"I couldn't concentrate or focus long enough to finish most tasks," she said. "I would start projects, but couldn't concentrate, and often left them unfinished."
It got so bad that Metz found it difficult to talk to strangers on the phone.
"I wouldn't be able to think of a key word in a sentence," she said. "I felt like the word was in back of my brain. I just couldn't drag it forward quickly enough."
Before receiving treatment for breast cancer, Metz said, she had read about possible side effects such as losing hair, but did not read anything about chemobrain.
After talking to Dr. Lower, she decided to participate in the study.
"What's the good of being successfully treated for breast cancer if your brain isn't working right?" she asked.
"I appreciate the chemotherapy and radiation killing the cancer cells, and would take it again to continue living," Metz added. "I am even more thankful that new treatments are being found to treat the fatigue and other side effects of chemobrain."
After treatment with d-MPH, she added, "I can think more clearly and have more energy--but I'm still able to take naps in the afternoon, if I feel the need."
"This medication has really helped me," Metz said. "I feel like my brain capacity is back to normal."
All participants in this trial were offered the real medication free after the double-blinded trial had ended. Metz participated in the control group and began using d-MPH following the study.
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Contact: Sheryl Hilton
sheryl.hilton@uc.edu
513-558-4561
University of Cincinnati
7-Jun-2005