Anyone taking supplements during radiation treatment, calcium for example?

Hi Freya73 

I took quite a few supplements pre treatment which my oncologist found amusing. I was told to stop nearly all of them during treatment as they could interfere so i just stopped them all. Dont know if thats any help or not. X

Yes this does help. Thanks for replying. Did you take anything after treatment which helped you?

Ive just gone back to taking what i took before. Recently ive added creatine when i remember. The thing i think helped the most was weight lifting. Xx

Hello Freya73 

My oncologist told me exactly the same as Bungle1 was told, it is recognised that supplements help with cell renewal and that's not what is wanted during intensive cancer treatment.  However, I was on prescribed calcium already which they were happy for me to continue with.  And I am back on my full cocktail of supplements now!

Irene xx

Hi Freya

I would run anything like this by your oncologist or treating team before you start your treatment to be sure, as I understand it some vitamins and minerals can inhibit how the treatment works.

My basic understanding of it as a patient rather than a professional is that the Radiotherapy damages the Cancer cells and they are less able to recover than normal healthy cells, then the Capecitabine or 5-FU makes the cancer cells more sensitive to the radiotherapy and further diminishes their ability to repair themselves.

I think the idea is that certain vitamins and minerals may protect the cancer cells from the damage caused by the treatment, I’ve not seen any studies to support this but I’m sure your oncologist will be fully aware of the one’s that are thought to be able to do it.

Monty xx

Thank you Monty. That is very sound advice and I have asked my oncologist by email. Hopefully I will have a response soon and I will report back here. X

Hi Freya73 ,

I was on a few different supplements pre treatment too & I was advised to stop taking most of them until a while after my treatment was over. 

What I would advise is anything you’re taking at the moment run by your oncologist, I did this at my first appointment, I took my supplements with me & he had a look over them & gave me his advice. I think I was possibly around 6 months or over post treatment before I got back on my full regime. 

I hope this helps.

Nicola 

Thank you Nicola. That’s very helpful.