[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.