3 questions for alternative/supplement user

Nguyen · 08-17-2019, 07:37 AM

I often thought about adding supplement/alternative medicine to my wife’s treatment. But always could not resolve satisfactorily answers to these three questions:

- Finding a trusted source to know what exactly are in the bottle and the amount. I would categorically avoid any food/drug make from China or India. Unfortunately many of our generic drugs are made from there.

- The possible interaction between supplements (herbs, etc) with the current conventional treatment regiments. After all these herbs/extract, etc are medicine, particularly in sufficient dosage.

- How to find out the dosage to use to make an impact.

Thanks for any thought.

Nguyen

Linda Treatment History:
05/10/2019 – current: Eribulin, Denosumab, Neulasta, Herceptin.
08/--/2019: additional radiation to both legs femurs
03/2019 – 04/2019: radiation to hip and neck, denosumab, no other treatment, waiting for clinical trial.
02/2019 – 03/2019: no treatment, wash out period
08/2018 – 02-2019: Xeloda and Herceptin, have to reduce Xeloda dose several times
03/2018: Tumor genetic profile by Foundation One: Her2+++, Er+++, PR-, numerous amplifications, mutations
04/2018 – 08-2018: restart T-Dm1
12/2017 – 04/2018: Pertuzumab + Herceptin
03/2017 – 12/2017: Herceptin + Fulvestrant (take a break from T-Dm1)
07/2014 – 03/2017: T-Dm1
02/2014 – 06/2014: Everolimus (5mg), Exemestane, Herceptin
08/2013 – 01/2014: Femara, Herceptin
12/2012 – 07/2013: 4mg estradiol, Herceptin
08/2012 - 12/2012: Fulvestrant 500mg, exemestane, Herceptin
05/2012 - 08/2012: Everolimus (10mg), Exemestane, Herceptin, Zometa
08/2011 - 05/2012: Herceptin, Tykerb, Femara, Zometa
08/2010 - 08/2011: Herceptin, Femara, Zometa
09-2009 - 08/2010: Herceptin and estradiol (6mg)
09/2008 - 09/2009: Herceptin, Fulvestrant, Femara
03/2008 - 09/2008: Herceptin, Exemestane, Oophorectomy
01/2005 - 03/2008: Herceptin (readded) and Femara
07/2004: It returned again via several small nodules in the lung
10/2002: NED (via CT and CA27.29)!
10/2001 - 01/2005: Femara, Fosamax
12/2000 - 10/2001: Herceptin and Navelbine
12/2000: lung metastatic was diagnosed (a few small nodules)
02/1998 - 12/2000: Daily Tamoxifen
05/1997 - 04/1998: Modified Radical Mastectomy, many cycles of chemo regiments (CAF, Taxol,
Carpoplatin, Thiotepa, Navelbine, Taxotere), high dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cells
rescue, and radiation