Has anyone had the induced menopause injections? If so please help how did you cope?

[Lauracol1]

[Impatient]

they are GnRH drugs, Prostap, Lupron, Decapeptyl, Zoladex etc

Lots of brand names, they all do the same job and have the same catalogue of side effects and while for some ladies they seem to have an okay time, there are plenty plenty plenty of us that go through hell on them.

They are chemo hormone drugs..... and if you do have a bad reaction then life is very grim indeed.

As we are all different and react to these chemicals in different ways until you try it there is no way to know how your experince will pan out.

Certainly do not take them till you, your family, your support network, your employer etc are all informed and know what the side effects can be and what help you may need in the weeks and months ahead, that you have arrangements for someone to care for children and pets if necessary when you are whacked out and cannot be relied upon to care for those who depend on you.

Quiet frankly I didn't cope. My mum was my carer. I was bedbound for most of it, certainly housebound, many days unable to drive or read anything due to blurred vision, terrible moods swings, hot flushes freezing shivers, aches and pains in all sorts of places, itches, nausea, dizzy, dreadful memory loss, hair loss, weight loss, lots of exhaustion all the time but really struggling to sleep as the flushes were several an hour.all day every day.

4 months I lasted and that's it. I don't recommend it, it was a hellish ghastly horrid experience for me and i wouldn't touch it again if my life depended on it.

But there are also ladies on this forum who have managed well on the drugs.

they will certainly be the strongest drugs you will ever have taken, and they do need you to prepare and do your homework before deciding whether it is something you are willing to not only put yourself through but also your family.

Also check out whether any pre-existing medical conditions you may have are okay with the drug or not okay.

there are heaps of posts on this forum about the drugs, just scan back through a few pages of posts and there will be dozens of experiences mentioned. Though i am sure others will reply to your post anyway. Lots of us have been through GnRH treatments with various results.

[Chrissie66 in reply to Impatient]

Impatient, haven't we had the chemo discussion on here? The GnRH injections are used in the treatment of prostate cancer to regulate hormone production, and they are powerful drugs, but they're not actually chemotherapy drugs, are they?

[Lauracol1]

Thanx I am 28 and was given the treatment with only a few minutes to make a decision wasn't given side effects and to say I have 2 months of hell so far.

I didn't sleep for the first month and had the pain in my back passage 3 times. Then was placed on hrt which caused my hair to fall out so they changed them and now I am doing better but very tired and weak but managing to go to work but housework etc is difficult and flushes night sweats and mood swings are rather bad they have said I need to try this for 9 months and I still need a lap at the end which makes me feel so down x

[Impatient]

Have a cyber hug from me.

I too was given the drug in hospital as i was coming fround from surgery..no warning or advice whatsoever. Only became aware of the name of the drug when i got home after a few days (had a laparotomy) and read the discharge letter, then began investigating it on the internet.I did know i had had something implanted in my tummy, but I had also had clexane implanted in my thigh for blood clots too, so a nurse approaching me with a needle to shove something in me while i was soooo groggy, didn't even register that much.

Like you thrown in at the deepend....literally, as I had the huge surgery to cope with too.

I really do want to strangle the Doctors that prescribe these types of drug without warning.

They are such a big deal that they shouldn't be taken without full informed consent of the patient as not only does it affect them, but all the people and pets around them.

There is no need AT ALL for non-cancer patients to be given them without informed consent.

It is not a life or death emergency to be given them. They are not a cure and a few days wait or a few weeks wait or even a few months wait won't make a vast difference to the prognosis.

[cupcakegirl]

I put it off for years as it terrified me - I finally gave in when I was losing my part time job.

It was the best thing I ever did at the time - within 2 months, I moved to London and starting doing a full-on full time job. My endo symptoms and fatigue were dramatically better - yes, I had side effects but they were nothing compared to the way I felt before I was on it.

I lost a few stone, my boobs shrank, I had pretty hideous hot flushes and mood swings. I didn't take HRT as I was so worried about the endo symptoms coming back.

My consultant said I could stay on it as it was helping so much, and I ended up staying on it for two years - it stopped working properly at about 18 months but I hoped it would get better. Things went downhill, I eventually stopped, and things have never been great again since.

I do regret staying on it so long - my hormones have never been right since, my libido has never come back (stopped in 2009 and a few other things) but that's because I stayed on it too long.

Some people have bad experiences so there are lots of stories out there that are worrying, but if also helps a lot of people. You might find that it really helps and that the side effects don't bother you that much - if they do, you can try HRT. If it doesn't work for you, you can stop treatment.

By the way, never agree to having the 3 month injection of zoladex rather than the 4 weekly - it's not licensed for endo and does not work.

Also, make sure you get a local before the zoladex or similar - like freezing gel. I have a terrible needle phobia but I had one every month because it worked so well - the zoladex needle is pretty big, no way would I have one without a local first.

[K8YL31GH]

I'm on zoladeX for endometriosis to help conception. I cope better off the hrt than on it and I'm also on progesterone based pill.

[K8YL31GH]

P's I don't have pain relief for zoladeX only really hurts if they catch a nerve.

[CurlyWurlyAmy]

Hi Laura, sorry to hear that you are having such an awful time. You can refuse to have your next injection if you want and if your consultant has a problem with that then i would suggest you get a new consultant who is more supportive. I am on these injections and they work for me and they worked after the first week. If they haven't worked yet for you then there is a slim chance that they will work at all for you and maybe you should try something else. Don't put yourself through unnecessary hell x

[enigma82]

Hi, i recently had 7 months of Prostap Injections, with Tibilone as a add back HRT. Couple of weeks after first injection, my mood deteriorated and felt pretty low/miserable. I had a few days not taking the HRT and hey presto, mood lifted again, and remaining HRT went in the bin lol. The only issues I had after that we're hot flushes at night. I had my lap In Aug, and last injection ran out at same time, however 10 weeks on still no period. I don't miss the pain but the whole process was to enable me to conceive and getting impatient waiting for cycle to return now. Everyone is different though x

[turnoutlovely]

I've had around 2 years worth of Zoladex injections in the past 4/5 years (2 6 month courses & a years worth also) and it was the best thing I've ever had for my endo symptoms. I did suffer with hot flushes yes, but that is nothing compared to the pain / symptoms I usually have. I didn't have HRT alongside at all. It's definitely worth a try if you are suffering badly with your endo- at the worst you can stop the course early. It's a real hit and miss drug and certainly doesn't work for everyone but has been the only thing to ever work for me! Good luck.

[Worzel]

I have just had my first Zoldex injection yesterday. I have had endo and have adenomyosis so if the zoldex takes the pain and symptoms that i've been having away my consultant will give me a hysterectomy to relieve the adenomyosis symptoms. However please can someone advise me of how long you have to wait to feel any benefit? Or to start having side effects. Thanks in advance for your help. Hope you're not in too much discomfort tonight x