easily treated with standard anti-nausea medicine-Serious nausea may occur, requiring prescription drugs to be taken before each treatment session.-Hair loss may occur as a result of treatment, but will fully grow back after treatment is complete-With certain drugs, it may be possible to eliminate or reduce hair loss by use of a tourniquet-Treatment does cause some initial fatigue which subsides in a day or two-Weight gain is a common side effect of treatment-Menstruation may stop during treatment, but will likely resume if patient is young enough-it is possible to experience several or none of these side effects-individual drugs can have side effects particular to the drug in question.-Phlebitis occurs frequently in the legs and must be treated promptly-Some people develop arthritis when chemotherapy is discontinued. This usually disappears a year after its onset-Some women report problems with memory. It is unclear if this is caused by the chemotherapy or just stress. Memory usually returns to normal.Most chemotherapy drugs are given intravenously, directly into a vein. Some, however, can be taken orally.In some situations plastic tubing is inserted under the skin and connected to one of the larger veins leading to the heart and chemotherapy administered.Tamoxifen is one of the most common hormone related drugs used. Tamoxifenn should be given for a period of five years. Taking tamoxifen for more than five years provides no additional benefitTamoxifen should begin four weeks after surgery or after radiation therapy is completeMost programs of chemotherapy and hormone treatment last for three to six months. Some programs last a year, but this is rare.Tamoxifen occasionally causes nausea or weight gain, and younger women sometime have menopausal symptoms. Rarely, some facial hair occurs.Chemotherapy programs must be tailored for each patient. These factors help determine which program each patient will be put on: the level of risk of r...
