ribociclib and turkey tail

[susiemarmite]

Hi - is anyone taking ribociclib / letrazole and supplementing with turkey tail? I want to but my oncologist says no due to the lovastatin in the turkey tail ... but I think that's so low that it shouldn't interfere with the ribociclib ...?

[Hazelgreen]

What is turkeytail, and why are you so keen to take it with ribociclib?

I've been taking the letrozole & ribociclib combo since last November. Although it seems to be having a positive effect, the side effects are awful. Would turkeytail help with these?

Cheers,

Cindy

[susiemarmite in reply to Hazelgreen]

Hi Cindy - turkeytail is a mushroom ... it's supposed to be effective at treating cancer ... so an adjuvant therapy - not to reduce side effects - not sure about impact on side effects

[daniellebrooks13 in reply to Hazelgreen]

Thank you Ms Fancy Dog, for the documentation on turkeytail mushroom "immune support" capsules as Host Defense says on their bottle. I've been taking it in capsule form for most of my 16 years as metastatic. When we bring it up to my various oncologists, they mostly don't know about it and don't feel too confident about it but we (my husband and I) do think it's had a positive effect on me. We never find much info about it so thanks for sending the link.

[AutumnLove in reply to daniellebrooks13]

❤😊

[Hidden]

I’ve been on ibrance/letrezole combo for two years and also take Turkey tail plus many other mushrooms. My tumor markers have been in the normal range for most of that time. I’ve also been exposed to covid multiple times and have not contracted it. I feel mushrooms/high vitamin d levels have helped immensely and give a boost to my immune system! My naturopath recommended high dose Turkey tail and my oncologist has never had a problem with me taking mushrooms. Hope that helps:)Mandy

[mariootsi]

I would check with your pharmacist rather than your onc. They are very knowledgeable about interactions with our meds. I have found that most oncs are only schooled on standard treatment protocols.

[fancydog]

I take Turkey Tail mushrooms, only those in capsules distributed by the Host Defense Co. as they have well published data about their mushrooms effect on Breast Ca. They are full of good stuff for us but in recent data they have found they actually help our immune cells find cancer cells they can then kill. Here is a link to just one of the articles available and up to date on-line, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl.... I am 7+ yrs MBC and only on Faslodex for almost 6 yrs except for on lymph node that became positive last yr and it was radiated and have had clean scans ever since. Interesting is that I had stopped taking the Turkey Tail mushrooms d/t expense. I'm back on them now!

[Laskia in reply to fancydog]

Thanks for the link. An interesting read. I am taking a different medicinal mushroom after reading a similar story Here:

journals.lww.com/md-journal...

[love2golfwell]

If you are thinking about trying turkey tail supplements, I agree that you should check with the pharmacist of whoever manufactures ribociclib and also check Memorial Sloan Kettering about herbs website. It lists interactions of supplements with various medications. In the alternative, I have read that eating cooked mushrooms several times a week can help the immune system and fight cancer, specifically breast cancer.

[Hazelgreen]

I looked at this link: medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

I found the following summary statement interesting, "Turkey tail mushrooms contain compounds called polysaccharopeptide (PSP) and polysaccharide-K (PSK). PSP and PSK appear to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Some evidence suggests that PSP may also have the ability to stimulate the immune system, especially when combined with other anticancer treatments. Researchers have isolated the PSK compound. In Japan, PSK is an approved adjuvant cancer treatment, according to the National Cancer Institute. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have not approved the product for this use in the U.S."

Also, "In one very small study, nine participants with stage 1, 2, or 3 breast cancer underwent standard chemotherapy and radiation treatments. They then took 3, 6, or 9 grams of turkey tail extract in divided doses each day for 6 weeks. After their analyses, the researchers concluded that the extract contributed to increased levels of cancer fighting cells in the immune system."

Thanks for the heads up, susiemarmite!

Warm wishes,

Cindy

[Laskia]

I take turkey tail along with a few other medicinal mushrooms. I'm also on letrazole and Ibrance plus statins.

I've read up about it all to see if there are any interactions and couldn't find any so I will continue to take them all.

[Laskia]

I'm taking some other medicinal mushroom after reading this case. I think all these different mushrooms may have potentially beneficial effects. worth a try anyway. This case was with someone taking aromatase inhibitors too.

journals.lww.com/md-journal...