Bottle o Tamoxifen
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Rachel,
Let me know if you end up moving to Easton. Right now, I'm in Belleville, NJ, about 15 minutes from Giants stadium.
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Thanks kmmd. Yes, it was very scary. Now I will be always terrified of having another one, even if they did put something about in my records. lol Have a bad headache today, so, I haven't been doing much. I imagine it is probably from all that happened yesterday, unless, tamox gives you headaches?
And, I LOVE your avatar!
Susie
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Donna, so you take benadryl? I have to admit, it knocked me out and I felt so refreshed when I finally woke up..hours later. lol I am glad that it is ok for you to take it. I wouldn't mind having more on hand when I needed a good nights sleep.
Susie
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Deb- that's pretty fast, 2 weeks! It affects everyone differently, so lucky you get it fast... j/k... that said, generally I've read that the HF do tend to come with periods or without periods, cyclical kinda, which makes sense in a way, being hormonal and all that. Lots of gals reporting zits, seems especially on the chin? Again, having the same kind of SEs as puberty and menses and all that does kinda make sense... plus I don't know how old you are but "at this age" - the usual age for SFBC, 40s, 50s we are doing the menopause perimenopause premenopause neutron dance and it all goes funky anyway... like a new game.. Guess the Cause!
I got my first HF this weekend during my period, so I am a-hopin and a-prayin its just going to be happening on my periods- I'm hagatha on my period anyway so no loss of grace there... and also hope to be one of the general rule whose SEs subside after a handful of months. Then a nice easy Tamoxiride- I can hope! For you too!
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Joyce- there will be a party... many parties... and you'll be there.
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Hi ladies. Sorry to be such a wimp but I seem to bruise easier now that I am on Tamox. Anybody else experience that? Thanks.
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americanpinay, have not noticed that .... have been on Tamox since 9/30/09.
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Hi Ladies,
There is a great website called drugs.com where you can check Tamoxifen's intereaction
with any other drug you might be concerned with. I shared this with Susie. At the top in
blue you'll see categories and you click Interaction Checker.
And Yes Susie....headaches are another SE of our Tamoxifen. I got mine refilled today
and they gave me an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet with side effects galore. I'm hoping because it's
an older drug that so much more is known about it....and that why. I hope.
)I call it The Big Tee.
CatbirdC ~ Bonnie
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Americanpinay, I have also noticed that I bruise more easily since being on tamoxifen.
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Ok Bonnie. I am not for sure that the tamox would have given me a headache this soon, but, you never know I guess. I will check out drugs.com too. Thanks for posting that! The Big Tee! lol
Susie
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Susie: The Tamox is giving me daily headaches...worse some days more than others but all in all manageable. I have read that it's a possible side effect. On the days when the headaches are mild the baby aspirirn I take seems to be working. My ONC never prescribed the baby aspirirn but I take it anyway....you might want to ask your ONC if it's OK for you to take it - it may help with the headaches. Hopefully, your headache is not an SE and just a headache..
Terri
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I have hot flashes every evening starting around 7 and then while sleeping too, not many during the day. Haven't had a period since chemopause in April. So my hot flashes are not cyclical.
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I have hot flashes throughout the day and at least one in the middle of the night. I also seem to bruise more. I also think joint pain is a part of all the ses, yes?
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Joint pain as an SE of Tamox means your recurrence rate is even lower! (want to see the study?) I know it doesn't help the joint pain but...
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Yes, Jess all are part of the se's.
Just take it one day at a time.
I asked the pharmacist about benadry and she said it is ok for occasional use and yes definitely in an allergic reaction.
Good luck to all!
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Yep, my ONC also said I could use benadryl occasionally. I have a lot of allergies and get hives really easily, so I feel safe taking benadryl if I need to. BUT I would definitely ask your ONC because everyone is different and I don't know what other meds or conditions you have that might play into the whole medication scenario.
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I haven't been on here in awhile, have been trying to really get my mind off breast cancer and being on a medication. But thought I'd check in & share my experience, seeing that there are a lot of newbies on here now.
In about 2 more weeks, it will be a year since I started taking tamoxifen. I was perimenopausal before I started, was already missing periods for months at a time, only to have them come back for a few months and then disappear again, already was having night sweats and some hot flashes, and a few sexual issues, like loss of sensations and some vaginal dryness.
It took a month or two on tamoxifen before the hot flashes set in regularly, vaginal discharge replaced the dryness, some new joint and muscle pains popped up, and orgasms became very difficult to come by. I complained so much to my Onc about this last one, he prescribed Wellbutrin, which helped, but had to stop it due to heart palpitations. In the very beginning, I had some irritation to my eyes, feeling of heaviness in the pelvic area, some slight nausea and increased appetite, which caused me to gain about 7 lbs. I did increase my exercise intensity, and over several weeks got my weight back down again to where I wanted it.
