Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
-
Hi Ladies not sure if I am posting in the correct place but I have a question
With quiet a few cancers ie. Kidney..thyroid, bladder etc to name a couple..in the early stage they do surgery to remove the tumour and no preventative treatments are pushed or given.
With breast cancer even in early Tamoxifan hormone therpy is advised at times.. how come? A but confused.
But
0 -
live love laugh
they offer adjuvant hormone therapy because breast cancer does not have a "you are cured" date. Even very early stage breast cancers can recur (as many as 30%) and although the chances of that happening with Stage 1 is very slim, it is not impossible. Tamoxifen has been demonstrated to prevent recurrence by 20% according to large studies.
A Dr would be remiss not to recommend the added benefits of such treatment unless the treatment was not beneficial to a patient for other medical reasons.
0 -
Combo rant/whine.
My third of three 10K races is this Sunday. That means T day, when I will start this blasted drug, is Monday. Which is four days away.
I really-o truly-o do not want to take this.
0 -
oh edj, I was there with you. DID NOT WANT TO TAKE IT. But I did. You will to. You're just trying it to see. Good luck!
0 -
edj3: I've been on it 6 months now, and it has been NOTHING for me, no issues!! Just take it Monday if you are worried, tho!
Edit: ok ... I guess it's been 9 months now, not 6. Time is flying! ; )
0 -
Truly, I'm glad you've had no issues.
I, personally, have had issues with a whole slew of drug categories--including anything hormone related. So you bet your bippy I'm not looking forward to this.
0 -
If you can, start slowly. My Rx is for 10mg a day. I started with a half pill, 5, for the first 4 weeks. Have slowing been increasing. I have stabilized at 10 on MWF and 5 the other days for 50 mg over the course of the week. I am okay with this and I had horrible SEs with Arimedex... Since I am so close to the 70mg the MO wants, but am fine at 50mg without SEs...I am more fearful of ramping up the last bit than just staying where I am at. With the current regime I never take a 10mg pill on back to back days...I'm afraid I might tip my hand into SEs if the high dose is more frequent. TT
0 -
Hi BlueGirlRedState,
Thank you for the information regarding turmeric, acupuncture and Anti-cancer living, by Cohen, Lorenzo. Definitely need to live the anti cancer lifestyle. Though, I’m not doing too well with limiting stress and a little bit too much wine on the weekend. Plus, insomnia seems to only be getting worse. Can’t say that my diet is overly healthy. If I actually have an appetite, it’s usually high fat content.
I don’t know if anyone else is going through low mood/ depression as well. I don’t want to blame it totally on tamoxifen, although, it has certainly worsened because of it. Have been reading up on cancer diagnosis and depression, and for sure this causes extreme stress for some. I guess, I may be one of those people. Have tried CBD tea now for about 10 days or so, but honestly, I don’t think something over the counter is going to help.
Tried hot yoga this week. Was somewhat relaxing, but I know it will take being fully into yoga to gain the benefits. I’m not sure I can stick with it on a regular basis. At least not yet. (Can’t seem to find the motivation). I’ve restarted going back to the gym, especially for body combat class. It’s more like a high cardio work out using fight moves to music. This I enjoy. However, it is very intensive physically, particularly for someone post chemo 3.5 months. But it does seem to help me feel just a little bit stronger after each class. And the dry sauna afterwards is a nice reward for the hard workout.
I would highly recommend the LIVESTRONG program at the Y if it’s available. Exercise not only is helping against depression, it also keeps me in shape and healthy.
Will see in a couple of weeks if I’m back on tamoxifen or some other anti hormonal therapy. Let’s hope for milder side effects.
0 -
Hi Angie, I hope everything works out for you. My daughter was home for summer and her presence keeps my mind occupied but now that she’s back to college and I have empty nest, my anxiety starts building up again. I noticed when anxiety hits, depression follows. I keep reminding myself to keep strong.
My current issues are, swollen eye lids, losing weight, insomnia, and anxiety. I am not losing a lot of weight but it bothers me since it was so hard for me lose weight before, now it seems like without trying hard, I am losing weight. I eat a lot of veggies now and stay away from meat especially red meat. I don’t have hot flushes or new pain from Tamoxifen. I have pain before diagnosis that I’m dealing with but no new one. I take Caltrate, it’s a calcium supplement that contains Magnesium and Vit D.
