I’m on a break from chemo (liver and bone mets) and due to have my first zoladex injection next week. Can anyone give me any info on this i.e possible side effects etc.?
Thanks
Alison
Hi,
I had zoladex injections for a few months last year (also liver & bone mets). They were done by my GP who offered a local anaesthetic if I wanted one. Being brave I didn’t and it was fine. No different to having a small injection.
Personally I didn’t have any side effects of note. I was warned to expect possible mood swings and hot flushes (menopause symptoms)but didn’t suffer with either.
I hope the zoladex works well for you and you can enjoy a break from chemo.
Bad Fairy x
Hi Alison
There are a few other posts on here (whole forum not just secondary) about Zoladex so it may be worth a search. I had Z after primary dx and it sent me so quickly into an early menopause that I had loads of hot flushes, aches etc. I was 41 at the time and the hot flushes were really bad. However they did calm down after a while and then I finished with Z after the 2 years it was prescribed for. I then had it again after I finished chemo (for secondaries) to make sure I could take A I’s as I was not definitely post menopausal. This time no particular problems as the chemo probably had been done the job already and I was nearer my natural menopause anyway. I think everyone reacts differently but the only real Side Effects are those that the menopause gives you and again each woman responds differently to that when it occurs.
The injection is OK, it goes under the skin rather than into a vein so is usually given in the stomach/abdomen. It’s not painful but I did find I had bruising most times where it had gone in but this wasn’t painful - btw I bruise VERY easily so this may not be a problem. I had it done at my GP’s by one of the nurses so I think it depends who is trained to do it as to whether you have to go to hospital or not.
Hope this gives you a break from chemo - we all need that!
Nicky x
Hi Alison,
I’m afraid I’ve been having horrible side effects. I was on Tamoxifen for a year but I’ve been developing scary looking things on my ovaries so my surgeons suggested getting off and trying Zoladex to see if it’s the Tamoxifen causing them. I’ve had 2 injections so far. The first one was horrible - the second even worse. I have hot flashes all the time - being only 38 it’s pretty crazy. I have bone pain, nausea, migraines, dizziness, fuzziness, can’t concentrate on anything. I’m retaining lots of water. I’ve gained a little weight - not sure if it’s related. But I did do some research and it seems for most women - either you take to it right away and things are fine or the side effects never really go away and only get worse. I also recently spoke with my breast care nurse about it and she agreed. She said sometimes they’ll pass and to try to stick it out for 2 months but it’s likely since my side effect are so bad that I’m in the percentage of women that can’t tolerate it. I am seriously miserable and I can’t wait until this month’s injection wears off. I hope this helps…and I really hope you are more like the others who posted on here and will be able to tolerate it a bit better than me.
Take care, Jill xxx
Hi Jill
I also had scary things on my ovaries! I had to have 2 large ‘growths’ removed and had the whole ovary and tubes removed at the same time. Mine were thought to be ovarian cancer at first but the bloods came back negative and so fortunately did the results after surgery. I was told that these growths were a lesser known side effect of Tamoxifen, when I posted about this last year a few others had experienced ovarian cyst etc.
I had one horrendous zoladex injection at the hospital, when the nurse just seemed to stab me with the needle. I then went to a different nurse who sorted of twisted a handful of my spare tyre (which has grown considerably due to various treatments!)and then inserted the needle and it didn’t hurt half as much! I don’t know if I suffered any side effects because I only had the injections during my chemo and I didn’t know which to attribute the various side effects to.
Hope that next month is better if you decide to continue with it,
Nicola
Hi all,
I’ve been on zoladex since Oct 08 and like Jill am one that has major side effects from it - hot sweats, mood swings, personality changes, irritability, lack of sleep, weight gain. I wanted to have a break from treatment last summer I was so exhausted but was advised against it (even a break of 1 or 2 months) because I have bone secondaries and was highly hormonally receptive. Instead I went on low dose prozac and that helped loads. I am on arimidex alongside the zoladex as I am pre-menopausal at 45.
Don’t panic though, some people are more susceptible than others and will get all SEs listed whilst others will get none or very few and only mildly !
A handy hint - make sure you get a supply of Emla cream prescribed. It’s an anaesthetic cream you put on an hour beforehand and I never feel a thing (and I bruise really easily!!!). One month it’s left side and the next the right side and so on. It goes into your stomach and it’s the only time I’ve been grateful for putting on so much weight. The nurses do it at our surgery and apart from one who stabbed me and I felt it even with the cream, they’ve been brill.
In spite of the SEs I would still rather have this each month than run the risk of faster spread.
Liz
Hi Nicola,
Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I finally found someone with the same situation. Because I was developing these horrible looking cysts, and based on the ultrasounds, my surgeon said he was 95% sure I had ovarian cancer! So had surgery to remove the growths on both ovaries and luckily the pathology report came back negative. He didn’t want to remove more until he knew for sure because I was only 37 at the time with no children. A month after my surgery I started developing more cysts and now one is looking like the first ones when he thought they might be cancer. So this is why we’re trying Zoladex - to see if it’s the Tamoxifen. But I definitely can’t continue on this because it’s destroying me. It’s so good to hear that someone else had the same problem (not good - but you know what I mean). How have you been since your surgery??
I know what everyone means when they say they’re happy to be alive and have access to these drugs when 100 years ago we would be in a bit of trouble. But I just don’t know how I can work while experiencing these side effects. Not to mention be the wife my husband married. I want my life back.
Thank you for posting - I’m really glad to hear from you!
Jillxx
Hi Jill
I am just heading up to bed as I have worked a really long day and am particularly brain dead Tonight, I will PM you Tomorrow, so look out for that!
Take care and I’m glad my experience has helped you!
Nicola