What if i cant take tamoxifen

In the early s, the aromatase inhibitors:. Still, like most cancer medicines, both tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors can cause side effects. Tamoxifen may cause hot flashes and increase the risk of blood clots and stroke. Aromatase inhibitors may cause muscle and joint aches and pains. Less common but more severe side effects of aromatase inhibitors are heart problems, osteoporosis, and broken bones.

This is the first study to look at hormonal therapy adherence in younger women. This study included 1, premenopausal women who had been diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer and who were part of the CANTO cohort, a French study looking at the long-term effects of breast cancer treatment. This is the first study to measure adherence this way.

Hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer can come back, and hormonal therapy after surgery reduces that risk -- you must remember that. Side effects caused by hormonal therapy can be very troublesome for many women. With a high risk of unwanted side effects, many women are opting out of taking the recommended anti-hormonal therapies recommended by their oncologists. Instead of taking oral medications, these women are choosing to manage their own health through preventative measures such as weight loss, diet, and exercise.

Along with these choices, some women choose to add natural supplements to their health care regimen. These decisions are made carefully and are often weighed with the help of family members. Some women make their decision to stop taking medication after trying one drug for a period of time and then possibly switching to another only to find the same debilitating side effects occur.

The decision to have a better quality of life becomes paramount. I was one such person. In my particular case, I was post-menopausal when diagnosed with stage 2B invasive ductal carcinoma. I also had lymph node involvement. After surgery, I met with my oncologist to go over the recommended treatment plan. My plan included chemotherapy, radiation and medication.

I talked with my oncologist and asked to be given time to weigh the pros and cons of each treatment option. I did not make the decision lightly. I weighed several factors such as my family medical history, my oncotype DX and fluorescence in situ hybridization FISH scores, my stage and grade of breast cancer along with the number of lymph nodes involved.

I did agree to radiation treatments and went through 28 rounds of radiation. After several weeks, I began noticing some unwanted side effects. The most prevalent side effect was severe bone and join pain. At that time, I was 56 years old, but felt more like I was in my mid 80s. With the bone pain came horrific mood swings and depression.

I found myself crying all the time, which was very abnormal for me. My sleep was disrupted to the point I need to take sleeping pills. I began to experience hot flashes that were more intense than when I was going through menopause.

He explained there were many other aromatase inhibitors and we could try another. Feeling like this was an important part of my health care, I agreed to try another drug. I was placed on aromasin. Once again, I tried the medication for several weeks with the same type of side effects. Tamoxifen is an effective and most appropriate agent for some women with breast cancer.

But other forms of breast cancer treatment exist and can be more appropriate than tamoxifen for some women as well. After two surgeries, 12 weeks of chemotherapy, and one year of infusions every three weeks, Salamone wanted it to end. Salamone, a personal trainer specializing in breast cancer recovery, says her oncologist brought it up at every appointment. I was moved from hormone replacement to hormone blocking, so the first couple of months were dreadful.

Her oncologist has talked to her about switching from tamoxifen to an aromatase inhibitor in a couple of years. More women are surviving breast cancer, but more than 40, will still die from the disease this year.

Researchers say six months of Herceptin treatment for early stage breast cancer may be as effective as taking the drug for an entire year. My breast cancer diagnosis taught me to protect my energy so I can enjoy time doing what's really important — without the added stress. Papillary breast cancer is a rare and slow-growing type of breast cancer.

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Hormone therapy for breast cancer works to stop or slow the production of hormones that fuel tumors. Read more on the pros and cons of this treatment. Learn what being at a high risk for breast cancer means, what factors put you at high risk, and the recommendations for early cancer detection in high-.