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DCIS do I really need an AI?

Breast Cancer | Last Active: May 4 3:53pm | Replies (67)
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@sue417

Hi
I am interested to know how many women on here decided not to take hormone blockers for various reasons. I am postmenopausal dcis I am on the fence as to what I'm going to do I tried tamoxifen that was a nightmare so now I'm waiting to see my doctor in May. I was only on 5mg day 2 the headache and brain fog took off and the fatigue. Headache would not subside no matter what I took. Day 3 off it finally headache relief.

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Replies to "Hi I am interested to know how many women on here decided not to take hormone..."
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 23 11:58am

@sue417, I moved your question to this existing discussion where @marylynr asked a very similar question.
- DCIS do I really need an AI? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/dcis-do-i-really-need-an-ai/

Choosing hormone therapy is often discussed on Connect. You may also be interested in these related discussions:
- SERMs and AIs - Choosing not to take them
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/serms-and-ais-choosing-not-to-take-them/
- Aromatase Inhibitors: Did you decide to go on them or not?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/arimidex/
I'm sorry to hear that you are having such debilitating side effects even while taking a reduced dose of 5 mg. While you will receive multiple viewpoints from member that can be helpful, the ultimate decision is best made after having an informed discussion with your oncologist. I would ask questions specific to you like:
- For me, what are the benefits of taking a SERM or aromatase inhibitor (AI)?
- What are the risks if I choose not to continue?
- My side effects, such as _____, _____, and ____ are seriously affecting my quality of life. Would they be different or less if I switched to a different AI medication?
- What else should I know?

Each medication has a different set of side effects. Some may be more tolerable for you than other side effects. Make sure the oncologist knows what is important to you and how the side effect prevents you for doing the things you love. This will help them understand your preferences and present options that suit you.

Good luck at your upcoming appointment.

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