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@lynelyn

Verzenio for Estrogen Positive (HER-) Stage 3 Breast Cancer
Hi, does anyone have experience regarding being on Verzenio for Stage III Breast Cancer to reduce recurrence risk? I’m starting next week and am concerned about side effect management. Thanks!

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Replies to "Verzenio for Estrogen Positive (HER-) Stage 3 Breast Cancer Hi, does anyone have experience regarding being..."

I believe side effects management should be a conversation before you take your first treatment. Everyone has some side effects from chemo, ranging from very mild to very awful.
Asking your doctor or oncology nurse about what you should do if you have problems and who do you call if you need help is a good opener for that conversation. Sometimes it is helpful to have a list of questions, so that after the doctor tells you the plan, you can check and make sure all of your questions are answered.
Sometimes fighting cancer requires us to take strong drugs and we need to know that we can rely on our doctors if we have a problem.
Are you comfortable having this conversation with your doctor?

@lynelyn I agree with @auntieoakley however I'm wondering if you might have had a conversation with your oncologist or oncology nurse already. Here is information about this new treatment that appears very promising.
https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/verzenio-approved-to-treat-early-hr-pos-bc-with-high-risk-of-recurrence
Are you wondering what side effects anyone here has had? Could you clarify so we can be most helpful to you?

I'm on Verzenio for the past 6 months (for MBC). I had diarrhea/urgent need to go at the beginning but it went away after 6 weeks or so. I guess the body adapts. I try to take it 1 hr before any meals and slowly drink a glass of cold water when taking it, pretty much sip by sip. I think it helped to take it well before any meals and other meds -if any. Just writing to let you know that even if you experience some side effects at the beginning , at least in my case, they went away.

I was on Verzenio for 18 mos along with Arimidex for my first drugs when I was identified as being MBC. I did not do any chemo or radiation after my double mastectomy but instead did those meds. I had diarrhea/urgent need to go for about 1 week and then very infrequently over the remaining months. I pivoted to a much healthier diet with more fruits and veggies, blander food and protein shakes. You will be given Imodium to counteract the diarrhea but i didn't like the swing between the 2 meds. I will tell you also that my hair thinned out and my nails became more brittle - could be either of my 2 meds or both together. I started taking Hair, Skin and Nail gummies which is a lot of biotin, and I believed that helped...even through my later chemo. My docs were very pleased that i had a great 18 mos and I agreed. I went about my normal busy routine. While my docs and I hopeful were hopeful that i would be on it longer, my MBC is weird because it was initially in my skin which is our largest organ. The Verzenip completely took care of it there and it did not come back there when my MBC went to other areas. But the good news is there are other great drugs we pivoted to after a bit of a bumpy road and now I am back in remission again. They told me to think of my cancer as a chronic condition. Three years later I am still busy and I keep moving. Good luck!!