Taking supplements while on Faslodex & Ibrance?
I would appreciate any advise on supp... - SHARE Metastatic ...
I would appreciate any advise on supplements to take while on Faslodex/Ibrance such as B complex, C, Calcium, iron, potassium tumeric?
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Cafeole2
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Hi,
I would suggest you speak to a pharmacist about the treatment you are on and find out if there are any interactions between what you are currently taking and what you are interested in taking. You can also speak to your GP about having your levels checked for deficiencies, and then see which supplements would work best for you. But I would not add anything new until you have sought medical advice. We are all different, with different needs. Your oncologist might also be able to advise you. My oncologist only recommended Adcal D3 (calcium carbonate and vitamin D3). The other supplements I take came later after thorough research.
Sophie
According to the Ibrance leaflet...avoid grapefruit pomegranate and St. John’s wort
Not sure re faslodex as I’m on letrazole
Barb xx
I am on Fasolodex and Ibrance. Take B6, B12, D, CoQ10 and 600 mg calcium. Was taking more calcium, but cut that when I started Xgeva. At night I take a statin for cholesteral and .25 xanax for anxiety (had this a while) and something like Tylenol PM for sleep. All Sloan Kettering approved! Was taking fish oil too, but stopped that for a bit as I had a fischer that was bleeding, not related, but that seems to have healed and may start that again in a month. Note I was on these for years when I was just on Letrozole.
Thanks for the good info AvidBookloverI began Faslodex/Ibrance 6 months ago and pray it continues to work because I’m loving this combo. Doctor at City of Hope stopped Xcheva when i had one kidney failing. Doctors don’t seem to mind me taking supplements but not sure I’m taking only ones that benefit. Costco’s vitamins are huge but I’m not so I’m going to Rite Aid get lower doses. Here’s to feeling good 
xoxo
I have been ok’d to take magnesium, D3, iron and turmeric. I can’t take calcium or potassium because I’m already having high levels naturally.
Oncologist put me on vitamin D , removed the potassium because blood level were too high .
I am on the same meds and taking the supplements mentioned here. My oncologist advised me to stop taking Biotin & Probiotics as he has seen cases where they can grow both good & cancer cells. Has anyone else heard the same?
Never! Probiotics is good for your digestion and other things! I used to have alot constipation and probiotics and magnesium are the only thing help me with this problem. I take alot supplements honestly and my last ct scan, MRI and blood work came back good except my liver enzyme got high since I take w letrozole and then radiation. I know this is not related to the supplements bc I was taking them before this meds and my liver was fine. Sometimes doctors wants to blame natural stuffs and defend toxic meds/drugs. I also take colostrum pills and the radiation doctor said it was ok but another onc dr said dont take anything else beside our meds. You will hear different opinion from doctors.
Your doc can test for deficiencies . Then you can supplement according to need with your oncs ok.
The world of supplements is indeed a confusing place in terms of interactions with our treatments and the needs of our body and our individual cancer.
I make it easy for myself. I take what the onco orders and nothing else. Even when younger and Vitamin Shoppe and all these places started opening up, I never took vitamins, supplements or any of that stuff. I feel safer with cancer drugs that are at least studied first. I went into a Vitamin Shoppe store with a friend who wanted to get something and I was shocked by the amount of stuff they sold. Since I never have taken any of that in my life ( and I am a meat eater and not a healthy eater) and this is the first time I have really been sick.
I went to Sloan Kettering in NYC and met with one of their Integrative oncologist. You are on different meds than me so I can’t speak to your needs. However Sloan Kettering has an App called About Herbs that you can download for free. They have done research on every single herb and supplement they have listed. Not just lap research, but people research. I had to take a few things out, but I can take a Calcium with 10 Other minerals, Omega 3’s, a B complex 2xs weekly. You don’t need more than that or you piss it all out. I also take Biotin in between the B complex and CoQ10 for me heart.
Hope this help!!
I also learned that CBD in any form is terrible for Estrogen positive breast cancer as it stimulates estrogen!! That was worth the 5 hours of driving to get their and home!!
I use CBD and my dx is on remission. Where do you read that? Bc I know alot ppl that use it and they are doing just fine and they been in remission for years.
It’s not CBD. It’s THC. Several research papers on it.
Oh okay. U Putin cbd instead of THC. Thats why i got confused.
• in reply toStinkinpinktink
I have researched this and everything I have found said it may actually help breast cancer. There are some old articles that originally said it increased estrogen but they were proved wrong.
• in reply toNmartinez15
CBD oil was recommended to be for many side effects by my nurse practitioner. I have never heard of it being dangerous.
According to Sloan Kettering Hospital who I met with personally, CBD will stimulate estrogen. That’s what they told me because I use marijuana for sleep and have a script for it. I make sure there is little to no CBD in my sleeping aid.
