When you have hormone positive breast cancer, how to manage menopause?

Sorry for late reply dr putting me on hrt, tablets and gel,

HiWhen your hormone positive for breast cancer and you cannot take HRT what can you take fir menopause symptoms. Since I have been off my HRT last October I feel nauseated and feel very unwell everyday. I had very bad menopause and when I went on HRT I felt great.

Are you taking an aromatase inhibitor?

Hi
No I am not taking that . I have osteopenia with a fracture in my spine

I took letrozole with pretty severe osteoporosis and 4 fractures. But I asked because "menopause" symptoms are so much more intense on an aromatase inhibitor and you could try switching to tamoxifen. But my comment would be irrelevant since you don't take a hormonal med.

I hope you can find a naturopath, integrative medicine or alternative gyn. doctor who can help with this. In my experience menopause symptoms eased up over time, ditto with the initial symptoms from a med.

Hi
I tried tamoxifen for 6 days almost blacked out driving. Headache was so intense everyday it got worse. Plus i had alot of other symptoms. My radiologist oncologist in London where I had my radiation and I had a consult and he agreed that it wasn't worth the risk for me to take any of those medications. He put my pathology into a program and compared it with a Swedish trial with these drugs and out of 100 women it only helped 2, sorry those aren't enough odds for me to feel like crap everyday.

I was on a Anastrozole for six months. Had to finally get off of it due to terrible joint pain in my hands. Triggered thumb and every day It was something different and not pleasant at all. I was on hormone replacement therapy for 20 years and my cancer was 96% estrogen. so I went through Every menopause side effect there was. But they subsided after a few months I ended up with maybe one or two hot flashes a day now they’re totally gone. I’m waiting to meet with my oncologist to see what other steps I can take other than the anastrozole. Hugs

Hi
I would be interested to hear what He suggests. I don't understand why they can't come up with a different medication that does not totally destroy your quality of life and there's no guarantee with these medications that your cancer won't come up somewhere else which is what my oncologist told me. Depending on what your diagnosis was not very uplifting news that's for sure

I had Invasive ductile carcinoma, .6 cm tumor stage one. I’ve reached out to the cancer Society to ask about trials for the circumstances, and they responded by saying that these drugs help more people who have less side effects than those of us who have the terrible side effects, so they really aren’t doing any clinical trials. We just have to make Decisions based on our own situation, frame of mine, family input and prayers. I may try another drug for a while to see if that helps.. Hugs.

I tried different aromatase inhibitors and different manufacturers. I finally stayed with brand name Femara (letrozole) thought after 4 1/2 years I did find a generic I could tolerate- too late! I did feel safer with the brand name anyway.

After 5 years we can do the Breast Cancer Index test which shows whether there is any benefit to extended meds and tells us risk. I was high risk but no benefit to extended meds so I could feel okay about stopping. I originally thought I would do 7-10 years.

For those suffering horrible side effects, doing as much as you can tolerate after trying different ones and different manufacturers/brand name, makes a lot of sense. There may be modalities that help (my PT does massage) or supplements so it might be worth seeing a holistic provider but I understand that for some, nothing makes these drugs worthwhile.

I have been on bone meds for almost three years and those have been harder to tolerate, much harder, than letrozole. Our bodies are all so different. I do think some side effects with AI's may ease up after the first 6 months- at least in my experience.