Bottle o Tamoxifen
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in AUS we have different generic brands to you.
Since I am a pharmacist. I checked and noticed we had only one left of my normal brand and someone had ordered in some sandoz equivalent. So I grabbed the last of my regular one and will try and find out more Monday ... Will let you know if I find out anything interesting
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Dear warriors,
On Tamox since Dec 25 and feeling extremely tired. I don't know if there is any medicine against the fatigue I feel... Does anybody know if there is a medicine or supplement to improve?
Thank you for your help.
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I am loving the $0 copay for Tamox, I didn't even bring my wallet in yesterday when I picked up my script. I'm getting the watson brand now. Can't tell much difference. I got approved for the Pristiq and have been on it a week now. I switched from effexor, it is just a slightly different formula. But it does not affect my stomach as much. We'll see how it does on the joint pain and hot flashes. It is such an experiment getting the right meds and the right dosages. I wouldn't take anything but I got so depressed on the arimidex that my docs won't let me stop taking something.
Welcome, new ladies! sorry ya gotta be here on bco, but so glad to not be alone on this journey.
Has anyone on here had trigger finger release surgery? My PT person says it might be time to consider it. She makes it sound like it is a very easy 10 minute procedure with minimal recovery time. I have heard that one before. lol
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Headeast,
I think you may be dealing with fatigue from chemo? Mine lasted a full year PFC. It is difficult to tell what is causing side-effects when we start one drug while remnants of others are still in our system. I needed a nap or a 5 hour energy every day for a year after my last chemo. Now my Tamoxifen side effects seem to be weight gain, joint pain and vision issues. Hot flashes have gotten better.
Take care,
Susan
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Susan - you might be right. I started the Tamoxifen on day 21 after my last chemo treatment and went back to work a week after and lots of stress at work after being on medical leave for four months.
I gained weight while in chemo but now i am on a diet and have lost 7 lbs. my diet is very simple, just fruits, veggies, small portions of meats or eggs, no dairy, no sugar and no carbs. Counting 1100 calories a day.
I emailed my MO today asking him about my fatigue.
I am having some sweats every now and then but the fatigue is worse...
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hi, L2 - welcome to tamoxifen!
Thanks for all the input on the ovarian cysts. I saw an ObGyn last week, who ran a Ca- 125. It was slightly elevated (41), but the GynOnc she consulted with wants to schedule laparoscopic removal of the solid cyst. Supposed to meet with him on the 28th . . .
Still takin the Tamoxifen, though! Other than feeling slightly achy, and having intermittent zits, I haven't noticed many SE.
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Headeast, I started tomoxifen on Jan 2, but this was nearly two months after finishing chemo, as I had a lymph node dissection in between. I was very tired for about 8 weeks after chemo ended, but now feel like I am getting my energy back. So I don't know if your fatigue is related to chemo or tamoxifen, but its good you are checking in with your MO. I hope you feel better soon!
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Runningfromcancer, thank you. I hope it is just the chemo. I am still on week 6, so if it happens like in your case two more weeks and I should get my energy back!
I went to the ObGyn last week and she prescribed a number of blood tests, 14 of them! I went to Quest and had them done but it was pretty dramatic, they couldn't find my veins, plus not many veins they could use after chemo infusions damaged some that hopefully will be healed in the near future. They bruised my arm pretty bad but got all the blood they needed so I don't have to go again. I got a small panic attack, never had that before. I am getting some aprehension to needles, I guess.
I am going for my exchange on the 31st, so I'd better get used to needles. I am looking forward to that exchange!
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Wow, headeast, you have been dealing with a lot! Hope your veins heal up soon, and that your exchange goes well. Keep in mind, in terms of the energy return, everyone's body is different, and everyone's treatment interventions vary, so don't be disappointed if it takes a while longer than what others describe.
So yesterday, I contacted CVS Caremark who said that they do not have anymore Teva brand tamox (supposedly they had it when I ordered it on the tenth, but after it took them three days to process my order, it was gone!) They suggested I ask my local CVS for Teva, but they said they do not stock that brand. Hmmmmmm. I then called Walgreens and they do have it in stock, so tomorrow I need to call the MO and have her send a script pronto to Walgreens before their supply evaporates! Can I describe all this telephone research and chasing as annoying!? It is! Hope the other Teva seekers are having some good luck!
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Oh, and Headeast, I get so nostalgic (in a good way) every time I see your avatar.
