zoladex yes no

[luby40]

ZOLADEX yes / no ?

just had my 3rd laser lap, 6 weeks ago, This time the endo was so bad they took left ovary and fallopien tube. Gynea wants me to take 6 months of zodalex, but just not sure this is going to lead me to a better quality of life. I might not get the pain/periods etc but sooo worried about side effects. Had awfull hormonal problems over the years too and about 4 years ago doc put me on Jasmine pill which changed my life. Never felt so good hormonally. Still had pain / bowel problems with endo though. Just so worried about messing up my hormones, getting awfull side effects and putting on weight,

I just dont think endo will ever go away and is it worth taking zoladex ? If i knew it would cure endo forever i think it would be worth it. HELP !!! Feel so fed up, just gone back to work after op and feel so down about it all,.

Thanks fellow sufferers ....

[Cloudyrain]

I think you need to do a bit of research. I was adamant I wasn't going to have it, but then 6 months post-op I was begging for it! I think you probably have to get to the point of "I'm going to remove my womb with kitchen utensils if this pain doesn't stop" before you start stuff like zolodex. The big thing is are you relatively ok when you aren't on a period? For me I am so period-centric with my pain and problems that it was worth it. I had a 3 month course of prostap and it kept me relatively pain free and happy for 7 months, which was better than i'd been for over 10 years! I also have very wobbly hormones so asked for hrt addback - I wouldn't do it without it personally.

Ther are loads of people who hate gnrh drugs, and there is loads of anti-gnrh stuff on the net. If you read it, you might never consider it again. But, you might think it's worth the risk. For me it was because there wasn't any other option open to me, and I would definately have it again. In fact, if I wasn't ttc I would want a hysterectomy, but going to have to wait a few more years for that I think!

It's a hard decision honey. Have a look at endo-resolved and the details of the treatment options and see what other things you could try. Good luck x

[luby40 in reply to Cloudyrain]

thanx for this ...such a great help.

This is such a difficult descions to make, going to see gynea tomorrow for post op follow up and to discuss this option.

Kitchen utensils hey, often thought about home hysterectomy using the dyson !

Really appreciate you taking the time to reply. x

[Impatient]

I hated it, but I still wouldn't say not have it, provided that you have done your homework, checked you are a suitable candidate and not in the list of people that should not touch it, and you are finding that you simply cannot get pain relief from sufficiently strong pain killers.

Having done all your research good and bad, tell your partner, family and close friends what the potential side effects will be, check that you have the resources in place to take care of you, of kids of pets if applicable when you are really too unwell.

If you are prone to hormonal problems, it is something to seriously think about before going ahead as it is a several month committment, if you do even have just the 1 implant, that is minimum4 weeks of effects then a few weeks as it wears off. The drug residue remains in you up to 4 months after the last implant goes in, so it is nothing like having a daily course of tablets where you can stop if you do have a bad reaction to them.

~You still need to get through that, and none of us know whether that is going to be easy to do or not, and whether you have the support at home to get you through it.

If in doubt nd you can manage with pain killers, then don't have the GnRH drugs and stick with what you know already.

[luby40 in reply to Impatient]

thanx for the reply.

Going to gynea tomorrow for post op follow up and to dicuss this option further.

I think i will probably see how I go for a few months and then see if the pain returns and how long I can cope with it.

[Edsmom]

Hi, I have had 6 mths of Zoladex after my diagnostic lap in sept last year. I wasn't fully aware of the side affects before I was given my first injection. It helped tremendously with the endo symptoms, I felt on an even level with hormones too (I've suffered with pmt and anxiety in the past) the down sides for me were the disturbed sleep, hot sweats and lack of sex drive. These were all helped with HRT which I wasn't given straight away.

When I think back now was it worth it? I think it was, however I did feel at times it was an exchange of problems...no pain but very tired from lack of sleep etc. I must also say for me it has increased my anxiety levels and I'm now taking an antidepressant due to this. The one thing to remember is that every drug affects people differently. X

[luby40 in reply to Edsmom]

Thanx for the reply, still in two minds what to do, going to see gynea tomorrow for follow up appointment and to discuss this option in more detail,

[stevieflp]

The problem with these chemical menopause drugs is that they are meant to be only temporary. They do not cure endo but just temporarily shrink it, which can have it's use I suppose. Would it not be better to ask to be referred to an endo specialist consultant who is skilled at excision surgery and who can remove endo rather than take drugs which are a temporary measure. There are specialist endo centres around. It tends to be the gynaes who offer chemical menopause.

All very best wishes x

[luby40 in reply to stevieflp]

many thanks for reply.

I agree it's just a temporary fix and will not cure long term. If you knew it would cure the endo for life i think the decision then to take zoladex would be simple !