Hi kareng1,
Thanks for posting.
It sounds like a difficult time for you having been diagnosed with DCIS for the second time. It’s natural to have concerns about the possible impact of treatment on your work and day to day life.
You are expecting to be offered hormone therapy so it’s understandable you have concerns about possible side effects. You mention that you are particularly concerned about the likelihood of weight gain and brain fog, which you have struggled with your whole life due to hypothyroidism
Many people ask about vitamin and herb supplements such as Lions mane, which you were taking for brain fog, but have been advised to stop taking. There is often the belief that vitamins and herbs are safe as they are considered natural. However, herbal treatments don’t have to comply with the same regulations or rigorous testing that conventional medicines do. There is much we don’t know about supplements and herbal remedies. For many products there is a lack of research to support their use, and some can interfere with conventional medicines including cancer treatments. We are unable to make recommendation about specific herbs or supplements but suggest you ask your treatment team, a pharmacist or your GP before taking herbal products or supplements.
You can search this American website, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, for information about individual supplements. Each has sections on existing evidence and what known interaction there is with other medications. You may find that that some herbs have different names in America. You can also search herbal products and supplements on the European website Complementary and Alternative Medicine for cancer
You ask about Wegovy or similar treatments for weight loss and this is something you will need to discuss with your treatment team. These drugs are widely prescribed in the NHS and privately but are considered on a case-by-case basis depending on an individual’s specific situation. There are specific criteria for weight management specialists to follow for prescribing weight loss drugs on the NHS.
You may be interested in the NICE guidance relating to the eligibility and use of weight loss drugs.
Macmillan cancer support also have information about weight loss injections and cancer that explains what is known so far about these drugs.
Here are the details of all our services if it would help to connect with other women who have been treated for breast cancer.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to additional support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks.
Our number is 0808 800 6000. If you have hearing or speech difficulties dial 18001 followed by our number and the call will go through Relay UK. Our helpline has access to telephone interpreters if language translation is required.
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Best wishes,
Eve
Breast Care Nurse
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