That’s all I know- it mimics estrogen.
From what I have read in several research papers, it is not CBD that can effect hormone positive cancers. It is THC. Look it up. It’s not CBD.
• in reply toStinkinpinktink
I have also checked into it and new research shows that neither thc nor cbd increase estrogen. It is reported as safe
Goodcat :). I had problems on Vercenio summer of 2018. After losing my appetite and 30#’s, I tried CBD sour blueberry gummies, daily but in moderation. Glad I did, they (very slowly) gave me my appetite back. Not sure where I’d be today. BTW/I haven’t taken any in 8 month. xoxo
• in reply toGoodcat
CBD oil has never been reported to do this. There are old articles that said THC did this but they have been disproved. While some CBD oil can contain thc others do not.
Thanks a bunch Goodcat, I’ve downloaded the app, it has lots of supplement info. I ’ve been taking Costco's vitamins but. With one kidney failing and a spot on my liver I’ve decided to ask this amazing MBC community for advise. I take a list of everything I take In pill form to my Onc, she never says not to take. I figured what can it hurt to eliminate a few supplements. Bless you xoxo
Thank you for the info- didn’t know cbd was a no- no. My onc told me to check for anything with soy because that is a no.
Frances
• in reply toFrancesca10
Hi Frances,
Have you noticed that soya is added to a lot of food products now? I was shocked when I started looking more closely at food labels to see it added to bread (why?) chocolate bars, some ice cream, biscuits, cakes, pastries, gravy mixes, and even spaghetti! I bought my usual brand of spaghetti recently, but when I looked at the label I was shocked to learn it contained soya! I thought spaghetti was supposed to contain durum wheat semolina! I had to give it to my dad. So as a result I have been making more things from scratch so I can avoid the "soya epidemic". I would be interested to learn why it is added to so many products nowadays.
Sophie
• in reply toFrancesca10
CBD oil is safe to use and was prescribed to me by my nurse practitioner. New research has shown the thc can decrease cancer cells from hormone based cancer. Check with your oncologist as there are so many so called reports that aren’t actually research.
I have read the opposite about CBD oil also. It has helped many and I would feel more comfortable taking that a bunch of herbs or supplements. right now I just take the cancer med and get my monthly injections and dont toss anything else into the mixture and I feel fine.
I have been take tumeric for the last 2 years and my onc didnt like but she didnt said I cant take. She just dont believe in natural meds. She just think I am wasting my money.
Hi Nmartinez, I took turmeric for months.
My onc approved. In June I had my left breast removed. The surgeon said it was okay to take B complex, C, calcium & iron but not to take tumeric within 7 days because it’s a blood thinner. I have not began tumeric in 6 weeks. I’m anxious to know if it makes a difference. xoxo
Also, you can take ginger root, soursop, cinnamon stick in tea every day. Good for inflammation and insomnia. I personally needed every day to be able to sleep.
Well, she is telling you she does not like them but if you want to take them and you think they make you feel better, than she is letting you do what you want. I'm more in thinking with your onco.
I was stage 2 in my 1st diagnostic and I was low risk to have cancer again according to her. Now, I am stage 4 because their mistake to ignore my complained about a lump for a entire year. She is the expert however she told me for entire year that my lump was a scar tissue. Then, I went to plastic surgeon and she told me that lump could be cancer and she was right. So, sometimes they make a big mistake that can cause our death. Sadly cancer is a business and if they can keep u sick they will do.
I don't believe any pharmaceutical companies, doctors or oncologists deliberately keep people ill for the money. People need to remember doctors are human also. If you feel a lump and your doctor ignores your own gut feeling, then go to somebody else and have it tested. There are many many women who were stage i, or stage ii years ago. Had the chemo, breasts removed, radiation and 10-15 years later are now stage iv. I think they are just beginning to realize that no one is really cancer free once you get it. Sometimes there are cancer cells that lay dormant for years and then wake up. It seem from other forum boards that most of the women had breast cancer years before. No breasts does not mean no breast cancer unfortunately.
Well how u can explain that a plastic surgeon saw me for 10 minutes and she is not a expert on oncology and she right away said that lump is cancer and she I am not expert! They ignore my complaints for a year and told me not to worry. Yes, it was my fault to believe on her and stay w her until I found have cancer again. Even my new doctor said she didnt do her job right. She should have send me to get MRI right away and I will not be stage 4 today. Yes I know cancer never will go away but we can be proactive and try to keep the diseases not to spread. Alot ppl are aware that pharmaceutical are getting richer if we stay sick. They dont sale if you are cure!!! Every time I complain they want to give me pill for each thing. Why they don't try to find the cause instead to treat the symptoms. You know how many ppl die for the meds instead of their own cancer. Just read the last post about someone die bc the meds. It was posted yesterday by her husband and she is not the only one.
