Zoladex and exemestane experiences

Hi DebL21. I hope that you are keeping well? I came on to start a thread exactly on this subject and you had beaten me to it!!! So spooky! 

I have had two Zoladex implants and am on to my second box of Exemestane. I felt ok apart from a few hot flushes and thought that everything was going so well as I reacted pretty much to every chemo session I had!!  You may not be the same as me so please don’t worry! Everybody reacts differently. 
In the last few days my hot flushes have become more frequent and intense. I woke with a bad headache this morning and have only just shaken it now. I was sick this morning too. It could be something else that has caused this but I know that they are all listed as common side effects. I have felt dizzy with aches and pains in my joints too and completely lacking in energy. I am going to speak to my GP on Tuesday if I am still like this after the bank holiday. 
As I said, everyone is different so please see how you get on as you could feel absolutely fine or only have one or two symptoms that you find manageable. 
I am a wimp!!!

I said on another chat thread that I use Emla cream before I have my Zoladex implant as this numbs the skin area so you don’t feel it as much. I watched a great video on YouTube on how to apply it which really helped from a lady who goes by ‘cancerwithasmile’  

I saw positive info on the “Hormone Blocker” thread where they pointed out that they help to keep the cancer at bay and the side effects can even out after taking them for about 6 months so I am going to stick with them and see if things improve .

I too would love to hear what other’s experiences are like on this med cocktail combo!

Warm “hut flush” hugs,

Bekky

xxx

Hi

i had been on letrazol but got changed to exemestane due to severe joint pain which the BCN didn’t think was normal etc. I am taking the tablets at night to try and avoid any side effects.

I have recently started taking a new target cancer drug called NERATANIB which took a good bit of getting used to and having to reduce the dose but seems to be on track now :-). Still very very tired however :-(

elspeth

Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m sorry that you are so tired too. I hope the drugs are not affecting you too much. I haven’t heard of the Neratanib. Sorry for my ignorance. Is it a form of hormone treatment?

i sympathise with you. Xxx

I'm the same age as you and also on this treatment. I have ER+/PR+ BC (had!). I started the zoladex injections with my 2nd round of chemo in October so have been on them for 6 months. I started exemestane about 6 or 7 weeks ago.

I felt nothing with the zoladex until about 3 weeks after the injection, when I started pretty intense hot flushes and night sweats. However, that was also my 2nd round of chemo and what I found was that hot flushes / night sweats were much worse after chemo and got gradually less intense as I went through the cycle.

I didn't really notice any other side effects over and above the flushes, and with me starting zoladex during chemo, then it could have all been chemo rather than zoladex! However, having a sudden menopause is bound to cause some side effects, whether that was chemo or zoladex doing it.

Since finishing chemo, the hot flushes and sweats have significantly improved and are manageable now. I do a few things to help (I take sage - which you cannot do on chemo - and I have a chillax pillow which helps).

I haven't really noticed any mental issues of menopause, but I am a pretty positive person anyway. 

The exemestane has not made the hot flushes/night sweats worse but they have caused joint and muscle pain. This eases off very quickly when you move about so is very manageable. My feet are sore when I get up after sitting for too long, and my hips can stiffen up overnight. I started taking hemp oil in the evening which has really helped overnight.

Exercise is definitely a big fixer of most things menopause so keep active. 

In terms of 'other areas of your body', chemo made me feel pretty awful 'down there' and I don't think I've recovered even now. I don't know whether that is zoladex or chemo, but chemo definitely influenced things at the time. 

I figure that I was going to go through the menopause within the next 5 years or so anyway, and at least this way I know what it is and I don't have years of up and down hormones.

I run and do a lot of other strength training with my hobbies, so I'm not worried about my bones.

I was really worried about hormone therapy. The hot flushes and night sweats are a pain but have reduced so much in intensity and frequency since they started that they are really manageable now. I've just finished radiotherapy and noticed they have got a bit worse. Whenever my body is challenged by something - including stress - they are a bit worse.

I'm fairly hopeful everything will continue to calm down. My onc said most of the AIs calm down in 6 months and are fine after that.

Thank you for taking the time to reply ...

I'm still very much in the early days, I too have noticed an ache in my hips in the morning.  I am having more migraines but that might be the stress of everything and not related to the medication!  I suffer from migraines anyway.

I also feel nauseous in the evening, I don't know if anyone else has experienced this.

I start radiotherapy later this month, so it will be interesting if this has any bearing on the side effects.

Love to all

I was a huge migraine and daily chronic headache sufferer for years and years until a had a 4 day migraine and thought enough was enough. I've done loads to try and stop them and have to say, I barely get a headache these days and haven't had a migraine for years. I was really surprised that all the toxic treatment didn't even give me headaches!.

As a fellow sufferer, I know how debilitating they are, so you might want to try some of these things to see if they help: 

I stopped all painkillers, I was taking paracetamol and ibuprofen every day and I think I was getting headaches from the painkillers (that is a thing!). You have to go through a couple of weeks of more severe headaches, but worth it. I can take them now and they actually have an effect because I don't have them often.

I also stopped drinking caffeine, I take a magnesium supplement every day, I take 5HTP (both those are also good for menopause!), and I go to bed and get up at the same time every single day. Not to the minute but certainly to the half hour. I gave up milk, but  can tolerate cheese and yoghurt. 

I'm not a doctor of course, but those things have got rid of mine!

Good luck with radiotherapy, I found it no problem. Are you having the reduced days? Mine was 5 days whole breast, 5 days booster.

Hi

Thanks for the migraine tips!!  I also think having a 'lie in' makes it worse so try to get up around the same time, although I am having trouble sleeping atm.

My radiotherapy is 3 weeks to the whole breast and 1 week booster.