Hot Flashes & Breast Cancer Treatment: How to Manage and What to Expect 

Thank you for sharing your experience. Magnesium and vitamin D can indeed have beneficial effects, including better sleep and potentially easing hot flashes. As you prepare to start your next treatments, it's understandable to have concerns about hot flashes returning. Continue to communicate with your healthcare team about your experiences and any adjustments that might be needed.

Exercise and specialized breathing techniques can indeed offer significant relief. Thank you for sharing your experience with the Yerbba community.

Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

It's assuring to hear Letrozole's side effects have been manageable for you. Some evidence suggests vitamin E may help reduce hot flashes, but the research remains mixed, with many studies showing limited or no benefit. Keep us posted on your experience.

Incorporating morning yoga is a wonderful approach, not only for its immediate benefits to your mood and well-being but also for its long-term positive impact on bone health, which is crucial when taking medications like Letrozole. Thank you for sharing your experience.

It sounds like you're not having the best experience overall. While we have much less data in people with male breast cancer, there are "tried and true" treatments. In other words, you are not technically a lab rat. Combinations of treatments give people the side effects of both medications.

Ovarian suppression with medications or removal or radiation to the ovaries are all reasonable options for someone who has functioning ovaries. The benefit is highest in people who have high risk disease and is effective only in people who have functioning ovaries.

Thank you for sharing. We hope the tips from the video and shared experiences from the Yerbba community offer some relief and support.

Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (brand name: Kadcyla) is a HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer. Ado-trastuzumab emtansine is used in people with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who previously received trastuzumab and a taxane chemotherapy, either for metastatic disease or disease recurrence within 6 months of adjuvant therapy. It is also used in people with HER2-positive early breast cancer patients with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant taxane and trastuzumab-based treatment. It is extremely effective compared with trastuzumab alone. Side effects include nausea, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, thrombocytopenia, increased liver enzymes, headache, peripheral neuropathy. For more information about this type of treatment, the antibody-drug conjugates, check out our video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SIoWrj8aVZw.html

@@yerbba thank you for the response. Also thank you for sharing the link. It is very useful and helpful

@@yerbba I am a Her2 positive EARLY breast cancer (Stage 1B) patient with 3% residual disease after mastectomy on left breast. I also received chemotherapy before surgery. Start tomorrow (June 5th), I will start my 1st “Kadcyla treatments” for 14 cycles/ 3 weeks. Thank you Dr Griggs for the response on my question

Thanks so much for sharing your strategies. So happy you're doing well.

Tamoxifen can extremely rarely cause inflammation of the lungs (pneumonitis), leading to shortness of breath and a dry cough. It would be reasonable to stop the tamoxifen and then to talk with her medical team as soon as possible.

Great question. Side effects start within 1 to 2 weeks and peak (are their worst) at 3 months.

Common medications for hot flashes and anxiety due to estrogen loss include medications that are used for depression and anxiety as well as hot flashes, including SSRIs, SNRIs, as well as many other medications. It's important to always discuss these options with your medical team to find the most suitable one.

This is a question best suited for your oncologist.

Unless someone is iron deficient, however, iron supplements should be avoided outside of a daily vitamin if someone has been advised to take a daily vitamin.

While not common, this symptom is experienced by some people. If the cold feeling is during your treatment, it's possible that the iv fluid is chilling you. If it is constant no matter where you are, let your primary physician know as there may be other underlying conditions worth investigating.

Thank you for writing. It may be that you are experiencing lymphedema. You may find our video on lymphedema to be helpful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rwy00ae40_E.html

We are doing well, thank you! Our video on lymphedema may be helpful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rwy00ae40_E.html

You should be asking your mom's oncologist about this -- they know her medical history and prescribed the tamoxifen in the first place.

It is likely that your mother's ovaries are no longer making estrogen. With Stage III (3) cancer, she will most likely be offered 10 years of endocrine therapy (5 years of an aromatase inhibitor and 5 years of tamoxifen). Starting with tamoxifen for 5 years is a reasonable option. Hope this is helpful.

Yes, great tip! Cotton sleepwear can indeed make a big difference in managing hot flashes. Thanks for sharing!