Topic: Bottle 'o Tamoxifen

Thanks awb, my symptoms so far have been really mild and I hope it continues this way. Achiness has been the worst of it but maybe that's left over from chemo too.

Harley - yes, I'm having achiness, but I had it before I started the Tamoxifen so it could still be from chemo.  My fingers are stiff and achy at night, but get better during the day.  I do think I may be developing insomnia, but I'm not sure if it's the Toprol or the Tamoxifen.  I'm leaning toward the Toprol because it was right around then that it started.  I'm having more of the RLS, too. 

Anyone feeling fatigue that they think is due to the Tamoxifen?  I just don't know what to attribute it to.  I seriously want to stop taking the Toprol, because I just don't know what side effects it's causing, but I suspect it's the insomnia and RLS.

Take care everyone and welcome aboard all our newcomers!

Cynthia 

Hi Cynthia , you know , about a month after my last tx of chemo , my energy level was back as good as new. But after I started tamox. I noticed I felt fatigued. Its not real bad , but not as energenic as I was. Is fatigue listed as a SE?

Cynthia, I have been feeling more fatigue, too, but my thyroid is off again.  I'll be seeing my primary care dr. on Thursday, so I will find out if I need a dose adjustment on the Synthroid. 

Thanks for confirming the achiness may be from the Tamoxifen.  It is getting colder here, so maybe I'm just noticing the aches and pains more, due to the cooler weather.

Harley

Harley - the weather could be a factor.  My onc told me to try to keep my joints warm so I sometimes sleep with gloves, but my fingers are still stiff.  I did experience sore muscles and all around achiness after taking the kids downtown one night to the tree lighting ceremony, and the only thing I can think of was the cold even though I felt warm enough at the time.  I think the colder weather is helping me have less hot flashes, at least.

I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling more fatigued, too.  My thyroid results were normal, so I can't blame it on that.  I wish I could stop the Toprol just to see if I feel better.  I'll wait to see what my dr says later this month. 

Cynthia 

I too have some achiness in my legs and arms.  I have had this before Tamox..so not sure if it is a s/e.  I haven't really noticed weight gain, but I have noticed not being able to lose it!  I have cut back my calorie intake, started running again, and really am watching everything I put in my mouth!! Very fustrating!  Not sure if it is a s/e of tamox...or could be my age (47) and the fact that I have been thrown into menapause.

Jackie...I too sometimes I am moving like an 80yr old instead of my age!! In the morning getting up..just walking across the room...my ankles, feet, legs...hurt..until I get moving. I truly hope this getts better!  My sleep has not been very good either.  I have a hard time falling and staying asleep!

Oh...got to love this!! haha

xoxo

Lisa

Good morning ladies,

I started my tamoxifen in early October and so far my only se's seem to be insomnia (waking up one time per night for a week), warm feelings during the day - I wouldn't call them hot flashes yet, and a few episodes of night sweats.  We'll see how it progresses as the years go by. sigh   Hope all are well.

Take Care

Trish

Awb,

Glad you've stayed with Tamox, I intend to take it for at least 5 yrs.  I do not want BC to recur nor do I want my bones to thin.

Sorry about the increased belly fat.  I've had it since my hysterectomy in 1983.  I exercise regularly and do yoga  BUT some belly fat is always there. 

.

Good morning, ladies--

I've now been on tamox. for a month.  Night sweats are increasing, and yesterday I noticed more hot flushes (rather than flashes) during the day.  The weather has turned a little cooler here, and I tried turning on the heat at school...immediately I was dying, but when I turn it off I'm cold.  Oh, well...if this is as bad as it gets, I can't complain.  I like the idea of having a change of clothes under the pillow...sounds like a plan!

I'm taking a calcium/magnesium supplement twice a day, as per my onc.  Also, glucosamine chondroitin for joints--it helps with the pain.  Still waiting to hear from my onc. on whether to continue the prozac--from what I've been reading on this board and elsewhere, most drs. say don't take prozac and tamox., but some say it doesn't matter. 

Re: paper fans--they're all the rage here in Japan, and have been for thousands of years.  I fit right in to the local culture. :-)

Take care...Lynn

I started my Tamoxifen the Sunday after Turkey Day (I figured I didn't want to spoil it with side effects) ... but none have appeared yet!  *knock knock*

I had hot flashes post chemo until about a month ago, and I've had joint pain since about a month post chemo, so I can't attribute the joint pain to the Tamoxifen (but boy do I feel like an old lady getting in and out of the car!)  If the hot flashes return I guess I know what they're due to.  I sure hope they don't though!

I took Benedryl to help me sleep through chemo hot flashes (on advice of my onc).  Worked great!

Hi there! I'm hopping aboard the Tamoxifen Train! I started mine in the first week of November.

I don't know whether to attribute my side effects to chemopause (I'm 44 and this is likely it for my periods) or the Tamox. I get hot flashes, have been a bit stiff and creaky in my joints, and I'm also wearing my "cranky pants" a lot more these days. And I am gaining weight in the stomach area.

However, all this is a small price to pay for the cancer not recurring. I'm hoping an exercise program will get me back in shape and feeling more energetic.

Hi Jacki (from Surrey), I'm in London so not too far! Thanks for the description of your symptoms, glad to hear the fatigue doesn't necessarily persist.

How long does the sleeplessness last? I thought it would resolve after a few days if only out of sheer exhaustion, but so far I seem to be functioning on just a few hours a night and unable to sleep more. I could take an ambien but was on it on and off throughout chemo and am worried about never being able to sleep without it. Any other ideas for getting a regular good nights sleep?

Tnx !!
xx Jackie

Has anyone found the time of day taken has any bearing on side effects?  I've been taking them in the a.m. with my vitamins and Prilosec.  No insomnia thus far, but I'm only in week two.

Hey, Basha ... sorry, I wasn't ignoring you ... just stuck in Ohio without a computer (hmm ... that could be a title for a short story ...).  I've taken 2 so far and I haven't exploded or caught on fire.  So far, so good.  I just put it with the handful of other pills that I have to take and "down the hatch."  I'm used to hot flashes with the Pill, so I wonder if these will be any different.

3girls, Heather, I'm visiting my mom in Dayton, Ohio.  I'm on the hotel computer right now, and will be back home in lovely Arlington VA tomorrow -- YAY!

Cynthia, I'm sorry that Toprol is giving you such a problem ... I was hoping it would work out for you and make you sleep nicely without the Ativan.  *SIGH*  I guess it can't be good for EVERYONE.

Off to print my boarding pass so they'll let me on the plane back home tomorrow.

Cheers!

Layne

Hey ladies,

Has anyone else experienced problems with breathing while on Tamoxifen? I've noticed that by late afternoon, my throat feels as if it's closing up. This usually lasts until I go to bed. (I take my pill in the evenings when I go to bed).

I'm seeing my onc on the 14th of December, and will mention it to her. Or should I phone her before?

Janine