Bottle o Tamoxifen
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Night all. Sleep is beckonging. I plan on trying out a number of your suggestions...something is going to work:)
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Eastcoast: I started off with 2 lumpectomies before I ended up with a mx. My BS told me NOT to start Tamox until after the mx. When I had the exchange surgery though it is such a short surgery and I was not told to stop taking it before the surgery. I think you should talk to your onco and your PS since it seems like so many of them have differing opinions on many things.
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Calamtykel!!!!!
I READ ON THIS SITE THAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE BENADRYL WITH TAMOXIFEN FOR SOME REASON- ASK YOUR DOCTOR OR PHARMACIST.
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Morning gals....yes, I had heard & read that also, about the Benadryl....but I asked if I could take Tylenol PM at night to help me sleep, and the Doctor said yes, even thought it does have Benadryl in it. But I don't even have to take that now, because I'm sleeping on my own.
I have been taking Claritin, in the mornings, trying to open up one of my stupid ears. But that works differently than Benadryl. And so far even THAT isn't helping.
So I'll maybe go in to the Doc's to see what is going on with that ear next week. That's probably why I sleep better, Ha! I can't hear very well! And my DH has a bad head cold, so when he talks, it sounds like he puts both hands over his mouth & mumbles....I'm just running around here going "what?" "WHAT?" And when he hears trucks going down the street, & I am oblivious, I just say "show off." But I don't need to hear that stuff anyway.
I can see that some of you gals have about the same diagnosis as mine, but that your Doc put you on a different course of treatment...I think they are all just different...they have different ideas on what THEY think is the best.
Sandee...that WAS beautiful! I find the further away I get from the first diagnosis, the happier I am! I'm Okay now, & I'll just go plunking along with my life!
It was like your heart drops right out of your body when you hear those words....and it stays there, until you can see some hope, & until the surgery is over....THEN the treatments....but looking back on it now, I am just so happy that I went through that & didn't go nuts!
So Tamoxifen is just that little Pill, (well it's smaller than those other vitamins I take) that are helping me feel better than I have in years....I mean, my joints even feel better! So I just wish you gals the same!
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with regards to benadryl...I talked to my onc before Christmas I had that really bad cold/sinus thing that is going around and benadryl is the only thing that helps me. He said as long as I take it two hours AFTER i take T I should be good. Since I take T in the morning I took Benadryl at night. I don't take it regularly so i am sure that is ok.
Good morning ladies!! Hope you all have a great day.
Diane
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I got my RX's yesterday for Tamox & Effexor. I read the patient information sheets that came with them and they both said that one of the se's is weight loss - good news for me. I could stand to lose a few.
Starting out with 10mg for a week to see if I can tolerate it - had such a bad time with the AI's then will move up to 20mg and start Effexor. I certainly hope Tammy works - I am running out of options here.
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- Jo, after reading way too much on the boards, I am doing just fine on Tamoxifen. I had a few days of dark depression, that seems to have moved on. I also found that cutting my coffee and tea absolutely helped with hot flashes. I exercise a little bit every day, nothing crazy, and that helps, too. My general sense is, most women tolerate Tamoxifen better than the AIs.
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MHP70 - That is good to know. The AI's were terrible. I am crossing my fingers that Tamoxifen works. I am tired of going to doctors appts. Right now I don't have another one until April.0
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Wow, this thread moves fast!
Sandee~ GREAT list! Loved it!
East Coast ~ I'm the same thought of you as wanting to wait (for me just till the end of this month to make sure the Effexor is working/not causing side effects ~ go to see my onc this morning! ~ I'll see what he thinks!) I'm just a couple fills away from last one so will prob be doing exchange in April/May? I'll ask onc what he thinks about being on Tammy during surgery too.
Hugs to all you amazing ladies!
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I'm a little behind, but...
Eastcoastgirl: I finished chemo Sept 22 and the next time I saw my onc, he said I could start Tamox anytime. When I reminded him I had exchange surgery scheduled for Nov 17, he said I should wait at least a week after the surgery because of the increased risk for blood clots.
jo1955: My onc has me taking Effexor after breakfast and dinner and this week he doubled my dose because my hot flashes are so bad. I'm worried about taking too much, but he assures me that he started me on a very low dose. When I asked if it would be hard to come off of Effexor when things settle down, he said it wouldn't be a problem as long as we do it gradually.
