Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
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I RECENTLY READ A RESEARCH REPORT DONE ON BS.... 1-3 WOMEN WHO DEVELOPE BS WITH NO FAMILY HISTORY HAVE LOW LEVERLS OF VITAMIN D... I TAKE MY VITAMIN D NOW... LOL... JUST SAYIN!!
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yes, Joyce, T can lead to a fatty liver
C
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bcamnb- Fatty liver? What does that mean?
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From Tamoxifen on Wikipedia:
Tamoxifen is also a cause of fatty liver, otherwise known as steatorrhoeic hepatosis or steatosis hepatis
If you google "fatty liver" you'll see lots of references....
just something we should all be aware of
C
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Hi TTrainers,
Although I don't totally understand this fatty liver thing I think it can be a side effect of taking the drug just like taking cholesterol lowering medicines...statins.... can do. I'm on that and have periodic blood tests to make sure this isn't happening. Just what the odds are that it could happen on the Big T I don't know ~~ but we can add it to the list we now have gathered.
I try to calm myself by the knowledge that almost any drug we take has contraindications that will scare us silly. We just have to weigh it all and trust our doctors.
Catbird
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1 year down today. Yippee. I am not sure the benefits of this medicine outweigh the side effects. I am tired of being achy, tired and not interested in sex. I am afraid not to take it though. Oh well, 4 more years to go.
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Stoney, I had exactly the same problem in my first year on tamoxifen. (Started it Nov 2008). It was bad enough that going through perimenopause had started to cause diminished sensations down there when I reached the big O, but then with the tamoxifen, I began to feel like I lost all ability to respond at all. It was just like you said, I felt numb down there, like no type of stimulation worked at all. It felt like there was a "disconnection" down there. I began to lose confidence in my body and was feeling discouraged about my sex life and knew I had to do something. So, I stopped taking tamoxifen for 6 weeks, mainly due to this problem and hot flashes. Once I started back up on it, the response started coming back somewhat.
This lack of sensation problem has led me to try herbal remedies (none of which worked) and now, for the past 3 months I've been using a testosterone gel prescribed by my Gyn and OKed by my Onc and this does work! The sensation, the response time is all back to what it used to be 2-3 years ago. I had been reading a lot about this,and suspected that it might be just what I needed, and it turned out to be the best solution for me.
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Joyce,
I know a LOT about livers since DH had a liver transplant. I can tell you that when your liver numbers are "up" it can be a warning sign, definitely. Do you know what yours are? You really want your creatine and bili to be under 1.0 if you can. Eating healthy and "no rich food" (i.e. sweets are bad) can help bring them down too. Your liver is the only organ that can "heal" if it isn't damaged too much. A fatty liver can become chirrotic and that is bad of course and if it gets bad enough can make you need a transplant.
DH new liver numbers post-transplant got bad earlier this year when he was having trouble with his diabetes and they had to put him on insulin. Once they got his sugars under control the liver numbers got better. So you may need to keep an eye on that as well.
I wish you well!
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Hi All, thanks for the responses to my Vitamin questions.
I had my three month check up with my onc on Friday and saw my PS today about my exchange in September!!! Both docs agreed I could restart the T. So I am getting back on the train...Monday though...I need to mentally ease myself back.
I will definitely be eating my banana every morning before my T and coffee.
Have a lovely evening everyone!! WWoooooowwwwwooooooo Allllll aboard!
Diane
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bcincolorado,
I go for blood work 9/8 and I will find out what my liver enzymes are. If they are up, I may ask my doc to switch me to something else other than "T". Hopefully everything is okay.
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Joyce, if you have any questions, let me know. Your ALT, AST, and AP are all important numbers too. I know those norms too. I don't know how your lab communicates but we can get DH on-line and I sure am not afraid to call for mine either at this point and just not wait for the doctor.
Just FYI, when I was first dx, my numbers were worse than DH before his transplant! It was my gallbladder and I had "silent" gallstones! They've quieted down at this point, but that is also worth checking out before you switch to a med that might have worse SE.
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HI ALL
Thanks for the responses on headaches im drinking about 2 liters a day so in not dehydrated i think it just might be SEs ,on the big O subject befor tamox my sex drive was super i wanted it all the time and my DH is the opp but now i dont have such a strong drive actually its bearley there may be some of you Ladies should drop a few tomox in your hubbies coffee to ease there drive lol
JOJO
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HI Girls,
Well... I am nearly 2 weeks in on the tamoxifen, after a 2 week break. Started the white pill on 4/1. (APRIL fool that I am) I truly think the worst side effect for me is the problems in the lower area. No unbearable just annoying as heck. I have been to the gyno twice. Last time they gave me a gel to put up there. It definately helps ~ They thought I had a bacterial infection. NOT a yeast. I was using monistat prior to my appt and it was making it worse. My vag is super sensitive during sex, it almost hurts ~ I guess I can attribute that to the decrease in estrogen thining the walls. LOVELY !!! Anyone have any good advice on this??? I am ready to have my ovaries removed and switch medications. Don't know if I can live like this at 43 years old. Hubby is getting sick of me denying him saying my crotch hurts. UGH !!!!!!!!!
HELP..........
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bcincolorado,
Thanks a bunch. I will let you know what my numbers are. Going 9/8 and hopefully have them soon after.
