Hi Stevie55

Welcome to Cancer Chat.

Sorry that you feel your hormone treatment is giving you bad side effects.

We have some information on this subject here.

Please contact our nurse helpine if you would like to talk to someone about this. You can call: 0808 800 4040 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Best wishes

Jane

Hi Stevie

I started my hormone therapy (Zoladex) about 3 months ago like yourself. Initially I didn't seem to have any side effects but over the past few weeks just about all of the possible side effects have emerged. I'm getting hot flushes (especially at night), some emotional ups and downs, loss of libido and some loss of memory.

Like Brian (below) I am rationalising this as the necessary price to pay for dealing with the cancer but the knowledge that I am due to get this treatment for the next 3 years does get me down sometimes. 

I have asked the local specialist nurses about what might counter the flushes but have been told that our consultant is not very keen on prescribing mediacations for this and anyway none guarantee success. I am hoping that, as some of the advice material suggests, this symptom might diminsh after a while.

The emotional thing came out of nowhere. I seemed to be coping ok then one night (at a family get-together) I found I couldn't open my mouth without crying. Not like me at all and particularly worrying because it came on so suddenly and without warning. I gradually recovered over the next 24 hours and haven't had a similar episode since but keep wondering if and when the next episode might happen. 

The loss of libido is actually the most shocking symptom, especially since my wife and I are not long married and to have this side of our relationship virtually snuffed out was not what either of us signed up for !!

Anyway as I said earlier I keep telling myself that all of this is better than the alternative of not getting treatment for a cancer which could kill me. My wife, family and friends are all very supportive and I particularly find our local monthly support group very helpful (lots of laughter and reassurance) but as you seem to be suggesting, sometimes there are very tough days.

Goodd luck and best wishes

DaveM

Hi 

   Thanks for your post. I'm currently taking the following drugs. Tamoxifen and Bicalutamide and as I

mention earlier, have been doing so for the past 4 months now. Tomorrow I return to my local cancer

center, for my 1st offical review. Really seeking out some advice/support on how I tackle the problem of lack of proper sleep and my health in general . Here's hoping thay can provide a solution to my problems.
Now as I had the op some 7 years a go, to have my prostrate removed, it came as a shock earlier this year to hear that the cancer, had in fact returned. I was informed that it was due to microscopic cells, still present around the wound area,that had started to grow again.  That said I was told just before I  finish my radio treatment,that my psa has now dropped to zero again.  On the positive side I really shouldn't complain,I'm still here and thankful that my cancer had been detected at an early stage.   Sadly we lost our 19 year old daughter Jill to cancer, 6 years ago next month and that is something I wish on no family whatsoever. To say the least,our world fell apart,and we as a family were only slowing coming to terms with that loss,when I was told my cancer had returned. To have the support of family and friends is veryimportant,as to anyone who has had a loss through bereavement will vouch for.
 I hope your treatment continues to be postive,and again with the continued support from your family and friends you will be enabled to strived to whatever goals you wish to acheve.  
Regards

Hi Davem,

Further to your post and the part about loss of libedo, I wrote a post on here sometime ago titled A TABOO SUBJECT FOR MEN. I was never asked during any part of my treatment if the hormone therapy had caused me problems with loss of libedo.  It is only since being diagnosed with diabetes that the question has been asked. I know I was about 65/66 years old so they may have thought that at my age it wouldnt be a problem anyway but I still feel they should have asked. If this is causing you dificulties, there are tablets like viagra and vacume pumps available for us men. But I think you might have to ask for these as I dont feel they give enough information out on this embarssing problem,

I also wrote another post, My early experiance of hormone therapy if you need a laugh. Wishing you all the best, Brian.

Hi, Stevie, I have been taking the hormone Letrozole - I think its a bit like Tamoxifen.  I realise, obviously, my cancer is not like yours but I wanted to say I have been taking mine for just over 6 months and at ffirst I suffered very bad sleep disturbance, was sleeping on and off for about 4 or. 5 hours a night, terrible hot flushes and mood swings.  They seem to be almost gone now though, thank God.  I have talked to others who have said the same thing so I hope you get back to normal again soon.  (Whatever normal is).

I was so sorry to hear about your daughter, that was a devastating thing to happen to your family.  Sending you my very best wishes.

Hello everyone,

If you want to find Brian's posts in just one click, I thought I would link you to them! So you can read A Taboo Subject for Men here and My Early Experience of Hormone Therapy here. 

Enjoy ;)

Lucie

Hi Pauline 
   Thank you for the info. Saw my consultant yesterday, and explain my situation. he has advised 

me to stop taking the treatment. As this was a clincal trial,the tablets were only a supplement to 

my radiotherapy.  We discussed about the various problems i was having and it was determined

that what i was describing , was affecting about 1 in 20 of his patinets. Hence then he had no

hesitation,in telling me to stop. It was a great relielf to me and I am looking forward to getting 

back to more like my old self, if thats possibile . Tells me it will take a couple of weeks for the

drugs to wear off.  From there  i should start to feel better and be able to do some light exercises

to allow me to get my energy levels back up.  Sadly for us we now have to cope with the impending date of our daughter's passing. This will no doubt reflect on my abilty too rejuvenate myself.

But we have to accept the fact that she is gone from us but never from our daily thoughts.

She would have been 26 this xmas, had she been spare of this destroyer of life. We as a family get together on her birthday and celebrate the time we had her as a daughter ,sister and Aunt to our youngest grand daughter. She was loved and cherise by everyone of us as well as her friends too . Sometimes the pain is too much to bear , but we realizse that she would have wanted us to 

carry with our lives , but it is still a hard call.
    Again like Flora I wish you the strength to carry on and to remain positive as well

Regards Stevie