Hormone Therapy Description and Side Effects - What Cancer Survivors said about their hormone therapy treatment.

• 10/2009 to present. Not sure if I am more emotional...angry than I was off tamoxifen. Could just be coinciding with menopause!!! Fun!
• 1st occasion - Started tamoxifen, switched to ARIMIDEX. 2nd occasion - Currently on Aromasin. No side effect but I have gained about 4 lbs. - do not think it is because of Aromasin.
• 2001-2004 Tamoxifen 2004-2008 Femera
• After my complete hysterectomy in 2001 for severe endometriosis, I was taking Premarin. It really helped with the hot flashes (aka power surges) LOL. But I was later diagnosed with a blood clot condition, so I can no longer take Premarin or other hormone therapy. Thank goodness my power surges are few and far between!
• after my hysterectomy in 02 it was suggested I take HRT but because my cancer was estrogen related I refused to do that and used Estroven for the menopausal symptoms
• Aridmadex x 5 years
• Arimedex
• Arimedex - some joint pain in fingers. I will be on Arimedex for five years.
• Arimidex - 7/15/08 to present. No side effects
• Arimidex 1mg daily Started in May 2008 til present
• Arimidex for one year (I couldn't handle the side effects anymore, so I recently stopped taking it). Side effects included: night drenches, forgetfullness, hair loss, dry skin, vaginal atrophy, hot flashes, dizziness, and fatigue.
• Arimidex started 4 months after surgery, one month after radiation. Carpal tunnel flared up, hadn't had since pregnancy of youngest child. (Had surgery for it last week.) Joint pain,leg cramps in middle of night, real problem with short-term memory - had to write out my lessons the night before and hadn't had to do that before in 30+ years teaching math.
• Arimidex taken at night. Started treatment Aug. 07. Sleep deprived, night sweats, bones ache, sometimes tired, always hungry. UPDATE AUG/08. Side effects have lessened but just slightly.
• Arimidex, have not started yet, weighing about side effects versus percentage decrease in risk
• Arimidex-joint pain, hot flashes, mood swings
• armidex, no side effects as of yet, except it seems that my hair is thinning out some
• Armidex. Started Feb. 12, 2007 after I had hysterectomy on Feb. 5. Tumor was estrogen fed so I just decided to get rid of everything.
• Because I didn't have Chemo they won't give me Herceptin. Politics. It hasn't been approved by the FDA that way. Would love to meet other women who have bucked the system.
• Bio-identical HRT in the form of transdermal creams: includes Bi-estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone...started March 2007. No side effects to speak of so far! I highly recommend seeing a HRT specialist to look into bio-identical HRT. After reading "What your doctor may not tell you about menopause" I refuse to go on the "conventional" synthetic hormones most doctors prescribe.
• Can't do any kind of hormones, cause my hormones is what caused my cancer.
• casadex, lupron, back pain, 6 months in the beginning
• Comes later
• Currently on Cytomel 25 mcg 2x day
• Currently receivng no hormone therapy.
• did this inbetween radiation and chemo
• Didn't have
• estrogen patch then ring, 5/06 to present: no hot flashes. no libido.
• evista (raloxifene), 2/98 - 93; turbo-powered hot flashes. Tried Fosamax and prempro, could not tolerate. Switched to Boniva, then discontinued.
• Faslodex hormone shots - from Summer 08 until indefinitely
• Faslodex started 3/2010 so far so good; side effects minimal
• Femara. Because I had my ovaries removed.
• Fermara
• had no treatment
• Have tried both Levoxyl and Synthroid. Having trouble regulating. Went into hyperthyroid in Feb 2010.
• Haven't started yet. Need advice.
• herceptin 2009 every 3 weeks no side effects
• herceptin 11/05-08/04/06 no noted side effects
• Hormone therapy - made me gain 60 pounds in six months, constantly hungry and wasnt allowed a lot of salads and some fruits or sushi - all of my favorite foods that keeps me fit and trim. Had the pale moon face.
