Nervous about starting Zoladex

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  • Irish65
    Irish65 Member Posts: 18
    edited August 2016

    Good luck awilson!

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  • LovesToFly
    LovesToFly Member Posts: 1,133
    edited August 2016

    thanks for sharing everybody. I have been on tamoxifen since mid-May, and believe I am starting Zoladex in September. I am really freaked out about it, in particular I am worried about depression, weight gain, and issues with sex drive. I'm glad to hear that many of you seem to be doing OK

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited August 2016

    Just weighing in: my first month on Zoladex was horrible, but now I'm two weeks into my second monthly shot, and really haven't had any problems. My big complaints are hot flashes and vaginal dryness--so, typical menopause symptoms--and my MO assures me that tamoxifen is protecting my bones.

    I was ready to throw in the proverbial towel after the first injection, but now I'm glad I gave it a chance. For anyone under 40, especially for those of us who had chemo, OS really does make a statistically significant difference. So hang in there, ladies!

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  • KathyL624
    KathyL624 Member Posts: 217
    edited August 2016

    I just had my second shot and doing ok as well. Is the plan for your ladies to switch to an AI or to stay on tamoxifen? My MO wants me to stick with tamoxifen but the studies show the AIs to be more effective.

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  • EstelaLorca
    EstelaLorca Member Posts: 98
    edited August 2016

    good luck awilson, I hope that it went well today.

    KateB79, out of curiousity, how long do you plan on doing the Zoladex shots? Is it a 5 year plan? And are you doing the 3/month shot?

    Kathyl624 my MO has recommended an oophorectomy + Al. But im starting with tamoxifen

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  • EstelaLorca
    EstelaLorca Member Posts: 98
    edited August 2016

    lovestofly - I was very freaked out as well, I gave myself some time to process it. Good luck

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  • KateB79
    KateB79 Member Posts: 747
    edited August 2016

    I'm doing the every month shot; I haven't been offered the 3-month shot. I'll be doing it for about five years, unless I decide to have an ooph (waiting on BRCA results).

    Re: tamoxifen vs. AI: yes, the SOFT study did report fewer recurrences in women under 40, pre-menopausal, who had prior chemotherapy and who were in the OS + AI arm of the study. That said, quality of life is *important*, and quality of life measures were much lower among the women in that arm, versus the OS + tamoxifen or tamoxifen alone arms.

    My MO is keeping me on tamoxifen for that reason, in addition to tamoxifen's cardioprotective and osteoprotective benefits. After a few years, we'll re-evaluate, but I trust her judgment (and I read the study, which suggests that the single most important variable in all of this is OS). She's "interested in what [I] decide" about my ovaries; it all hinges on BRCA and, maybe, on how long I can tolerate getting jabbed in the gut with a needle the size of a pencil once a month. :)

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