Does anybody had a CT scan after chemo as part of after treatment care? My MO requested one for me to ease my anxiety but I put it on hold because of the risk I’m reading online.
Have great weekend everybody!
0 -
Hey all, I've been on a half dose of tam for 3.5 months or so and its been really good. My hair has stopped falling out, I've had fewer cramps through the night but there has been some adjustment. I've suddenly started having night sweats again 2-3 times a night and have to get up to pee at the same time. Could be age, could be drugs, who knows? I'm sure this will resolve in time. It's been almost 4 years for me... 5 years since diagnosis. Started tam 10th of January 2016.0
-
So I just saw my MO yesterday for my annual checkup. I'm coming up 7 years since diagnosis!! Anyway, he asked how I was doing and I said great now that I'm off Tamoxifen! I told him that when I finished my 5 years in Feb of 2018 I still felt like crap for months. I mentioned that I didn't start seeing relief from muscle pain till about Nov and then in Jan (almost a year after stopping) I started to lose weight. I'm now down about 12 pounds this year without changing diet or exercise. He told me that Tamoxifen settles in your fat tissue and that fat really sucks in the Tamoxifen so when you quit taking it, it will take many months for the fat to eventually release the Tamoxifen. He said once it does, the improvement is pretty dramatic and I have to say he's right. Kinda wish he'd told me this a year and a half ago but anyhoo.....So for those of you hoping for a quick dip in SEs once you're done with you T, just sit tight. It will happen. He also said that if you can drop any weight when you quit, it will help the Tamoxifen leave your body even faster. So there you have it....straight from my very smart MO's mouth....for what it's worth.
PS--I now have him looking into Relizen for my hot flashes. So far he's on the fence. Thinks it looks good but wary of no real studies done yet. We shall see.....
0 -
Anxious: My MO told me that when I finish the rads and my skin heals, she wants me to do all the scans again. I think it's a routine, don't be worry
0 -
lala...that is interesting re the long slow release of the T from our systems. Especially so as my MO was most concerned with the DVT SE...I travel a lot for business and have many long distance flights each year (coast to coast/Europe)...so now I am wearing compression stockings on flights but he said I would not have to wear compression stockings within 6 weeks of being off T! Guess I'll need to rethink that, having a stroke due to a SE is more scary to me than have a recurrance. TT
0 -
Hi everyone,
I finally started the Tamoxifen a couple days ago. I was really scared to do it, but I did it. When did everyone's side effects get the worst? I'm already having some nausea and cramping (although the cramping might be since my period is coming up). Does it take a while for some side effects to show up?
Also, what time of day do you take it? I'm taking it at night so the nausea doesn't bother me as much.
I'll be seeing my MO today and see what she says, too.
I hope everyone is doing well. : )
0 -
Today was day 3 of tamoxifen for me. I'm taking 5 mg a day in the morning, after I've worked out. I definitely feel nauseous but it's hard to say whether that's from tamoxifen or from fillers used to bind the pill. I'm a dainty snowflake like that.
I do have some joint/muscle pain that started the week after I got my first Prolia injection (which was 10 days before I started tamoxifen). Fun times.
0 -
Peridot180 - some side effects will show in days, others weeks, others months. The same is true for how long it takes for them to resolve when stopping taking it. A good example is joint pain. For many, it doesn't happen until months into it (years in my case), when the serum levels are high and keep getting higher due to the very long half life.
By 2.5 years the side effects reached the point where I had to take a break to prove to MO that is wasn't early menopause. Biggest complaints: night joint pain, and muscle fatigue/difficulty to recover from sports. After taking a blissful 3 month break (all sx resolved within 2-6 weeks - yy!! - except joint pain took 3 months) I started back on it at 1/4 dose (5mg). The joint pain (knees) started back in approx 1 month ago (5 months into taking it again). It wakes me up at 3-4am...right when T is peak in my system after taking it. It's not arthritis, but feels like it. I'm an athlete (recreational, competitive...running, mountain biking, snowboarding) and my joints have been well checked by ortho.
I also take it at night - at the same time with the rest of my supplements/vitamins.
