Hi All
I was diagnosed last year with Lobular Cancer. I recently underwent a Diep in January and have recovered well. Before the Diep my Surgeon put me on Letrozole to treat the tumour while waiting for surgery. I was on it for as long as I could until I developed Suicidal Ideation. I took myself off just before the surgery (I was worried I would not make the surgery as it was so bad!). I have had suicidal ideation twice before - once during Menopause and once when I was overwhelmed in a terrible stressful job. I know a lot about Suicide as I trained as a Crisis Support Worker for a popular Telephone Helpline. I have always managed the episodes myself without drugs, rather I have talked it through and waited until the dark feelings dissipate. My dilemma now is that I have to make a decision about how to proceed in the future. My Lobular Cancer was large (7cm) and luckily had not spread to sentinel nodes and had clear margins. I have discussed all options going forward and feel going back on Letrozole is my best bet long term to avoid a recurrence but will not be able to do this without support. I asked my Oncologist about using St John’s Wort (as its gentle) in conjunction with Letrozole but he advised it weakens the affects of Letrozole. I have asked him to do some research for me on what is the best anti depressant to use with Letrozole. As I have never used an SSRI before I would like to ask others if they used this combination and how it went for them? I also asked him to tell me if Exemestane would be a better option for me or a lesser dose of Letrozole daily.