Bottle o Tamoxifen
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lahela, if you call the oncologist's office, hopefully they can answer that for you over the phone. Hope you have a speedy recovery from your surgery!0 -
lahela - I started back on Tamoxifen the day after all my surgeries. In fact, when I had my recon surgery, my PS did not have me stop it at all.0 -
Count me in on the vivid dreams.What the heck? Does anyone else have itchy eyes and red inflamed eye lids? How about dry eye at night.Or sleeping to lightly?
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Haven't had any eye problems since I forgot my pill yesterday.
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I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm going to restart T tomorrow (I decided to wait until I was a bit more active after the ooph) and I'm actually looking forward to it! I actually sleep better on T because, for the first time in 30-odd years, I don't get restless legs! Chalk that up as a positive SE!0 -
I have an eye twitch that just started in the last month or so - lower lid of right eye.0 -
Josie, I just thought of the dry eye thing yesterday. I have dry eyes anyway since Lasik surgery 10 years ago, but recently I've been using my eye drops whenever I wake up at night, not just when I wake up in the morning. So I would say my eyes are a little drier.0 -
Yeah, Its like my eyeballs are glued to my eyelids and I can't barely open them not enough tears I guess.Only at night time during sleep.
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Do you have artificial tears that you like? I use the Walmart version of Refresh Tears, in a bottle not single-serve. Kind of pricey but the bottle lasts a while.0 -
I have dry eyes too since my lasik- actually had them before that because living in wyoming the humidity is low and I was always getting a corneal abrasion.
For nighttime when you don't have to "see" I really like the gel over the tears. Genteal Gel is one brand- its a bit pricey but I bet there are generics. If you put it in at night and just turn off the light you won't feel like you have vaseline obstructing your vision haha. Very refreshing though.0 -
I also have dry eyes since starting T. Never had dry eyes before, even though I wear contacts all day. I ended up scratching the surface if my eyes very badly and my vision suffered- almost no distance vision. Everything is good now, but I wear my glasses more often, use artificial tears several times a day and at night use the gel.0 -
I have dry eyes to the point that I have popped 2 blood vessels in my eye. I now have prescription drops have to use on top of the Thera Tears that I use about 10 times a day. It is from the tamoxifen, and tamoxifen can also cause cataracts. So I now have another doctor on my list that I have to see because of tamoxifen.0 -
I have dry eyes of late, but not so bad that I have to use drops. I did use steroid drops for several months earlier this year due to intolerable eye itching. Now that I'm in allergy off season, my eyes are not so bad....am dreading April....and I have never had this allergy before in all my 68 years!
I have mentioned before that I am doing much better in the sleep dept. now that I am using the 2mg. Controlled Release Melatonin. I am forever thankful, RunFree, for that suggestion.
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Hi ladies,
My mom has been taking tamoxifen for about 6 weeks now. She had just finished all of her treatment and it is amazing to finally be on this side of everything. However, my mom is experiencing some side effects and I have some questions I'm hoping to get some answers to.
1) My mom recently told me she is feeling depressed, like she can't find joy and has no interest in anything. She is a bubbly person so I'm wondering if tamoxifen can cause depression.
2) She keeps getting broken blood vessels - her eyelid and fingers.
3) It's gross but we all know this disease is not pretty - she has had consistent vaginal discharge that will not go away, whether she stops the tamoxifen or not. It started the day she began it.
Any answers ladies? My mom has an appointment in 2 weeks with her onc but I'm hoping to get your input. Thanks!
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Lacey, I'm so pleased you're having such a good experience with CR melatonin! That's crummy about the allergies though.
