Bottle o Tamoxifen
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Nausea and sleep problems are common while taking Tamoxifen. If you are just starting, give your body time to adjust to this medication. For some, it took several months. If the nausea is too unbearable, contact your MO right away. For the sleep issues, there are some who took Melatonin at bedtime and that seemed to help. Melatonin can be purchases at Walmart or anywhere there is a vitamin aisle - local pharmacy would have it.
Hope this information helps.
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Thanks for the comments Jo. I am very familiar with Melatonin my son takes it for sleep ever since he was a toddler.He gets the subliminal spray from Whole Foods.
Does anyone know if you can drink while taking Tamoxofin.0 -
josie - I do. My MO said like anything else do it in moderation. I am not much of a drinker to begin with but I do like my occasional glass of wine especially if I am eating Italian. So, in answer to your question, I would say go for it.
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Thanks Jo I'm also not really a drinker but it's nice to know when you have one of those days or you go out for a special date with your hubby you can still have a drink.
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Finally got the results from the endometerial biopsy, woohoo!!! B9!!! Said unless I have any problems he'll see me next year. First dr I've had to tell me that in a LONG time.
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mstrouble - WooHoo! Great news.
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hi my3girls -your doctor can put u on a low dose anti depresent and that takes care of the hot flashes- the tamoxofen really drives me crazy i get really hot then im freezing , my skin feels funny , ive gained some weight and i have trouble sleeping - but if it keeps us alive ,whats a girl to do lol
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jo1955. I know what a coincidence. I am in North Texas. I grew up near LA actually.
Robin5- Thanks for the tips. I might need to put on tennis shoes, I have been doing the dvd barefoot. That could be bugging my hip.
mstrouble16 Congrats for the B9. Always good news on any board.
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Sorry I meant to write Robin3. I take restoril to sleep. Some ladies take melatonin. I take Tami in the AM. I would not want to take that at night and try to sleep. Sorry you are not sleeping well but you might need to switch to the AM for that pill
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Is it normal to get your period twice in the same month on tamoxifen? I've never had this happen before. Not just spotting, I mean two full on periods.
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Thanks for the info about drinking, I would love a small glass of red wine every once in a while. Started taking Tamoxifen about a week ago. Was walking the other day and got sharp pains in both feet, the three middle toes where the toes connect to the foot base (that's the only way to describe it). Shoes had padded soles, not too tight, never had a problem before. Now, around the house, it happens occasionally but still painful. When I raise my feet (like on recliner) pain goes away. Could this be Tamoxifen-related so soon or just some quirk?
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Lacey I did not know about avocado but have heard that grapefruit is counterproductive when taking tamoxifen. Also Benadryl?
As for drinking I do it in moderation. Sometimes I really need to relax and I love chocolate Martinis. So 1 once in a while helps me relieve stress and that's a good thing!
FYI chocolate martini. Is 1 oz creme dr cacao liqueur and. 1oz vodka shaken with ice and strained The recipe calls for a Hersey kiss as a garnish but I love aero balls. They float like olives!0 -
Hi All,
Just posted a question, just started taking Tamoxifen and getting discharge is this normal?
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Chattipatti....Yes, acording to my MO it means it's working...
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Hi Chattipatti -- Yes, I had quite a bit of discharge for the first couple of months on Tamoxifen. It was profuse enough that I had to regularly wear a pantyliner, but it has since eased up.
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Chattipatti - Yes it is normal. I, myself didn't have the problem but I know of a lot of sistas that did. It will ease up after awhile. Hang in there.
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Yes, Benedryl is a definite no no as it blocks the effectiveness of Tamox....however, as my PCP said to me as I have developed terrible allergies since starting Tamox, "breathing trumps cancer", so when I have a significant allergic reaction, I need to take it. And I do believe grapefruit is not useful to promote Tamox effectiveness, but given my cognitive fog.....I forget why!!
My MO said that 4.5 oz wine should be maximum intake if one drinks wine.
I did have leg cramps pretty quickly after starting Tamox (really interruptive to the little bit of sleep I was getting), and tried quinine to calm them. I also used that bar soap in the bed trick with some success....who knows? But the cramps waned on their own and only show up occasionally now.
Discharge is pretty common, and some experience it more heavily. I have noticed that the longer I am on it the less that's an issue, however I definitely should have purchased some stock in Kimberly Clark given my preference to use liners!