Joyce
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Hi JustmeAlicia,
I too have chronic crotch problems....I have been on Tamox for 5 months now and right after my last period stopped I had sex with hubby to find out the next day the pain in the crotch got soooo bad that I made an appt thinking it had to be a UTI....tested negative, so they sent me for a pelvic ultrasound and that was negative, so I then treated myself for yeast as I was wondering what the heck could be wrong with me and they cannot find a thing.....I have a gyn appt today to see what is wrong and I wonder if it is any connection to the little white pill......everyone seems to think NOT, so I guess I will find out later on today.....Monday will be 3 weeks of ongoing pain down below!
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JUNE... sorry you are suffering like me. I have read on the internet, it can definately be a side effect of the tamoxifen. It says the lack of estrogen and change in the PH down there makes things a bit uncomfortable. Just wish there was a fix for it ~ seems like NO it is a grin and bear it situation. Not sure if I can do that. Good luck at the gyno and please let us know how you make out. I think I will be making an appointment too.
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Hi!
I can surely relate to this discussion. Since starting Tamoxifen 1-3/4 years ago, I have seen my body change - my skin is dryer and is more striated like an alligator; my skin is thinner; painful intercourse caused by dryness and loss of elasticity at the entrance of the vagina according to my gyn, body shape change..waist expansion, and finally horrendous hot flashes, which have gotten worse with time, rather than better.
The gyn suggested using a small amount of estrogen cream at the opening of the vagina a couple of times a week to help that problem. He said he has spoken to breast cancer specialists who advise that a small amount of the topical cream, while it is absorbed through the vaginal walls, will not create an increased cancer risk. It's a personal choice. Not sure I'm going to do it. He also gave me a script for a pelvic sonogram to check the uterine lining. He says he orders these every 18 months for his patients on Tamoxifen.
At the end of the day, I'd rather suffer a little and have these changes..than have a recurrence and possibly face more difficult issues. For what it's worth.
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Can't do anything until I get my bladder/uterine repair but my gyne said use KY beads/Replens....and I also use Vit E suppositories - both used at night. Both help - messy but help.
C
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Caroline ~ my gyno said A+D Ointment on the outer area. I have been using that now and then, it definately helps. But I smell like a babies bottom. LOL
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ROTFLMBO at JoJo's comment.
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that JOJO ~ pretty funny !!! I like that idea ~ LOL
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I don't get how you can be dry and have discharge at the same time. It is really strange.
Was wondering if this list sounds like tamox....
Warm flashes
restless legs at night
ovary pains like when you ovulate
creaky joints especially in the fingers, wrists, toes and hips
random rib and back pain
random shooting pains in arms or thighs or random electric shock sensations
trouble concentrating on a single complex problem
rosecia on face
unreasonably tired during the day
sore muscles in arms and around knees
A feeling of weakness like your legs will give out on you - but they don't
None of it is bad enough to make me quit but I hate new SEs when I am still at the stage where anything new makes the worry about cancer.
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marle-----I asked about stopping the tamox before my total abdominal hysterectomy and my gyn said it wasn't necessary. (but I did wonder afterwards, as TAH does have a higher risk of blood clots than a lot of other surgeries; ironically, the nurses forgot to give it to me the whole 3 days I was there anyway!!!!!) I wouldn't think it would need to be stopped before TEs, if it didn't need to be stopped before a major abdominal surgery, but double check with your own physician.
Anne
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Thanks, JustMeA....I'll try it ;-) don't mind the smell of a (clean) baby's bum!
C
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Well, gee, Perky, when you list it all out like that, it sounds really unpleasant, doesn't it?
I can attest to warm flashes, cramps during ovulation, creaky joints (esp hips), trouble concentrating and being unreasonably tired during the day. I also have dizziness at times and peach fuzz hair on my body, and excessive (in my opinion) hair loss - not clumps or anything, but enough that I find loose hair everywhere, even when I try to comb out as much as possible. I thought that one was from anesthesia, but it's been 5 weeks since surgery and only seems to be getting worse. Oh, and low-level nausea.
Sigh.
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Tory I am totally with you!! They are all my aches and pains too minus the dizziness.
I am trying accupuncture on Tuesday to see if that helps with the warm flashes and my aching joints. My hips and ankles are the worst of it. My onc and I think its all due to hormone flux. He thought accupunture would help and a very good friend of mine happens to be a accupunturist (??) I will let you all know how it works out.
Hope everyone is having a good week!!
Diane
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The side effects are a pain. Literally. But what bugs me the most is I am at that post traumatic stress stage where I worry about every ache and pain being some sort of mets or new cancer and good old tamoxifen gives me plenty of those to obsess over. Hopefully by this time next year I will be obsessing a lot less and the side effects will subside. It is my best insurance policy...I'm taking it.
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Has anyone else taking Metformin (diabetic med) felt terrible nausea taking Tamoxifen? I adjusted to the Metformin months before I started the Tamoxifen - then experienced increasing nausea while on the Tamoxifen (I've been taking T for a little over three months). I recently stopped taking Metformin and I don't feel nauseous.
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Hi Ladies,
I'm new to the Tamoxifen forum. I have been on it for a little over a month and seem to be doing fine. The only thing I have notice is sometimes I have been getting a crampy feeling. It's like the feeling you get before your period except it's not time for my period. I want to know if any of you experience this and if you think it is normal. Thanks ladies!
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sweetie - I get that too. For me it happens when I'm ovulating. My onco didn't seem to be too concerned about it and I did read that T stimulates ovulation. See here: http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/fert_preg_adopt/fertility/tamoxifen.jsp
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