ChelseaAshley, I think I would blame your mom's broken blood vessels on chemo, but I am not sure that's correct. The vaginal discharge may be due to Tamoxifen, except side effects generally take a while to appear so the fact that it started the same day as she began Tamoxifen makes me wonder if there's something else at work there. Her depression, however, I feel more confident in discussing. It's possible Tamoxifen is playing a role, but to me the more obvious culprit is BC timing. I had a patch of depression that set in a few weeks after I finished active treatment. It was rough, and I didn't understand it. Then I went online and scouted around, and I learned that a little while after treatment is a very common time to be sad or fearful. After the busyness and concentration of just getting through the treatment, it's as if we can finally relax enough to process the fact that we had cancer and what it means to us going forward. I ordered this book, After Breast Cancer (I'll link to it because there are a couple with that main title), which is a little dark at times but does help in affirming the blues that come after treatment.
This book says that you can expect the emotional recovery to take AT LEAST as long as active treatment did, and possibly a lot longer. I'm now 6 months out from active treatment and I am still down off and on. I would actually say that it's always with me, on some level; some days I am pretty high-functioning and other days I drift around and get weepy. I have dialed back my energy level at work and I don't get that much done when I'm not at work, even if I don't feel openly sad all the time. I think that will last a while. On another thread, I found that a bunch of other women who went through treatment over the past year or so were experiencing the same thing. We all feel as though we're sort of hibernating, just turned inward, walking around with invisible ankle weights on. Your mom was diagnosed around the same time as I was, but her active treatment lasted a lot longer because she had chemo and three surgeries (yikes!). It might be a relief to her (or at least to you) to know that her low spirits are quite normal. Her mood will probably lift after a little while, but then plateau at a level below where she was BC for a somewhat longer time. I'm not saying this to be discouraging. I find it makes me feel better to realize that this is a common part of the experience and I can expect it to fade over time. During active treatment, I thought I'd just have a triumphant "I kicked cancer in the butt" feeling when I was done, but it's turned out to be more complicated than that.0 -
ChelseaAshley, the vaginal discharge is a normal SE and in my case eased up after a month or so. My MO said something along the lines of tamoxifen acting like extra estrogen, so discharge would be stimulated until the body gets used to it. (This isn't a scientific explanation -- basically the gist of what I recall her telling me.). I found it helpful to wear a panty liner, but now I don't need to anymore.
Re dry eyes -- this winter season (though technically still fall!) seems drier than usual here in my part of Massachusetts. I have been experiencing very dry nasal passages and eyes (to the point where they feel like they would in a smoky room). The tamoxifen might be aggravating things, but my DH is also noticing the dry air and having symptoms of dry nose and eyes.0 -
ChelseaAshley - Runfree did a beautiful job of explaining the PTSD-like symptoms so common after active treatment ends. Often times I think Tamoxifen gets a bad rap because we start taking it at a time when we are particularly vulnerable. Your mom might consider talking to her onc about taking a low dose of Effexor, an antidepressant that help with hot flashes and helps even out the mood swings.0 -
Thanks farmerlucydaisy. Great advice about the Effexor--I think a lot of people get benefit from that. I didn't start Tamoxifen for over a month after I finished radiation, and the depression started in that month, so I knew it wasn't Tamoxifen's fault. I meant to add that the intense weepy phase only lasted a few weeks, from about weeks 3-6 post-rads. Now I'm just kind of withdrawn and pensive, not actively melting down.0 -
RunFree,
Thank you so much for your answer. You have no idea how much it has helped me put everything in perspective. We requested an earlier appointment with her oncologist and she has one on Friday. We're going to discuss some of her side-effects and just see what he says. She was originally put on Arimidex but due to osteoporosis, she had to switch to Tamoxifen so I know there aren't many choices and she is just going to have to stick with this one. As far as the depression, I am so glad that it is likely not the Tamoxifen because that means she can just get some perspective on it. Until my mom mentioned how she was feeling yesterday, I realized I have been going through the same depression or at least a sadness lately. I didn't recognize it because I've had to be all of her support so I have been used to just shutting off my feelings and helping her because I want her health and happiness. You'd think we'd be rejoicing that everything is over - or much much much better now. This was a year long battle for us and it does feel like we're now just zombies walking around. Sometimes I feel like we have PTSD from it and maybe that's contributing to our feelings as well - the fear and anxiety of the uncertain.
