friend tamoxifen to armedix, Luperon

[Midwest Alice]

Hi, My friend just had a lumpectomp and is er/ep + her2-. They started her on tamoxifen and after a blood test said she was not metablizing the tamoxifen.

The onc Dr said she is not in menopause although her obgyn said she has been in menopause for 3 years.

The onc wants to give her luperon 7.5 mg injections once a month and armedix for one year.

Anybody had experience with this?

What about having her ovaries removed?
Is the luperon shot better ?

[Jackie07]

Sassy had the shots for four years before she got rid of her ovaries. http://her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=42054&highlight=lupron

If you do a search with 'lupron', you'll find more threads on the subject. But I think Sassy is the one to talk to since she's been on both sides.

[Lien]

I did arimidex with zoladex shots. That's what they offer here in the Netherlands, but it's similar to Lupron, I think. I did fine with that. Had shots once every 3 months, though. I thought I would be postmenopausal after 5 years at age 50, but alas, no. Hope your friend does okay with this treatment. I didn't like the shots much, but they are doable. Get a doctor who is experienced. Mine had to learn and the first few times were painful. After I told him to use some force and not try to do it gently, the pain was almost negligable.

Love

Jacqueline

[Midwest Alice]

Thinks Lein and Jackie for the responce.

She is at a lose as to know what to do. She is to start her treatment on Wed. She has been treated for depression with some rather powerful drugs and worries how all of this is going to mix.

Blessings, Alice

[Rich66]

Hmmm. SSRI mood regulators may interfere w/Tamoxifen. Good for her onc to know what she's taking.

[Chelee]

Alice, I would ask your friend if her onc checked her FSH, estradiol, and LH? That way she knows for sure she is either peri-meno, or meno. But it sounds like her onc might of already of done this since he is suggesting the Lupron and Arimidex.

I didn't have Lupron...but I did have Zoladex injections. They do the same thing. My onc kept saying I was in menopause and I knew better due to my age and the way I felt. So I had her regularly check my FSH and estradiol and I was very peri-meno! So I had Zoladex injections and Femara for a while. I didn't care for the Zoladex side affects. Especially the edema in my extremities & extreme tiredness. But as you know we have to deal with side affects with all these darned meds. The Lupron might be better?
For me personally I got tired of the Zoladex shots & sides that came with it. I finally decided to have an ooph and be done with it. The surgery is an easy one with a quick recovery...with very mild to almost no pain at all. But your friend just needs to figure out whats best for her? She could try that Lupron a few times while she does some home work and decides what she wants to do for the long run. So many decisions with this darned disease.

Chelee

[sassy]

Hey Alice,

I took Lupron shots for four years to keep me in meno so that I could take Arimidex. I was 45 at dx and no indication of meno prior to chemo. My onc had seen evidence in early studies that Lupron had some additional benefit in terms of return of disease, (see Dec. ASCO) We had hoped that at 2 years I would stay in meno, but I actually had to go from one higher dosage every three months to a shot every month to maintain.

My original onc felt that after four years I had gotten any additional benefit from Lupron and I could have an oophorectomy.

There are some side effects to the Lupron, many are much the same as Arimidex, so it is difficult to attribute each specifically. However since being off Lupron, my joint stiffness has decreased and edema in extremities has lessened. I believe I'm a little faster on the uptake mentally too!

If it were me, I would want to know my onc's rational for Lupron as opposed to oophorectomy. He too may be looking at the added benefits of Lupron.

Lupron was doable. Going in I thought I would possibly be on it for 5 years, so I was mentally prepared for that. She certainly has the option of starting with Lupron then going to ooph if she is dissatisfied. If you start with ooph, you can't go back!

PM me if you like and I'll be happy to share any other experiences.