He did say that while hot flashes can be pretty bad for some women, I seem to have one of the worst cases he's seen. Yay me--finally first at something! And I know the Tamoxifin can and will make hot flashes worse, but mine started in chemo (haven't had a period since May 2010) and got progressively worse for the two months before I started Tamoxifin. I'm 45 and asked him if I could be truly menopausal and he said they wouldn't even test my ovary production until 1 year after the end of chemo because everything is so out of whack right now. So I'm just going to ride this train and see what happens.
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codavis - When I told my onc I already had bad hot flashes and the Tamoxifen would make them worse, he did not hesitate to put me on Effexor. Right now, I have to change clothes some nights, so I can't imagine what the hot flashes would be like without Effexor.
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Jo, I don't know if you are a big coffee drinker, but I'm down to half-caf in the morning, and trying to do no more than that. I have had a HUGE reduction in flashing. In fact, last night I drank a cup of black tea before bed (dumb). I woke up in a puddle, first time in weeks.
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Sandee ~ You rock girl!! Very well put. Thank you for sharing that with all of us.
I need to go buy a new bra. I am glad I got to keep my tata and the scars are fading fast, but I start to tear up just thinking about it and cannot work up the courage to go shopping, afraid I'll start crying at the store. Good Lord, what a sap I've become.
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MPH70 - I usually have 2 cups in the morning and that is it. My down fall is the Dr Peppers throughout the day. That is probably what I need to get off of. The coffee has to stay and I would be willing to go half caf if that would help.
phxsunshine - Sweetie - you are not a sap - your feelings are real and they are yours. I would look at it this way - I get to go shopping and buy something new. While you are at it, treat yourself to a new piece of jewelry. (((HUGS)))
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Hello ladies,
So glad you're all here and sharing freely. Started 20 mgTamox on Dec. 23, and switched from Wellbutrin to Effexor on Dec. 30. So far so good on both. The first few days I felt a little nauseous and had a major meltdown over Christmas for two days (couldn't stop crying), but now I'm fine. No hot flashes. Honestly, at this stage of my life, I just don't know what can be blamed on cancer, or Tammy, or anything. I find that for the last few years, everything has been up in the air for me; lack of sleep, loss of libido, depression, anxiety, kids growing up & leaving home, financial issues, etc. BC and Tammy are just icing on the cake (a very bad tasting cake) and I don't know what's what. But I think I feel pretty good and haven't had any serious SE's that I can think of. ((Hugs)) to all of you.
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Pennythoughts - Glad you are doing better. Still sending a big hug out to you.
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tee hee must have diff paperwork here in ca! my sheet and i think webmd siad weight gain?
i guess we sre a captive audience regardless eh? benefits outweir the risks kinda thing? you know --- if we survive this poion, whoo hoo!
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oh yeah, always forget to sin my posts nancy- carol0
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Wow, just left for a day or two and this thread has really moved fast --
Chevyboy - I did see the doctor as I had to go for something else anyway. I didn't even ask about the redness on the leg. It was turning that yellowish - green. You know the color that comes when you bruise yourself. I'm a bit embarrassed. Have no recollection of hitting my leg. Chemo brain???? Ya thinik?
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Penny, your life sounds just like mine. I have 2 kids in college, a 14 yr old still home though. I've been perimenopausal for about 3 years now, on tamoxifen the last 2 years. Libido has been an ongoing problem for about 3 years, and now this past year, insomnia. I briefly tried Wellbutrin to help the libido, but couldn't tolerate the palpitations it gave me, so now I'm using testosterone gel, which does seem to help. I get very achy for weeks at a time and then it all vanishes, I alternate between vaginal dryness and constant discharge. I always wonder is it the tamoxifen causing side effects or menopause progression? I've gone 11 months now without a period, but lab tests show that I'm not in menopause.