Congratulations being 6 months out of treatment! That's wonderful - I hope you continue feeling more and more like your old self and the low feelings diminish soon. We have something to celebrate
Thank you for the link too! You have been absolutely wonderful!
Farmerlucy,
Thank you for your input too! I'll have my mom ask about Effexor and see if that will be an option for her
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I am 47 yo diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer back in March 2013. Left side was HR positive while the Right was Trip Neg. I have finished chemo and radiation. Due to start Tamoxifen next month. I feel as thought I'm 90 years old. I keep hearing that with Tamoxifen will only get worse. I have what they think is Frozen Shoulder (adhesive capsulitis). I will know for sure after my MRI this Friday. I am so thankful that all was caught early and keeps up hope that it will never return but DARN do I feel like crap all the time!
Dx 3/15/2013, IDC, <1cm, Stage Ia, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2 (Left) Surgery 4/10/2013 Lumpectomy; Lymph Node Removal: Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection (Left)
Dx 3/15/2013, IDC, <1cm, Stage Ia, 0 nodes, ER-/PR-, HER2- Surgery 4/10/2013 Lumpectomy (Right)
Chemotherapy Cytoxin/Taxotere 5/13 Radiation Therapy 30 External Hormonal Therapy to start 01/2014 Tamoxifen0 -
Rolynla17, you've been through a lot! No wonder you feel like a much older woman. I hope the MRI reveals not only what's going on with your shoulder, but what will be the best and easiest way to get it resolved.
It's not for sure that you will feel worse on Tamoxifen. There's just a huge, wide range of different responses. You can find lots of scary side effects if you look around on the internet, especially since the drug has been in use for so long, but remember that nobody has more than one or a few of them. Many women have no side effects at all. My side effects are 1) very minor, occasional "warm-ups," these days maybe a couple of times a week (but those might have started up anyway, as I'm now 50); 2) for a while, extra hungry, then for a longer while, not nearly as hungry as usual, lost 5 stubborn pounds I hadn't been able to budge through virtuous behavior alone; 3) maybe drier eyes? (but I did have Lasik surgery so they were already pretty dry); 4) maybe sometimes a knuckle will hurt for a day or two?; 5) OK, this one was big, but I don't know if it's Tamoxifen's fault: persistent itchy mystery rash, presently well controlled by antibiotics. All told, my experience is that this is not a drug to fear. Granted, some people have more trouble with it, and I don't mean to diminish their troubles. But I am a fan of this med. It's time tested and a great weapon against recurrence of HR+ cancer.
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Good news my MO' s nurse practitioner agreed that I can take a little break from the Tamoxofin until we see what the eye doctor has to say.Then I will go at it from there.My eye is completely back to normal since quiting the Tamoxofin.
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Josie, that's a good move. How long ago did you stop taking it, and how soon did you notice your eye was back to normal?
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I forgot to take it last Friday and noticed a difference in the eye by Sat and it was back to normal by Sunday or Monday.
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Wow, that's a speedy response. You must be quite sensitive to this stuff. I'll be interested to hear what the eye doctor says.
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ok. My face (cheeks actually) have been breaking out and I've totally lost my zip. It's only been 5+ weeks since I started. I really hate this no energy thing! The vivid dreams have settled down - please tell me these other things will too!
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My cheeks break out too and it's been a year. I hope it stops, I'm 52 and this shouldn't be happening....
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Just started taking Tamoxifen about 6 weeks ago after taking Arimidex for 6 years. I have had the worst dry mouth and throat ever. Anyone else have this?
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not that, but I do have to be really careful with my contacts or they dry out!
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I took tamox for 5 years and the only thing I was told to stay away from (by my pharmacist) was grapefruit and its' juice (apparently decreases the efficacy of tamox and many other medications); he said melatonin was fine. Tamox can cause endometrial cancer, but the incidence is very very low, <1%; (it does not cause ovarian cancer, but can cause ovarian cysts, so a yearly transvaginal US is a good idea to monitor both the uterine lining and the ovaries.)
Anne
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