Fulvestrant and saddness

[marianne88]

Hi. Does anyone cry a lot while taking the fulvestrant shots

[Kathleen1999]

I have noticed that I cry more easily, but how do we know whether it’s from the fluvestrant or something else. I have been on it for a few years; and I’ll take sadness over the side effects of Zeloda any day, having been on it previously for seven long years.

[PJBinMI]

I cried alot more than usual for me my first couple of years with mbc--don't really know how much was being on meds that effect Estrogen and how much was the whole lousy idea of having a cancer that will most likely eventually kill me. I've met alot of other women with mbc, at conferences and retreats and a local support group, and found that most of us have been on meds for depression, anxiety and/or sleep at some point in our cancer journey. I had awful hot flashes at first and was prescribed Effexor for that, the long acting type, 75 mg twice a day. Effexor is an anti depressant but is also the " treatment of choice" for hot flashes from menopause or from taking meds like the ones we take for mbc if it is E+. I also have an Rx for ativan to take when I have to have an MRI because the noise makes me want to hit someone or something, and there was a period of about 18 months when I needed Rx sleeping meds to sleep. Having this cancer plays havoc with our emotions, our sense of self, and just about every aspect of our very being! So don't be hard on yourself if you need to cry! Tears of emotion help the body rid itself of the brain proteins that make us feel like crap! The chemistry to emotional tears is actually different than the chemistry of dry eye tears or peeling onion tears, so there is solid science behind the idea that a good cry can make us feel better. Not that we should be under the covers weeping 24/7, but if you cry for 15 minutes two or three times a day, don't worry about it. It does not mean you are crazy or having a breakdown of some kind. It just means that having this lousy rotten cancer blows big time and has a real impact on what's going on in our brains as well as the places where the cancer is! When I was first diagnosed (mets from the get go) I was told that it could be as long as three or four months before there would be results that would show up on scans or TMs. It didn't take that long for me, but it can for some. Hang in there. It really does get better. For me, the first year was the hardest. Though the first two months were probably the worst. It takes time to get used to all this....the appts, the treatment, the tests, the wondering what's next, the waiting, and adjusting to changes.

[Lisa-n-AZ]

This year has been a big scary journey! Every time I think I'm past the emotions, I spend 2 days with a box of tissues. I think a lot of this is the vast array or medications we are on. They also found that my B-12 was low and that could cause fatigue and depression. So getting B-12 injections and see some improvements. Keep you chin up and know that we are strong women but a few tear are ok. A body in motion stays in motion....keep moving. Lisa