pages.

Comments

  • nottoday
    nottoday Member Posts: 162
    edited February 2015

    Regardless of income, and despite the benefits of AIs, many women seem to drop them because of the significant side effects. Given the number of women who should be taking these, I'm surprised there is not a lot more research being done on how to reduce the side effects while maintaining the efficacy. This could include investigating other agents that have fewer side effects, or exploring the minimum dose required of the current AIs to maintain efficacy and reduce SEs. I don't imagine many women are happy to stop taking AIs, but rather feel they must to preserve quality of life. That is a terrible choice to have to make. Anyone aware of research going on in this area?

  • Hortense
    Hortense Member Posts: 982
    edited March 2015

    I am considering stopping Armidex, not because of cost as my insurance covers it, but because after using it for a year and half it started making my hair shed out and it's gotten thinner over the last six months. If it keeps shedding at the same rate, I am not sure how much hair I will be left with, and that is not acceptable to me.

    I also have muscle and joint aches and walk like an elderly woman when I first get up each day. I usually warm out of the stiffness, but I am finding it increasingly harder to get up out of chairs, and very difficult to get up if I am on the floor or ground. I need to find something to hold onto to help me get up.

    At 66, I feel as if I have become like my mother was in her late 80's. I also feel strongly as if my life is being shortened. My mother & grandmother lived into their 90's, my aunt is 90 and spry. I do not think I will reach anywhere near those numbers, and I am blaming it on Arimidex. I would bet that quite a few women who are on it or who have taken it and stopped feel the same way.

  • 2timer
    2timer Member Posts: 590
    edited March 2015

    Horetense, I am sorry you are having problems on arimidex. I felt exactly the way you feel but for some reason things have gotten better or I have learned to live with it. Have you read the threads in the hormonals section of the forums? They have really good ideas on how to deal with some of the issues connected to hormonals. Good luck.

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