He is in grief right now with the loss of his wife so now he is blaming it on the drug. He is understandably upset so he needs to put the blame somewhere. Obviously, he wanted her here as long as she could be here so they tried but it did not work out. Even if she was not given that drug towards the end, she probably would have passed anyway, but I know there are some women who want to continue the treatment even towards the end when they are more or less told, treatment won't work anymore. I had a friend who fought triple negative breast cancer for two years and went through those horrible chemo treatments. She looked fine. And then just before she was leaving to go to Puerto Rico to celebrate with a friend that she had been good for almost a year, she went for her regular exam (checkup) before her trip. The cancer had returned. She said that even though the doctors told her that they did not think that another bout of chemo would do much for her, she insisted. But her body could not handle another bout of chemo so she posted that she accepted that and was going to let nature take its course. She died in hospice less than three weeks later. She was only 45 with a 16 year old son. The chemo did not kill her, the cancer did. Years ago NONE of these drugs were available and women with stage iv died quickly. Presently, more and more women are living longer lives with these meds. I am sure the pharmaceutical companies have to do major research for years before a new drug is approved. So the cost is high so that they can effectively research and develop other types of medication. And if as you state, you complain every time they give you a pill, well you want a good quality of life while longer living right. And that involves taking these meds. There are loads of other diseases worse than stage iv breast cancer that don't get the money or attention breast cancer does. Right now, they need to find out why women who had breast cancer years ago and did the chemo, mastectomy, radiation thing have it reoccur as stage iv 15 years later. I am not sure why whoever you went to first would have at least done a mammogram and an ultrasound. It would clearly show. That does not make sense.
Dont get me wrong I believe in conventional meds but natural too. But sometimes money, bonus and trip get in their way when it comes to prescribed meds.
Thanks a zillion girlsptz, you’re a wealth of information and helped me by narrowing the field of supplements. This mbc community is a God send. I was diagnosed May 2018, every month I take a list of vitamins that I’m taking. The onc doctor always says their okay to take but my last CT scan showed one failing kidney and a spot on my liver. I wondered if it could be supplements. So rather than continue taking the giant pills from Costco I’m going to Rite Aid for lessor strength on vitamins recommended here. What could that hurt for a couple of weeks? xoxo 😃
Like most people I run everything by my oncologist before taking. I have been on both Ibrance and faslodex and Ibrance and letrozole. Vitamin B was fine with my doc and I was one of the ladies who lose a bunch of my hair (good thing I started out with more than my fair share I guess) biotin was also fine with Onc. Now potassium is not one you should take without dr say so unless it’s in smaller amounts in a multi vitamin. Potassium regulates your heart and lack of it can cause heart issues. My Oncologist tested me for potassium when she tested my blood and cancer markers every month. I had noticed I was having more muscle cramps but hadn’t connected it yet. When I was told I needed supplemental potassium. The pills are big and they disintegrate easily into large particles and become hard to swallow very quickly once in your mouth. I don’t have trouble taking pills. I can take all my other pills eleven or twelve and my glucosamine is about the same size at once but have to take the potassium alone. It must be the Ibrance that depleted it in me because I have even had to go to Drs office and sit for 4 hours just for a potassium drip (it also had to be given slowly so as not to cause heart issues. So if you are having more muscle cramps try eating things that are high in potassium a little every day that helps avoid the need for supplements or ivs. Things like potatoes, bananas, Gatorade. I drank a quart of Gatorade a day and it helped some. I am no longer on Ibrance and my potassium is stable again. Just taking letrozole now.
I’m on turmeric vit c vit d with calcium b complex too as well of cod liver oil
I want to take graviola supplements but need the go ahead bro oncologist
I exercise still as it’s my job so I’m take magnesium too
I have reiki and I try to stay positive
Hope that helps
Oh and milk thistle as I love wine ha ha
Thanks Fighteragain18, I see most recommend a B complex which I’ve wanted to try for fatique. Amazon music app has Reiki music for free. It’s healing to take a few minutes to relax and breath while listening with a headset. God bless. Btw. Can you tell me how milk thistle helps if drinking 🍷?
Cleanses the liver lol
I love a bit of wine also, I make sure to drink a big glass of cranberry juice to help flush kidneys/liver. Oh and don’t take complex at night it can keep you up all night, can also be hard on your stomach so take with food.
Wonderful response 👌🏼🍷
I would not take advice (maybe just suggestions and mention them to your onco.) Not everybody has the same kind of body or health issues. Nobody on here, as far as I know, is a doctor. I always am a bit surprised when people ask people on the forum board what supplements they can or should take.
