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Estrogen reducing drugs

Nocillo profile image
15 Replies

Hello all,

I hope you’re doing well today. I’m about to change medication again. Do any of you know the complete list of estrogen blocker pills or shots that are available? My onc wants me to go on a trial because she says I’ve used them all, but I want to make sure that I really have. I’ve used Faslodex, Tamoxifen, Letrozole. I’m assuming those are all estrogen blockers. I get confused between taking two drugs at once. Thanks for any insight.

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Nocillo profile image
Nocillo
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15 Replies
Kerryd22 profile image
Kerryd22

I’m on Exemestane.

The three most common drugs are:

Letrozole.

Anastrozole.

Exemestane.

my.clevelandclinic.org/heal...

Nocillo profile image
Nocillo in reply to Kerryd22

Thank you! I haven’t seen that one. I started on Anastrozole and Faslodex and it was wonderful for almost 6 years. I appreciate your reply.

HelenWi profile image
HelenWi in reply to Nocillo

Hi Nocillo, Anastrazole blocks estrogen production. Faslodex actually degrades the estrogen receptor on the cancer cell. I think the ones Kerry mentioned are estrogen blockers. I was on anastrazole for 13 years after my initial breast cancer and after I was diagnosed with MBC in 2022, I started on Faslodex plus Piqray. After two years I just switched to Xeloda (capecitabine) a few days ago.

Nocillo profile image
Nocillo in reply to HelenWi

Thank you!

KMBL_ profile image
KMBL_

Have you been tested for mutations by a blood biopsy? Orserdu is a pill SERD, along the lines of Faslodex, but you need to have the ESR1 mutation.

Nocillo profile image
Nocillo in reply to KMBL_

I’m being tested for mutations, no results yet. Thank you!

bikebabe profile image
bikebabe

The meds you mention are the pack horses of treatment for hormone dependent breast cancer. I had to stop taking palbociclib for 4 mths (after 2 yrs) and was surprised no obvious signs of progression (though I have hard to detect pleomorphic lobular) . Was told by onco that oestrogen treatments ie Letrozole /exemestane /fulvestrant do most of the heavy lifting in oestrogen dependent cancer. And that whilst palbo cdk inhibitor doesn’t increase overall survival , it does improve progression free survival ie you still get sick but later on. Some newer meds for oestrogen dependent are still in trial - eg elecestrant and it’s sisters, capiversitib etc and are used when the cancer cells show genomic mutation ie change as they go. But in uk they don’t change treatment or allow me to go on a trial unless overt signs of progression and this isn’t easy to spot with lobular breast cancer - despite me jumping up and down to try to be proactive and get ahead of clever cancer. Also people with lobular aren’t a popular choice of participant for trials because it’s harder to track any changes. In the uk NICE (meds regulator) have rejected proven meds on basis of cost/value ie recent her2 low debacle. So a trial may be worth considering as there are many new meds coming on stream and not many ways of accessing except via trial.

Nocillo profile image
Nocillo in reply to bikebabe

Thank you for your reply. I have lobular and ductal, but so far, it’s the lobular giving me the trouble. I am being tested for mutations, but no info yet.

Nocillo profile image
Nocillo in reply to bikebabe

Thank you so much!

Oberammergaux2 profile image
Oberammergaux2

I’ve been on Exemestane forever. It’s kept me going since 2007, I trust it. I have minimal side effects and am comfortable with the usual “where’d my estrogen go?” symptoms like my menopausal friends deal with. I have been offered some of the “newer” meds and refused to change.

Cocoacandy profile image
Cocoacandy in reply to Oberammergaux2

You have just taken Exemestane for 17 years and you have metastatic breast cancer ? If so bravo !

Oberammergaux2 profile image
Oberammergaux2 in reply to Oberammergaux2

I have been on Afinitor and Exemestane. I have had 4 liver mets all taken care of with gamma knife radiation. Three of those mets were after they gave me a “9 month break” from the Afinitor. Back on both now at my insistence.

ba5083 profile image
ba5083

Most have commented on the 3 aromatase inhibitors. Of the ones you have taken maybe this will help.

Faslodex - binds to estrogen receptors on breast cancer cells. Unlike other hormone therapies, Faslodex doesn't just block the estrogen receptor—it also degrades it. This means that the number of estrogen receptors on the cancer cells is reduced over time, making the cells less responsive to estrogen.

Tamoxifen - competes with estrogen for binding to these receptors in breast cancer cells, effectively preventing estrogen from fueling the growth and spread of the cancer.

I saw this post a while back from Fiercefighter13 regarding ILC and Tamoxifen - Basically, the problem with Tamoxifen is in the loss of E-Cadherin propagated by the genetic mutation in the CDN1 gene that almost always is carried in lobular carcinoma. It causes a fault in the cell's use of E-Cadherin which in turn causes the loss of "tumor" formation but rather creates stranded formations of cancer and also it creates a "slippery" surface at the cancer cell's receptor site, allowing Tamoxifen slip off and not attach to the cancer cell, therefore letting the cancer cells to keep feeding, growing and spreading.

Letrozole - blocks the enzyme aromatase, which is responsible for converting androgens (male hormones) into estrogen in tissues such as fat, muscle, and the breast. Since postmenopausal women mainly produce estrogen through this conversion, blocking aromatase significantly reduces estrogen levels in the body.

Nocillo profile image
Nocillo in reply to ba5083

Thank you!

RLN-overcomer profile image
RLN-overcomer

Greetings Sister/Warrior, and yesss Thriver😊. I would like you to look into a natural supplement named Quercetin. I took it for my allergies, but found that it removed the estrogen from my body. At the time I had male pattern baldness, and excessive dryness to my whole body My eyes skin, and the nether regions, My eyes, and nether region was so dry, and painful. At the time I had eye ointment, and ointment for down under.. After I stopped using Quercetin It took 2 years for my hair to come back full.🙄 Please consult an Integrative Dr. This Quercetin cost pennies on the dollar. A year supply cost around 100 dollars. The Pharmaceutical companies are charging thousand of dollars for Tamoxifin, and other estrogen blocking drugs😇✝️🙏.

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