Practical Tips for Long-Term Hormone Therapy

Practical Tips for Long-Term Hormone Therapy

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Several common cancer medicines are now taken by mouth at home. Tamoxifen, letrozole and anastrozole are often taken for five years or more after breast cancer, and imatinib is taken every day for chronic myeloid leukaemia. That makes routine and supply just as important as the medicine itself.

Build a simple routine: take your tablet at the same time each day, keep a pill organiser, and set an alarm. If you miss a dose, check the patient leaflet and never take two at once. Weekly methotrexate is the exception: for arthritis and psoriasis it is taken once a week, not daily.

For more practical tips, read the full guide here explains what to expect in the first months.

Common side effects: hot flushes, joint stiffness and tiredness are common with hormone tablets. Aromatase inhibitors can thin the bones, so many people have bone scans and advice on calcium and check here vitamin D. Tell your care team about chest pain, sudden breathlessness, leg swelling or unusual bleeding straight away.

Plan your supply. Reorder when you still have two or three weeks of tablets left, so a delay never interrupts treatment. Generic tablets contain the same active ingredient as the brands and usually cost far less. A valid prescription is required for every order of a prescription medicine.

There is more information in this guide.

This is general information, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any medicine.

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