Connect
← Return to Aromatase Inhibitors: Did you decide to go on them or not?
Discussion
Aromatase Inhibitors: Did you decide to go on them or not?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: May 12, 2023 | Replies (1190)Comment receiving replies
I refuse to take AI's because I've had osteoporosis since 2007. My mom is now crippled from osteoporosis and took tamoxifen for 5 years after her breast cancer surgery. I also have had severe hot flashes when menopause started in 2014 and have started having them again since stopping HRT since my surgery last year. When the doctor mentioned putting me on an antidepressant to counteract the hot flashes caused by AI, I told her forget it. I already take 3 antidepressants and am not about to increase that. I refuse to take added medications just to counteract side effects of other medications. It's all about quality of life. Don't let anybody, including doctors, pressure you into taking something you know is not good for you and your body!
Replies to "I refuse to take AI's because I've had osteoporosis since 2007. My mom is now crippled..."
Connect
I don't know if you are still having hot flashes, but I found Relizen to be helpful (my doctor recommended it). I still get hot flashes a few times a day, but they are not bad at all (they were really, really bad after I stopped HRT and started AI). Of course that could be attributed to the season and maybe they will get bad again in the summer. The product is made by Bonafide and it's kind of expensive, but I know you can find generics with the active ingredient of "swedish flower pollen" for a fraction of the price. And I completely understand about the antidepressants. I have been fortunate to not need them in my life, and I certainly don't want to start now. When my son was a baby I am pretty sure at least half of the moms in our mommy and me class were taking SSRIs.