Hot flashes came and went in cycles, then came back with a vengeance over this past spring and summer, so bad I quit tamoxifen for several weeks, to see if I could get some relief. I did a little bit. After 6 wks, I went back on it, got a little scared about reoccurrance. My libido came back in that first week back on it, and a month later, the hot flashes started to die down again. They have now been almost completely nonexistent for about 2 months now. Restarting on the tamox brought back some of my earlier symptoms again, but only briefly, like the pelvic heaviness and the irritated eyes, but my tamoxifen induced aches & pains have not come back. I actually have felt terrific for about 2 months now, moods are stable, no aches anywhere, sex is ok, hot flashes are very rare and mild now, haven't had a period in 8 months, so maybe this past summer with the intense hot flashes was the last finale for me passing through menopause.
I' ve made lifestyle changes since being diagnosed, like exercising regularly, almost completely cutting out alcohol and bad carbs, and really ramping up the cruciferous veggies as well as being vigilant about getting my antioxidant foods in, trying to go organic as much as I can afford. I take fish oil and flaxseed, tumeric for joint pain, trying to buy meats, milk and cheese without the added hormones, rarely eat red meat, and drink lots of water and green tea, and also started yoga over the summer.So far, no uterine problems, had my first transvaginal sono 6 weeks ago, bone density is great, and strangely enough, I now can't gain any weight no matter how much I eat or slack off on the exercise.
The best thing is I'm less drawn to these boards now, so am getting to the point where I'm not constantly thinking about BC and possible reoccurrance!
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I took a couple of baby aspirin Terri and it seemed to help my headache. It could be from all that happened yesterday with the CAT scan and the allergic reaction that gave it to me. It was a pretty eventful day, to say the least. lol Hubby said it wore him out. LOL
No hot flashes yet. But, it has only been 3 pills so far. It would great if I didn't have them, but, I am sure that I will.
Did everyone have se's right away, or, did it take some time?
Susie
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I don't know if they knew I was on tamox or not. I didn't tell them. But, the tech got the Benadryl in me real fast when she saw the hives on my neck. It did work fast, but, it knocked me out. lol I was in lalaland for hours! A great sleep!
Susie0 -
Hi Rose! What you wrote was very interesting. You seem to be in a really good place now. I hope that someday I can be there. I just don't have many that are my age that have had bc and my girlfriends don't really want to talk about it. I think because it scares them. And, I understand that. So, I came here to get some help with the tamoxifen, as, I really had noone else. And, everyone has been so great, so supportive of me. The private messages even amazed me! I know I can do it and get thru it now!
I look forward to the day when I don't even think of bc. Will that day ever come?
Susie
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Rose that's all such wonderful news! Good for you and thank you so much for the update!
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We will all be where you are at Rose someday, and, I hope someday SOON for all of us!
Susie
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Rachel,
I am always up for a party!!!!!
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Hi to All, Hope everyone is doing well today
)Susie09
)Keep meaning to tell you that I've seen you ask a few times how soon side effects "kick in"
so to speak. I'm sure that probably varies considerably, but mine took about a week.
I've not had anything other than hot flushes that bugged me a week or so and now just once
in a while~~ and dry eyes that I'm using drops per doctor. . An occasional headache or
feeling of nausea but with both of those you can't be sure it's our Big T....altho it probably is.
Hope this helps.
CatbirdC Bonnie
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Rose- very inspiring update. Thank you for taking the time to post.0
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I know this is probably going to get some negative responses but I have decided to stop tamoxifen for a 2 wek trial period to see if anything happens with my weight. Since taking tamox in July 2007 I have put on 15 unsightly pounds around my midsection DESPITE working out at least 4 days a week.
I know tamox has a shelf life so I know it will still remain in my system. I just would really like to know if all this weight gain is a result of medication or being thrust into chemo-pause.
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Seeing surgeon today for first BIG talk/ Q & A about Tamoxifen. All sorts of butterflies in my stomach !
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Good luck on your Tamoxication kap24. Many women here have taken a vacation from Tamoxifen, and many of them found that the vacation seemed to ease the worst of their side effects even when they started back on the Tamoxifen.
I wouldn't expect the 15 pounds that have taken you two years to put on to melt away during a two week break from Tamoxifen no matter how many days a week you work out. But, maybe the re-start will let you switch from the weight gaining side effect to the weight losing side effect!
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Rose:
Thank you for taking the time to post -- very inspiring! I hope you continue on this path.
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Thanks PatMom,
Believe me I know it will take time to get back to where I was pre BC and maybe I'll never get there completely. But the lack of definitive answers to so many things causes me to be more curious the further out I get post diagnosis. Its just a matter of trying to think things thru thoroughly and responsibly.
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