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Hello Ladies - I started Tamoxifen on Dec 15th. It hasn't been too bad except for dry mouth and vaginal discharge except that now I think it is making me constipated. Anyone else have a problem with that? Also, I have been taking Welbutrin for years, my onco never said anything about it reducing the effectiveness of Tami. He probably didn't even notice it. I guess I will be making a phone call.
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I understand..tried wearing the lace bra again last week...no dice...bu the swelling is going down so i will try each week until I can....felt weird to have one cup a bit empty (yet a swollen line across the nipple at the end of he day..how is that for odd?) and the other full but I will take what I can get!
The irony is that one month before my diagnosis I had finally found the perfect bra for my 34dd's!... I had to visit Texas and Norstrom's(my first visit to a Norstrom's...we don't have them here) to find the Wacoal brand...I hink they also make sports brasso when I am visiting NYC in March, I will have to hit one and see.
One other gift that breast cancer has given me (hguess this is 9.)...I value my ability to fly. I fly a fair bit wih my work and have been able to visit quite a number of counries over the years...when I was diagnosed and didn't know time schedule or prognosis I read way too much about lymphodema and all I could think was "My god...I hav ebeen travelling to escape a broken heart this past year and I didn't apprecaite a single thing I visited...was o numb). This year? I plan on enjoying every single flight, place and thing I do.
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Thanks for the kind words folks...it has been a low everning so the feebdack is much appreciated...
Ok..so the discharge is normal..nothing major but not something that normally happens for me...I had a blood test before going on Tammy to verify what I had been saying ...I am menopausal and have been for 18 months! Guess 48 still sounds young for menopause? but only two of my numbers say menopause..my estrogen is still firing at 111 and under 30 is menopausal so it is Tamoxifen for me. I have been trying the 1/2 pill in am and 1/2 at pm and I slept from 10:45 - 5am...only woke up at 4am...fell asleep until 5 and then stayed inbed til 6...decided to just get up at that point.
So what is effexor? I am currently on opiclone for sleep...the other one I was on I have just read is not a good mix and couner affects what the Tammy is doing so I thin that is no longer an option for me.
Any other good sleep ideas? exercise (check), low/.no caffeine (check), warm bath (check),quieting the head ...(big old X)...starting a meditation course this coming Wednesday ...will run for five weeks so I am hopeful. Any other suggestions:)
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The splitting the pill does seem to help hope it work for you too Sandee. Sandee my onc told me Effexor is a low dose antidepressant that works really well for hot flashes. I am not on it. I am very sensitive to meds and figured let me get used to the tamoxifen first I will live with the flashes for now.
Had my first night with waking up all sweaty a few times actually. Will still take that over the side effects I had on the Tamoxifen before my last surgery in Nov...
Getting fitted for a sleeve next week and post op PS appt went well. one more surgery.in the Spring given me a break have had 3 since July...... guess its harder to put you back together than take you apart lol!
Good night Tammy girls!
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Dear Tammy girls:
Just in case any of you are wondering about the benadryl/ other meds on tamoxifen there's a list on this site- you go to:
treatment and side effects
then on the left hormonal therapy
then selective estrogen receptor modulators(SERMS)
then at the top TAMOXIFEN
THEN scroll down to the list of drugs that inhibit tamoxifen.
Just an FYI for us all. Good night everyone!
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Anyone have 'fuzzy' brain from Tamox? Forgetfuless?
Jan
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Two nights on Tammy and all is well. Right now I am taking a split dose - 10mg for the next week and then the full 20mg if this does not upset my stomach. I will continue on the split dose for the entire 5 years. That is probably what will work best for me. What a hassle to split pills but will do it if need be. Will also start the Effexor next week as well.
Woke up last night just drenched in sweat and had to change clothes and pillows - I keep an extra pillow for this reason. Can't wait to start Effexor and see if it really helps with the hot flashes.
Jan508 - Cant't help you with the "fuzzy" brain - haven't been on the tammy long enough.
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Just a thought ... trying to look at the bright side
With the heavy night sweats.... I would assume you wake up lighter from less water weight!
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SusansGardens - That is a thought - I like that one.
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And think of all the toxins you are flushing out of your body! It's like going to a sauna in your sleep! 0