• hot flashes, memory loss, lack of energy, depersion
• I am taking Estratest and was told to go see a hormone specialist because one HRT does not fit all but Im afraid to much hormones would send me out of remission.
• I did Femara for a couple of months. It made my muscles very sore and it caused me to have to seek pelvic floor physical therapy. I also had to see a massage specialist.
• I don't know when/if this will start.
• i have not done any just yet because im scared, but i am going through heat flashes
• I just got my first shot of Lupron(God help me after what I've just read on other sites about the stuff), and just started tamoxifen/coumadin.
• I started taking tamoxifin last Oct. 2004 and I am on my way to my 4th yr. I'm taking tylenol pm so I could sleep and also I experience the shortness of breath once in a while.
• I took Arimidex am now on Femera, both I'm told can cause the pain side effects I have now.
• I took Tamoxifen in 1991 and am currently getting Faslodex once every six weeks since 2004.
• I was 37 when I went through these treatments, so after awhile I got hot flashes (which I still get) I dont like that I am losing estrogen at too young an age, it has slowed, what has been a fast metabolism all my life! I have been afraid to take any hormone therapy up to this point.
• I will have to take Tamoxifen for 5 yrs, once the chemo & radiation is done
• i will tell you
• I'll take my chances without it
• I'm on Arimidex. I have finally gotten through most of the aches and pains and figured out my vitamin cocktail to help combat that and this instant menopause.
• I'm on Exemestane. That's not one of the options in the box above. It makes me tired. Not if I'm driving or walking or doing someing. If I'm listening to a lecture or sitting in church, sometimes the tiredness hits. Doctors say it's one of the side effects.
• It remains to be seen.
• Just getting started.
• Just started arimidex for the last two weeks. So far I'm still tired but no other side effects.
• Just taking estrogen now for really bad menapause side effects. Doing much better now that I am taking the estrogen. I've now stopped the update because although no doctor will confirm this, I believe this is what is causing my cancer to keep coming back. Odd. I get the all clear, then when restarting estrogen, 10-12 weeks later I'm told the spot is back. So I am done with estrogen.
• Levothyroxine .137 mg daily plus additional half-tablet once a week. It took almost a year to get the correct dose.
• Levothyroxine... level to be altered once i finally get to see the endo after 6 months of waiting and a cancer diagnosis
• Looking in to it
• Menopause... thank you very much. Lots of hot flashes and night sweats. Mood swings-just want to be left alone alot.
• My tumor did not respond to hormones.
• N/A
• Next Wednesday August 27th 2008 I will be prescribed hormone replacement therapy which I will be on the rest of my life.
• nil
• no
• No hormonal therapy due to chemo induced menopause as per the "Zebra" study protocol
• No Hormone
• No hormone therapy.
• no treatment yet?
• No way; I think the pill caused this in the first place! >:(
• non yet
• None
• None
• None available.
• None prescribed
• None.
• Not until thru with chemo and Radiation
• Not yet but will start after radiation
• Now on Arimidex. Hives remain as well as feeling bone tired and unable to lose any of the weight I gained from the steroids during chemo.
• On Synthroid for 3 years never had any meds before this time.
• Pending
• Plan on taking Tamox. after radiation is done.
• refused it can cause cancer other areas
• Side effects: weight gain and hot flashes
• started after surgery 06 and continues side effects ...ask ur wife LOL
• started arimidex in Dec. 2007 could not toleerate the joint pain was switcehd to femara April 4 2008, having problems with it also trying to figure out a pain manage ment plan and how to quit being hungry...
• Started Synthroid 10/28
• Started Tamoxifen during radiation. Having hot flashes still!!
• Started Tamoxifen on 8/26/08, was taken off of it on 10/2/08. I had very few side effects, including minor muscle aches--which went away after a couple of weeks--and fatigue, but the emotional effects were getting serious. I cried all the time and could not focus my mind enough to even get through washing a sink-full of dishes. I was definitely sinking into depression. Doc took me off the med until 3 weeks after radiation ends, at which time I will ease back on slowly.
