Real members of MyBCTeam have posted questions and answers that support our community guidelines, and should not be taken as medical advice. Looking for the latest medically reviewed content by doctors and experts? Visit our resource section.

Change Of Hormone Therapy

A MyBCTeam Member asked a question 💭
Mission Viejo, CA

I just spoke with my oncologist today and he said he wanted me to try Fareston-which is is similar to Tamoxifen. It is supposed to have less side effects then Tamoxifen which I was on fro about 6 months and just felt bloated and crappy. I wanted to try something else...I have tried the post menapasual meds but the last one gave me bad stomach cramps and diarrhea for about 2 weeks. So now on to this one--just wondering if anyone has taken Fareston and how are you tolerating it
Thanks pink… read more

December 3, 2018
View reactions
A MyBCTeam Member

Great discussion here on this post!
@A MyBCTeam Member I am sorry you are going through such crummy side effects — and that the deciding-what-to-do is also crummy.

Ah, Guinea-Pigs —-and yet, as already stated, we do need to remember each of our circumstances are unique and ultimately we do have the choice to stop meds for our hormone+ BC.

I have been on Letrozole for 3.5 years. I have joint aches, but not necessarily pain. Initially, I had some sleep issues after starting it. I recall at one of the early follow ups , after mentioning these things to my ONC , she asked if I wanted to try another med. I said no, that I would continue with what I was taking. Again , fortunately, my side effects aren’t all that limiting, and for that, I am grateful.

Our day to day well being matters! If our meds disrupt that, we do have the option to stop them. It’s all a personal choice- and a personal balance.

Yes! These meds have evolved over time and are a definite exciting medical gift. But the perfect gift for one of us, may not be the right gift for another.

Hugs to all!

December 4, 2018
A MyBCTeam Member

@A MyBCTeam Member, In more cynical terms, yes, we are guinnea pigs. This is frontier leading-edge stuff we are dealing in. Here is an interesting National Institutes of Health article I stumbled on only last night. In it, it explains how the history of hope for successful third phase treatment for those of us with hormone sensitive cancers had been ongoing for 100 years. It was rough and desperate back then compared to today; today, we are moving by degrees on that frontier. And oftentimes those degrees are shifted by compiling patient data on side effects, risk of non-compliance and long-term efficacy. Fareston, which @A MyBCTeam Member mentions (happy bday, Stef!) is not even a part of the article, which is less than a decade old, and, at the time of the article, letrozole and anastrozole were brand-spanking new:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC30... (Phone number can only be seen by the question and answer creators)

I *think* I remember your making a comment somewhere (by the way, you’ve been a MOST welcome addition to the group 👍🙃) speaking to the fact that there are some very young women here, and that it does not go past you that their considerations for an outlook that may include decades and decades relative to the post-cancer life hornet’s nest is somewhat sobering- a facet that perhaps those dx’ed later in life may not have to chew on quite so heartily. That point was brought home to me with my son’s dx, realizing that he would have possibly (hopefully) eighty years to not only reap the benefit of his cancer treatment, but to beware of fallout from the very thing that saved him.
I’ve come down to an odd conclusion: that we can (and probably should, if we know what’s good for us) move along in the Wild Wild West of frontier medicine in a collective way, but we also need to stay true to our individual circumstances, and that may indeed be defined by how many decades one is hoping to grab back from cancer.

((Big Hug))

December 4, 2018 (edited)
A MyBCTeam Member

Karen, that is a beautiful observation and thank you for your kindness. You are so right, one's age and beliefs are extremely prominent when making difficult decisions such as these and are due respect. It's amazing how our minds work. For over 40 yrs. my husband and I have vowed, "If the Big C ever hits us, we'll just live out the rest of our lives as best we can and leave all that harsh treatment to those who want it."

Well, since then, he has had a cancerous tumor on his bladder (1994) Had it removed surgically and that was the end of that, so far. No treatment whatsoever. And now, I'm dealing with the leftover lung cancer (tumor diminished drastically with 10 Proton treatments) and breast cancer and what am I planning? Yep, I'm joining the Wild Wild West of frontier medicine and plan to "Git 'er done." the best I can. Thanks so much for your valuable imput.

December 4, 2018
A MyBCTeam Member

@A MyBCTeam Member,lolol! Yes,so naïve (and sometimes cavalier- I said ((with judgement, I’ll add)) that I’d NEVAH get implants unless I got cancer or somethin’...welp! 🤦🏼‍♀️) to assume how we’d react. Good reminder: it makes me hold back my open palm when a normie says something foolish about what they would do differently in my shoes😉.

Blessings to you, your hubs, and all our fellow sisters- and brothers-in-arms, young and old, big and small. 💕

((Another hug))

December 4, 2018
A MyBCTeam Member

Hi, Stef. I'm so sorry you're going through such unpleasant side effects. I will be facing hormone therapy, probably at the beginning of the new year, and I am getting really confused about all the "switching" of medications. I'm learning that some meds cause such yucky side effects and because of that, the doctor's are quick to say "Try this one instead." I'm not one for asking for suffering, but if they know that one med. is best for our condition (the first one they put us on), then, I would think it would be a matter of ... "This is what's best for your condition. You have to endure it." I believe that I'd rather hear that than "Okay, try this ... try that, etc." All this switching meds makes me think that we're just being used as guinea pigs. I need some help here to straighten out my thinking. ;-))

December 4, 2018

Related content

View All

I Have A 2% Higher Rate Of Return Cancer With Hormone Therapy After Radiation And Very Reluctant To Do So ,will It Change Me

A MyBCTeam Member asked a question 💭
Anderson, CA

Good News! Hormone-modulating Therapy For Breast Cancer And Lower Risk Of Alzheimer's🌟

A MyBCTeam Member asked a question 💭
Coquitlam, BC

What Hormone Therapy Is Right For My Stage 1 Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer

A MyBCTeam Member asked a question 💭