What I find really interesting is that many MOs do not attribute "tiredness" to Tamox,
( pinning it on leftover rads effects, depression, etc) yet on the pharmaceutical insert with my prescription it is clearly listed as a SE. I'm not sure if that is listed because of the sleep problems many experience, or what. My MO referred me to the fitness program to address the fatigue, and while I feel way more "fit" my stamina is still sadly lacking. It was a lot better during the month when I took a Tamox break last spring.
And Marie, what is an aero ball???
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To me always feeling tired is the one annoying side effect that never goes away.I am in my 5 th year and sleep well.Still find myself wiped out by mid afternoon.MO agreed it was a SE of Tamoxifen.
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Lacey - Aero Chocolate Bubble Balls. They are great in chocolate martinis because they float!
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I'm always tired too but that's because I've got teenagers who sneak out of the house or need rides home in the middle of the night!
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Lacey12--Check out this article on which foods to eat with Tamoxifen and which foods to avoid....
Hope this helps!
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Lezza13- slightly old post but I am recently started Tamoxifen. Because of some nausea w/it I went to 10mg twice a day instead of 20mg once. I am not sleeping very well but had not thought about the insomnia side effect. I take a sleeping pill for years but even w/that do not sleep more then about 5-6 hours at most and then restless all night.
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Thanks Lala, I am familiar with that list and cannot for the life of me figure out why I included avocados! So....I will now take them off my "no no" list and enjoy......in moderation, of course!
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Well.... I have my 5 year appt with the onc on Friday after finishing tamoxifen. Coincidentally went for my yearly mammo and they want to send me for an ultrasound now as the "scar" didn't "squish out" as it did the years prior. The spot compression just about killed me...i am not kidding you...i am bruised and sore. Stressed too. However, the tech said they are doing this to be cautious but not overly worried. Yeh..ummm. Bite me!
Anyway....here we go again. I will keep you posted.
Love you call can't do this without you.
Oh...also....I went for my annual PAP and complained to my doctor about being in Canada and the fact that we have very little Tamoxifen follow-up. Meaning nothing. So she agreed to send me for an US to check the lining of my uterus. Lol.
Here we go again.
This shit is fun huh. NOT.
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Koshka1....hope for the best always.
With Tamoxifen I see my MO every 3 months, have blood tests, and a transvaginal ultrasound yearly...What else do you ladies have done????
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Koshka - Sorry you are having to go through all this again. I hope everything comes back clear and you can move past all this shit. Congrats on finishing Tamoxifen. That hurdle is out of the way.
Loral - I have been on Tamoxifen since Jan 3, 2011 and I see my MO every 6 months. I also have blood tests done as well as a breast exam. He also schedules my annual mammo. Since the summer of 2011 I have had transvaginal US done by my gyno. Have had uterine issues caused by Tamox and recently had to have an abdominal hysterectomy. So don't have to worry about down there anymore. I will tell you like I have told so many others, my case is probably not common. I had to have an eye exam this year - haven't gotten new glasses since 2008 and the eye doctor I went to recommended annual eye exams while on Tamox just to be on the safe side.
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BethCon1 - I have also recently had problems taking Tamoxifen and having irregular periods. I Googled it and there's a thread somewhere here on bc.org discussing it. It's apparently very common. Someone said their Onc. told them that 25% of women will have no problems, 50% will have irregular periods and 25% will stop having them altogether. My period used to be like clockwork. I've been taking Tamoxifen for just over a year now and this summer, I've gone completely irregular. I had my last period on August 10th and just got another one on August 26th. It's not spotting, it's a full-on period. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
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Hi... I was on Tamoxifen for 5 years... Just finished a couple of weeks ago. It is Totally normal and almost expected to have irregular periods. This was confirmed to me by many. Do not stress over this. Do check with your doctor if you have spotting though.
I also was recommended to check my eyes regularly cause there is a risk of it causing cataracts. I had no problems but I swear it made my eyes drier amongst other things!! Lol
As for my mammo today I am so bruised and sore. Not looking forward to US on Friday but at least there is no squishing.
"F" cancer. Lol0 -
Positive thoughts being sent your way, Koshka. Sorry that you have had to deal with such additional pain....physical and emotional. Yes....cancer sucks, big time!
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I just worry about it because my cancer has spread. I know tamoxifen prevents estrogen from going to your breasts, but it doesn't shut down your ovaries. I now have mets to the spine and liver and I just feel like tamoxifen isn't right for me. I'm seeing a new oncologist on sept.3 at the university of penn.
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