• Started Tamoxifen on November 25, 2007 and will need to continue for the next five years. Due to Tamoxifen, I have had problems with a growth, appearing in my utero, luckily benign, which I had a biospy back in June, 2008. Still kept under observation.
• STarted with tomoxophen and then a year or more ago transfered me to auromacin as its supposed to be more aggressive .....
• Tamoxifan 11/07 through 11/08 Arimidex 11/08 for next 10 years
• Tamoxifen
• Tamoxifen (1/2007-6/2007) - Intensified PMS; ineffective against lesions
• Tamoxifen - Hot flashes every 1/2 hour.
• Tamoxifen - July 1994 through July 1999 Hot flashes were the only side effect I remember. Arimidex - June 2006 through January 2007 No side effects that I noticed. I was taken off Arimidex because my oncologist was concerned with damage to my bones. I was diagnosed with low bone mass or osteopenia on 02/20/06
• Tamoxifen after completion of chemo/radiation--duration: 5 years. I am already in quasi-menopause due to rad hysterectomy but will get forced completely in with start of Tamoxifen.
• Tamoxifen for 18 months then switched to Arimidex for 18 months, I can't tolerate the joint pain, muscle pain and fatigue anymore so now I am back on Tamoxifen for another 24 months. Vaginal dryness, now on e-string. Started Femara as post adjuvant treatment 02/2010
• Tamoxifen for 5 years Lupron shots to shut down my ovaries Ovary removal in near future
• Tamoxifen, five years.,,
• Tamoxifen, on it almost 2 years.
• Tamoxifen- 2005-2008
• Tamoxifen--all the fun stuff; abdominal pain, heavy cylce, hot flashes, severe mood swings, leg pain...
• Tamoxifen. Started in August and then got off in October as I was experiencing heavy menses. I then had to have a endometrial biopsy and ultra sound. They both came back normal.
• Tamoxifen: July- Oct 2003 - hot flashes, extreme hair loss Evista - Oct 2003 - Dec 2005- no side effects but cancer returns ovariectomy - 2008 - hot flashes Femara - started two weeks ago - so far - depression and irritability - looking forward to other nasty side effects
• Tamoxifin - 1 tablet daily Started March 16, 2007 Itchy Eyes, Nausia at first, Headache
• Tamoxifin since end of radiation. Hot flashes, increased appetitie.
• Tamoxifin, then Arimidex for 18 months after the oopherectomy, then Faslodex after the Arimidex quit working. Still on the Faslodex currently.
• TBA
• That will come after the hysterectomy. But frankly I'm not worried for me, I'm worrying about my poor hubby, he's the one that has to deal with me! ;-)
• The hormone ablation takes away all the wonderful things that testosterone gives you: strength, vitality, potency, hair on your body, and worst of all desire.
• There will be a lot as I am triple positive... watch this space!
• Thyroid replacement therapy immediately post op
• to come
• Took tamoxifen for 14 months only... Then went out on my own. I tried Vitamins, SOY...
• Took tamoxifen for a very short time. Not good! Had hysterectomy in the next year. Why take estrogen therapy for something you don't produce? Doesn't make sense to me.
• Triple Negative can't do
• vagifem...veville dot.
• Was placed on one i dont remember the name of, but it caused my hair to actually fall out, a rare side effect. Changed to Tamoxifen....nausea, exhaustion and depression
• will be on thyroid meds rest of life
• Will have to have five years hormone treatment once chemo is complete
• Will start after chemo is completed
• will start some time this summer
• Will start Tamoxifen after Radiation for the full 5year duration.
• Will start that sometime soon.
• Zoladex for 6 months while having ABVD. This drugs shuts down your ovaries and hopefully protects them from the chemo. This was the same as being in menopause so was not fun - hot flushes were horrible, decreased sex drive. Zoladex is not strong enough to protect the ovaries from high dose chemo and stem cell transplant so I have stopped this medication and am now on the regualar contraceptive pill. High dose chemo will likely make me infertile and possibly cause early menopause.