Hope you do well on it! most people do
- xo
0 -
Peridot I have cramping around my period and around the time I would be ovulating, I also find that I'm exhausted about 24-48 hours before cycle starts. For me warm flashes kicked in about a week after starting. I take 10 in the morning and 10 at night, when I did 20 at once the hot flashes were worse. Good luck!
0 -
hi every one i have a sensitive question i am 30 years old my mo suggest 5 years of tamoxifen but i was reading about its SE and got scared cuz it cause vaginal atorphy, dryness, decrease sexual desire and painful sex this part is important to me and my husband so can share your personal experience and if any thing helps to reduce the S
0 -
Thanks guys for the info on side effects. So far just slight nausea. Not looking forward to any other side effects, but I will keep at it and see how I do. My MO really wants me to keep it up. Thanks for the advice!
0 -
lala1 - hi, I am interested in what you find re: Relizen. I've posted before about my severe Hot Flashes, and to this day have not found any relief. I have Severe Hot Flashes to the point of panic attacks. (I have not started Tamoxifen because I am afraid it will make the Hot Flashes worse- if that's even possible)
I've tried Effexor, Paxil, Oxybutynin, Gabapentin, and my OBGYN suggested BELLADONNA, but won't write a script because it contains an opiod. She said for me to get it over the internet - I don't think so. Black Cohosh was suggested but someone in the Triple Positive group said it shouldn't be taken. Interfers with something. (too much information for me to sort out)
I have been approved thru insurance for SBG injection (Stellate Ganglion Block) but cannot find anyone to drive me to the hospital- which is pretty far away- not many Dr's know how to do this procedure) Its used to reduce hot flashes and recently in the news to help PTSD.
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated! Thx!
0 -
BELLADONNA, deadly nightshade, is a common homeopathic remedy. It is available in most pharmacies here in Canada, no prescription required.
Belladonna prepared homeopathically has NO DETECTABLE belladonna in it. This is the whole gobbledygook of homeopathics, the remedies that are made from X substance could never be traced back to X substance because it is so diluted that there is no detectable amount of the original X in the remedy. And the more diluted it is, the more powerful it is considered to be according to homeopathic practice. You could swallow an entire bottle of homeopathic BELLADONNA and no harm would come to you. But I would be very cautious indeed to take belladonna in any form other than homeopathically.
I have studied homeopathy. I use it on myself, my family and my animals.
0 -
Rljes, I don't understand why your doctor would want you to take an old drug like Belladona. I see that you were on oxybutynin. Did she order it because of urinary frequency or spasms? When I was going through menopause my hot flashes were very severe with night sweats. That's why I was put on a low dose of estrogen/progesterone and maybe why I got breast cancer. You don't want to take black cohosh because of its estrogen effect. I've read in one of the post that the clonidine patch might help. You do need to monitor your blood pressure/heart rate, change the patch weekly, and change sites. The SBG injection seems extreme and probably has its own list of side effects. Have you considered Lexapro? It is used for anxiety with panic attacks. With many of these drugs and supplements it takes a month or so to work. I hope you can find relief soon. Maybe, take that drive and find a second opinion. Good luck to you.
0 -
Ginger supplements 500 mg stopped most of the night sweats for me. I found that tip here on bc.org, after going through years and years of posts. When I first got BC in 2014, I could not take tamox because the night sweats were so bad and so frequent that I couldn’t get into REM sleep. You gotta have sleep! I’d alsotried black cohosh (no joy), and every combination of when to take the tamox. Can’t take AI’s because of heart. Since my onctotype was 13, I decided to take a deep breath and take my chances.
Three years and one week later, it came back; the cancer had completely displaced normal tissue in a lymph node in my left axilla. Fortunately, it was in an area that had not been irradiated (as best as my radiologist at Hopkins could tell — my case went to the tumor board.). So we did another lumpectomy, and 6 weeks of radiayion, rather than 19 days. And now I’m on 5 mg of tamoxifen. I still get occasional night sweats, but I’m determined to stay on the tamoxifen. We ran the Breast Cancer Index, and it looks like I’ll only need 5 years, not 10, which is a huge relief. I still have other side effects, but the 5 mg dosage makes them tolerable (I hope) for another 4 years or so.
0 -
Well this is discouraging. I've been on 5 mg for a week and I have hot flashes which I really didn't get during menopause. Also my run this morning was awful, just weird muscle cramps. Given that last week was a lighter running week, and yesterday was a rest day, this is depressing.
