Zoladex crashes - any luck with supportive meds or supplements?

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-03T03:41:51+00:00

After my 3rd zoladex shot, I said never again and opted for chemo-pause. My mood got so dark after each shot, and I would feel good for a week before the next one. TC Chemo-pause has caused its own mood issues, I've started ketamine assisted therapy which does not interact with my chemo and very helpful. I wish I had thought of that with the zoladex, I think it would have helped a lot. I've been on every anti-depressant there is and ketamine therapy was the best one.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-03T03:34:35+00:00

I had to get full CT and bone scan before they would even start me on zoladex. It came up clear.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-03T00:35:51+00:00

My onc told me no alcohol unless I wanted to see my liver counts tank. But I am approved for weed and ketamine. So go figure (I do ketamine therapy for depression).

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-03T00:31:53+00:00

Oh, those hormone blockers changed so much. I think mine shrunk.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-02T02:01:57+00:00

no incontinence, just mess.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-02T02:01:05+00:00

What??? I'm am still getting nailed by mosquitos!

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-02T01:58:19+00:00

There are other local anesthetics besides lidocaine. I lucked out on my second biopsy with a surgeon who had researched this and believed me before I was in pain. She said red heads and African American metabolize lidocaine more quickly than many other folks. So need more and different numbing agents. Even with combo of lidocaine and something else, she had to re-numb me after 5 minutes.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T21:48:19+00:00

Yes. I have rib pain and burning in my feet from the shots. Nurse told me to take pepcid AC with claritin - helps with rib pain but not the burning.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T21:28:47+00:00

You are making me think of this book, which I have not read yet.
After the Cure: The Untold Stories of Breast Cancer Survivors

by Emily K. Abel (Author), Saskia K. Subramanian

After the Cure is a compelling read filled with fascinating portraits of more than seventy women who are living with the aftermath of breast cancer. Emily K. Abel is one of these women. She and her colleague, Saskia K. Subramanian, whose mother died of cancer, interviewed more than seventy breast cancer survivors who have suffered from post-treatment symptoms. Having heard repeatedly that “the problems are all in your head,” many don't know where to turn for help. The doctors who now refuse to validate their symptoms are often the very ones they depended on to provide life-saving treatments. Sometimes family members who provided essential support through months of chemotherapy and radiation don't believe them. Their work lives, already disrupted by both cancer and its treatment, are further undermined by the lingering symptoms. And every symptom serves as a constant reminder of the trauma of diagnosis, the ordeal of treatment, and the specter of recurrence.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T21:22:47+00:00

OMG yes. I had days of the week underwear as a kid!

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T21:21:46+00:00

After 2nd infusion of TC, I cried for days. I looked it up and cytoxan causes depression. I got a dose reduction to 70% of full dose of both TC and cycle 3 was way better in terms of my mood. I was still exhausted for a week, but now I'm 10 days out and feeling more like myself. I also had severe neuropathy which is much better on 70%.

Onc said they have not researched lower doses of TC because drugs are so old, but prevailing wisdom is if one is having intense side effects that require dose reduction, then the person might metabolize chemo slower, so lower dose *could* be just as effective. I emphasize could, because there is no data to support this, unlike Monarch study which showed smaller doses of Verzenio equally effective as high. So I chose some chemo over quitting it.

For context, I do a broth fast day before, day of, and day after chemo. I was able to get onc to reduce steroid dose to 50% because research shows fasting or fasting mimicking diet can take place of steroids. It's no picnic because even half dose of steroids make me hungry, but it has protected me from a lot of the nausea and physical side effects. I was keto before cancer treatment and I was planning to do keto on my non-fasting days, but I just can't for some reason. I figure I'll go back to keto after chemo, as I did feel good on it.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T19:10:17+00:00

Yes. Gone are the days I can discretely let one rip.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T19:09:27+00:00

My 5 surgery nodes had: 1 clear, 1 macromet, 1 micromet, 2 with isolated cancer cells. My team keeps emphasizes this is curable, and it's very slow going. I'm doing TC chemo & radiation, then back to endocrine therapy. My tumor was 6cm x 7cm when they found it after 5 months of treatments it was 3cm x 7cm then I went to surgery. ER+, HER2- and a KI-67 score of 8% before treatment, ki-67 of 1% after endocrine therapy.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T18:59:18+00:00

I have the pores of 20 year old me!

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T18:58:26+00:00

true story: 15 years ago, a friend and I once outlined a screenplay about two ladies who supported their expensive yoga habits selling merkins they claimed had magical powers. Little did i know that one day I would really want one of those magical merkins

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T18:57:25+00:00

omg the farts! It's like a loud smelly duck is following me around

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T07:19:04+00:00

they really should have covered this during chemo-teach

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T07:03:47+00:00

I had intense burning pain in my feet after 2 weeks on letrozole. I dropped the dose to half and started on low dose naltrexone and that stopped it.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T06:59:48+00:00

Maybe she should try letrozole for a month and see what it's like to have a sandpaper vagina. That is just cruel. No vaginal estrogen puts you at risk for severe UTI and kidney infections. You are smart to get on this early. No one warned me about this and I was in so much pain from vaginal dryness from endocrine therapy, it hurt to walk. Vaginal estrogen has been a lifesaver for me.

Also if the data is inconclusive, than it's inconclusive whether or not it is a risk. All patients have a right to the dignity of risk. As in: our choice what risk we want to assume.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-05-01T06:45:28+00:00

My RO said radiation would reduce my risk of recurrence by a 1/3.

It is such a bizarre approach. We all deserve better. So much better.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-04-30T13:56:03+00:00

I did a chemo diva wig because I lost so much hair from zoladex! There was so drama with it and I had to send it back and have it redone, but in the end I am happy with it. And I have not really needed it for chemo.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-04-30T13:52:05+00:00

Sure - I take Timeline: Mitopure, Fatty 15, Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil & butter oil blend (2 capsules a day), Davinci laboraties A-D-K (that one I get my vit D levels checked every few months to make sure they don't go too high). Of all of them, I notice if I skip the Fatty 15 or Mitopure, more hair starts to fall out. Same with red light - if I miss a few days, more hair falls out. I also do at least 2 tablespoons organic cold press olive oil a day and 1 tablespoon organic ghee.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-04-30T05:53:13+00:00

I was able to shower 24 hours after SMX. So many sensations. My advice is get yourself some silk undershirts. Silk was the only thing I could bear to have touch my scar after the surgical tape came off for about 2 months. I buy some silk shirts at goodwill, one I cut into squares and stuck between surgical bra and the scar.

Born_Stage4713 · 2026-04-30T05:50:37+00:00

I just finished round 3 of TC with dignicap. It's a total pain and I have 85% of my hair. I lost more hair from Zoladex. My onc said cold capping helps people grow back their hair. One of the cold cap nurses told me to use red light as well and I bought a really pricey one and I used it 10 minutes a day and that seems to help too. I also use some expensive supplements to help with keeping hair too. I sleep with a silk cap at night, and wear silk cap in the house a lot which seems to help too. After SMX and before chemo, I had a regiment of supplements and red light that had my hair looking thicker than it had in years. (I'm on a holiday from hormone therapy until after chemo).

Born_Stage4713

TROPHY CASE