Staying on Track with Hormonal Therapy

Staying on Track with Hormonal Therapy

Hormonal Therapy

Taking hormonal therapy medicines to treat hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer is a long-term commitment. You'll most likely take hormonal therapy for 5 or 10 years to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.

You'll get the best results from treatment when you follow your personal treatment plan completely and on schedule. Doctors call this "full compliance." Staying on track with hormonal therapy can be a challenge, especially after the first few months.

Below are some common problems with sticking to your hormonal therapy treatment plan and ways to over them. You can learn more in the Breastcancer.org Staying on Track with Treatment section.
Forgetting to take your hormonal therapy medicine

    * As you get back into your daily life after surgery and other treatments, you may sometimes forget to take your hormonal therapy pill.
    * Once you start feeling healthy again, you may want to be done with any reminders of breast cancer.
    * As time goes by, you'll probably have fewer doctor visits and so fewer reminders about your treatment plan.
    * If you're taking other medicines in addition to hormonal therapy, it can be hard to keep track of all of them.

To stay on track with taking your hormonal therapy medicine, you may need to use more than just your memory. Research has shown that when women undergoing treatment for breast cancer reported how well they stuck with their treatment plan, many of them followed the plan a lot less than they though they did. Here are some tips to help you remember to take your hormonal therapy medicine:

Hormonal Therapy

    * Ask for a written copy of your treatment plan. The plan should describe the size, shape, and color of the pill; how often you take the pill; and how to take the pill (chew, swallow with water, take with food, etc.). Ask your doctor to write out what you should do if you miss a dose.
    * Keep a medicine diary. Use a calendar or notebook to keep track of which medicines you take each day and the time of day you should take each one.
    * Try to take your medicine at the same time each day. If you can link taking your medicine to something you do every day -- eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, getting ready for bed -- you're more likely to remember to take it.
    * Use the alarm feature in your computer, watch, or cell phone as a reminder. If you regularly use any of these electronic devices, set an alarm to tell you when it's time to take your pill.
    * Plan ahead if you'll be away from home. Take along more pills than you'll need in the original container and bring your medicine diary. If you're traveling by airplane, put your medicine in your carry-on bag or purse in case your luggage gets lost. If you'll be traveling for more than a couple weeks, talk to your doctor about getting an extra prescription to take with you, just in case. If you're traveling outside your country, you also may want to ask your insurance company about how you can get your prescription filled at your destination, again, just in case.

About the Author

Tushar Virani