0 -
Hey everyone, thanks for the replies.
Flashlight - my MO ran out of ideas for hot flashes so sent me to OBGYN. out of desperation she suggested Belladonna. The oxybutynin was prescribed for the hot flashes, I can't take any antidepressants, its like taking a bottle of Nyquil. (Lexapro, Paxil, Effexor) I was the one that came up with SGB injection - I saw it on 60 Minutes. I too was on Estrace Pills after my hysterectomy in 1994, and believe it contributed to my cancer.
This week will be 90 degrees - then Friday cool front hits. I had promised myself when it got below 50 at night I would start Tamoxifen 5mg regardless of my hot flashes. So FRIDAY it is.
I will try the Ginger. Anybody know how much to take for the Hot Flashes? Thx!
0 -
Edj, back when I started taking tamox I remember it felt like my legs had turned to wood. I had always been rather flexible and all off a sudden I was gimping around as if I had no joints and was made of stone. It was awful. I wasn't running, but any outside yard work was miserable. I am positive it was tamoxifen related, but after a while that went away and was replaced by a host of new and equally annoying issues.
I find odd side effects seem to pop up and then as mysteriously, fade away. It's kind of cyclical. I also get hot flashes, worst at night. Covers off, covers on, covers off, covers on, covers off, swear and whack the pillow, try to sleep, now I'm cold, covers on, FLASH, covers off, kick my husband because I am positive it is him who is raising the temp under the covers. I consider asking him to go sleep on the couch since he is obviously the problem. Wake up too early, tired and look at my beloved cup of coffee as if it might be the culprit. No. It's that tamox. And my hot husband. Wait. That came out wrong. Not hot in that way, not in a Magnum PI kind of way... now I'm sad.
Where was I going with this? ..oh yeah, side effects. My latest one is peeing. I do it constantly. Once two tablespoons of pee have accumulated in my bladder, my bladder does not send me the signal that it's full, it sends me a signal that it's full and going to empty right this second whether that is convenient or not. All of a sudden peeing is an emergency! I used to go 10 hours without having to stop to pee. Now the SECOND I get the heads up that I have to pee, I AM peeing. Imagine my surprise. I am certain that is tamox working its magic on my girl bits. And on that topic the last time I had sex with my husband (just in case you thought I might be getting it on with Magnum PI) I bled! There are bits and pieces that tear now instead of whatever else they used to do. Joy.
Edj, I think you will find that one issue will rise to the top, annoy you for a while, then in a few weeks to months it will resolve and something else will come along. It's like you've joined the Side Effect of The Month Club, and you never know what goody will arrive at your door the first of each month. But the flashes, those have not faded away. Blah.
0 -
Hi
I want to give big hugs to you all. This summer side effects were very yucky for me really bad cramping and pelvic pain. I went to see my MO today and I though I was in a dream when she told me that I could take 5mg of Tamoxifen instead of 20. I asked her if I could just take 10mg, but when she said 5 I had to ask her again to make sure I was hearing her right.
I hope 5mg is the magic number and make Tamoxifen easier to live with. Is anyone else out there taking 5mg how is it going for you?
Wishing everyone well sending you all lots of hugs and Love!
Sara
0 -
runor -- yay? Boy that's not the Club of the Month I wanted to join! I'm dreading this morning's run, it's hot again (seriously, it's Oct. 1 and it's 75 out there at nearly 4 AM) and I'm so weirdly achy.
sm627, that's what I've started on. My MO agreed I could do the super slow ramp I wanted to do; I've been on this a week and a day. Sigh.
0 -
Runor thanks once again for starting my day with a huge laugh. Yeah the side effect of the month club
sm627 very happy that your MO was willing to try a lower dose for you yay! I hope somewhere there is data being collected on how folks do on the lower doses so those that come after us won't have the one size fits all dosing,
0 -
I take 10 MWF and 5 the other days...that gives me 50mg across the seven days of the week...I wanted 5, my MO wanted 10, this is the compromise. SEs are minimal compared to the bad SEs I had on Arimidex...
Runor I do use coconut oil vs bleed...my GYN suggested it. Trader Joe's has little plastic packets of coconut oil that are easy to store bedside...TT
0