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Lacey, I won't be disappointed. I am tired of being tired. No energy to do anything. The weather couldn't be better here and no energy to play!
Thank you re my avatar, she is one of my doggies and she is so beautiful! Oh, and she knows it! Lol!
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makes me wonder if there was something wrong with the tamoxifen......?
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Still haven't heard from CVS about filling my prescription for my first tamoxifen -- as a newbie, I wasn't aware there are different brands. Is there a difference? Should I have a preference for a certain brand? Is there a generic? Stupid me, I didn't keep a copy of the prescription my MO wrote before I turned it in to CVS, so I don't know if a certain brand was specified. Ultimately, once it is established that I will be taking Tamo for sure, I will get it from Cigna's mail order pharmacy -- do any of you get a 90 day supply from mail order?
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TeamKim, these are all generics, as Tamoxifen is off patent. "Brand" isn't really the right term, but it's easier to type. Because they are generics, I'm not sure a physician would specify, although there's no harm in asking. I worked with my pharmacist to get the 10 mg Teva, of which I take two. There shouldn't really be a difference from one generic to another, but a number of us have found that our side effects vary by generic manufacturer. A while back someone did a huge analysis of all the posts on this massive thread and collated which side effects seem most common on which generics. There did seem to be some patterns. But in the end, each individual will differ. There used to be 3 (main?) brands in the US: Teva, Watson, and Mylan (is that right?). Mylan disappeared last spring and now Teva is having these supply problems. If you don't have a history on one or the other, you might as well just take what they give you and see how it goes. Supposedly Teva will be fully back sometime this spring.
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Thanks RunFree -- I feel more informed!
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I emailed my MO and explained him how tired I am and not sure if it Tamox or the end of chemo (last one was 12/4).
A nurse just called me and told me MO said to stop Tamoxifen for one week and to take vitamin supplements.
I am scared of stopping Tamoxifen for a whole week. I was ER PR @75%+
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Headeast- - I can understand why you are scared, but i think you should go ahead and take the week off to rest and get your strength back! Your mastectomy and chemotherapy got all the cancer, so you'll be okay for a week. :-)
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Runningfromcancer, you are right. I will see if I am brave enough to not to take it tonight. I guess one week is nothing? I was reading the SE and tiredness is supposed to be only for the first weeks. Is that true?
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Headeast---- it always makes me tired.
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Loral - Thank you. What do you do to not to feel that way? My husband went out to a dinner at a friend's house. I didn't go because I am too tired... I am not exercising because I am tired. I was actually planning on going to bed now and it is only 6pm!
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hello headeast, I found I had to take an afternoon nap for a long time after active tx and after starting a hormonal. My MO said that a week or two would not matter much. I was off almost 6 weeks in between arimidex and tamoxifen. For what I read, ER+ BC is slow growing. I had to learn how to listen to my body and give it what it needs. It is now 8 months later and I am still tired, but am also on other meds (for high blood pressure, and depression) I never took any meds before dx. It is one day at a time. I try to at least take a walk with the dog and get out in the fresh air. I also do some yoga to stretch the muscles and get some strength back. It is all baby steps and slowly, slowly slowly it has gotten better. I am 2 years out. I found that talking to others and being in close contact with my docs is what has helped the most. You are not alone, you are not crazy, these drugs affect us in ways that are so different and hard to predict. It takes time.
hang in there, we are with you!!0 -
You've gotten great feedback here Headeast. I'll add that my doctor & BC survivor friend told me Tamoxifen is slow to leave your system. Being off it for a week may not even be enough to feel a big difference, but it's worth a try. Meanwhile you'll still have its protection during the time you are off it, just a little less each day. I'm sorry you are so tired. Do you think there's an emotional component to your fatigue too, I mean in addition to the chemo and maybe Tamoxifen? Some of us were talking a few pages back about how there's a kind of letdown effect after active treatment ends. I finished radiation on May 3 and around 3 weeks later, for the space of about another 3 weeks, I was sad and blue and freaked out and overwhelmed. It's like we hold ourselves together to get through our more dramatic treatments, and then we can catch our breaths and we face cancer on a whole new level. Even after that window, I don't feel all the way back to normal, emotionally speaking. That is exhausting in its own way.
