Zoladex without HRT?

[superstorm82]

Has any one had the zoladex without HRT. My consultant wont give it to me as I cant tolerate the hormones. But am in hospital now waiting for my jab. Just wondered if anyone has gone through this and if you can give me any reassurance or advice. Im only 31 and menopause scares me.

[LovesDarkChocolate]

I was on Zoladex for a year without HRT, & was perfectly fine. Since then I have had a hysterectomy when I was 36 & am SO happy to be pain free. I'm 38 now.

I am going through menopause now but am having HRT. The hot flushes are a pain in the butt & have you running around naked but it soon goes. It sounds scary, & yes it's scary because it's a new experience, but it's really ok. Just takes a little getting used to & relearning how your body is.

How long are you supposed to be having Zoladex for?

[Impatient]

Contrary to the nice experiences - my zoladex without HRT was hellish beyond words.

A ghastly experience from the 2nd week onwards to the bitter end. And I wouldn't touch it with 10 foot barge pole ever again, not only for what I went through but also because since then I hve learned so much about how the drug works on the body and all the other implications of taking the drug and for what?

It does nothing to endo, doesn't kill it or cure you, all it does is put the endo in a state of suspended animation while you are on the drug and you are exactly the same at the end of the process as you were when you started.

I don't think HRT would actually have helped much either to reduce many of the side effects.

So I certainly could not and would not ever recommend it for endo. It is fobbing patients off instead of giving them the surgery they do actually need to remove all the endo lesions.

[Impatient]

p.s. as you have probably had it by now - please ask any specific questions about side effects as and when you need to. just because i don't like or recommend the drugs doesn't mean i wont offer advice and help to anyone going through their experience on them.

And remember if you do react badly to it as many of us do - you can stop and not have the next implant in any month you want to quit. It is entirely your decision and you are the one that has to live with the consequences of continuing if you decide to be brave and carry on.

[superstorm82]

I am still laying in my hospital bed waiting for it. I am supposed to be on it for 6months but my consultant has told me that after the first couple of injections it should start to disolve the endo I have. Is this not correct then? I have been told after the injections if they dont work then he will consider giving me a full hysterectomy. I was rushed I to hospital yesterday with such severe pains and have been given morphine IV, paracetamol IV, codine and gas and air. But after this injection they are discharging me with a bottle of oramorph and just got to deal with it myself. Feeling at the end of my tether.

[Impatient]

That is incorrect it does not dissolve the endo at all.

It shuts down the pituitary gland in the brain. That in turn switches of various automtic functions in the body, like temperature regulation, and blood pressure regulation and also stops sending hormone signals to the ovaries so they shut down and do not send monthly hormone signals to the uterus + the endo patches telling them to grow a menstrual lining and then shed it each month causing a bleed.

That is all it does for endo. The endo is dormant, asleep in a coma. It is still there and will remain there until re-awakened by the pituitary gland waking up, sending hormones to the ovaries waking them up to start ovulating again and that further sends out hormones to the menstrual linings to prepare for monthly business again.

The result of the shut down on endo is it no longer bleeds - and is not then irritating nearby tissues with those bleeds that cannot escape and therefore stops the endo pain.

It is just temporary.

Worse than that is that the 1st implant you have causes a supercharged flood of hormones, which make everything so much worse during what is called the flare stage.

This overload of hormones is what causes the pituitary gland in the brain to overload and switch off.

Have they scanned you to check if you have an ovarian cyst that has ruptured or is leaking to cause you this extreme pain? If not and you are still in hosp, ask them why this has not been done, and get straight on to your GP when you wake up tomorrow to request a scan.

I am afraid that given your body's dislike of hormones is likely to mean the flare stage in the coming 2-3 weeks could one hell of a rough journey for you. I sincerely hope not, but i have to be honest and realistic - because it would be grossly negligent not to give you the facts.

Make sure the hosp give you a copy of th ptient dvice leaflet as it will explain the side effects that you may expect to hppen to you this month ahead. they rarely do hand out the patient advice leaflet and it is available on line - for free, but it wouldn't hurt for them to be reminded to hand it out, then you can go through it aand raise any issues about it with them in the hosp.

My god if only it did dissolve the endo - we would all be happy to put up with it.

It doesn't kill or cure you of endo. just puts it in to snooze mode - with side effects. Nothing more than that.

[As-17]

Hey there I was on Zoladex for 6 months without HRT. I'm the same age as yourself and going through the same as you. Impatient has given you all the correct information! Iv been off the zoladex for 3 months, but just had another zoladex yesterday as I'm having surgery in Aprill and they want to dampen down the endo before the excision. Hope all goes well for you sending lots of love, the first zoladex will make ur condition wrose so hang in there love As xxxx