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Headeast. I should add that I was prescribed Effexor with Tamoxifen as a substitute for a low dose of Zoloft I have been taking for years! I was very low and tired and sore in December after the ALND, but I think that Effexor gave me a much needed mood boost! Runfree is right! There 's definately an emotional letdown (combined with exhaustion) when surgery and chemo end! I only take 37.5 mg of Effexor but it works for me! And is supposed to reduce hot flashes too!
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Headeast, as others have said, a week off Tamox is pretty insignificant in the duration of your treatment.
Last year when I was really struggling with loss of sleep, ensuing fatigue, hair loss, cognitive fog, and a variety of other SEs, my MO suggested that I take a three week break to see if the SEs remitted. Well, they did all remit by the beginning of the second week, and I enjoyed two weeks of SE free life! I loved being so amazingly productive during that time. All good things must come to an end however, and I did return to my tamox regimen, and the SEs slowly returned along with the addition of itching and various allergies that have required more medications.
Last spring, with my continuing fatigue, MO suggested I try the "strength in motion" program for survivors at my hospital, and work with a fitness trainor. I did that in an effort to get some energy, and it has worked well in terms of getting me to feel physically more strong and also be able to lose weight, tho the tired feelings persisted until I started using the controlled release melatonin which I take 2mgs of nightly. One thing I recall MO telling me was that after treatment, some of her patients have told her that they start feeling more "like themselves" three years later...so it does take time.
I have recently also joined a stretching class at the hospital's Fitness Center which is truly a "stretch", afterwhich I feel great. Really gets that blood flowing nicely! Maybe doing regular stretching might be doable even when you are tired? Or water aerobics since you are in FL? I do now see how moving begets moving!
Good luck, Headeast, ...and don't even worry at all about taking the week's break from Tamox.
So I was successful in my search for the Teva Tamox. Walgreens had it and it is now waiting for me to pick it up. Guess I'll stick with them since there is no fee involved whether I get it from them or CVS, where I get my other meds.
I appreciate the heads up about the Teva issue and all of your input about that.
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macatacmv, runfree and runningfromcancer, thank you for your responses. I feel I am being listened.
Yes, my dogs would live a walk. I am tired today, though and am in pajamas already.
I don't know if it is something else other than plain fatigue. I haven't taken Effexor and not sure what it is for. Like you, macatacmv, before my dx I never took medicine other than Nexium to prevent ulcers from coming back. I am not opposed to the idea though. I don't think I am blue. Just tired.
I am not sure what skipping Tamoxifen for a week will do, but RunFree says, it will be still in my system, at least some of it. Let's see if I don't take it for a whole week or If I chicken out before that...
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lol about the pajamas. I had my surgery 3 days before Christmas and my kids gave me 4 pairs of pjs, with a button shirt so I wouldn't have to raise my arms. I can't believe how much use I have gotten out of them. Let yourself relax, let everything go. Be good to yourself! Start out slow and work into more activity.
effexor is for depression usually, but it works for SEs like hot flashes and fatigue. One of the big symptoms of depression is fatigue. I was put on zoloft while I was on arimidex and my mood got better, but the joint pain did not. When I switched to tamox, I was switched to effexor because of interaction problems between those meds. But when they doubled the dosage because they think I have fibromyalgia, I realized I did not like some of the SEs from the effexor. So now I am on Pristiq, which is a "brand name" only med so I had to get approval from my insurance co. So now I am trying this out. It feels like so much experimentation, but I am glad my docs are willing to work with me to get me feeling better, not just less crappy.
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Macatacmv, I'm so happy for you that your docs are working with you towards a really better quality of life. Hope the Pristiq is effective and that the return to work is going well.
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I just got my celebrex script set up and sent to Caremark, and decided to look up when it would be going generic. From anything I could find by googling that question, it looks like Pfizer got an extension on its patent thru the end of 2015. So I will continue to pay through the nose for now.... It was weird to see the companies involved in making the generics....our old friends, Teva, Mylan and Watson.
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Lacey just be aware there is a drug interaction between Celebrex and tamoxifen, (reduces the effectiveness of T) - probably ok for very occasional use, but not on a regular basis
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Nocompromises, thanks for the heads up....tho all my docs know about my regular use of celebrex, and have cleared me to keep using it with the Tamoxifen. Unfortunately, there is no way I would be able not to use it, so I guess I will just have to take my chances. I can run it by my MO again, but other than switching to an AI (which would leave me with crippled hands), I may not have much of a choice. Hearing Rosanna Rosannadana in my ear........
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