Bottle o Tamoxifen
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Hi ladies!
I had an appointment with my onc on Friday. I mentioned the breathing problems I've been having, and smiling she asked if it is usually accompanied with a hotness in my face. To which I replied, yes. Seems I've only been having hotflushes!
We also discussed anti-depressants. And although I'm not keen, some days are just too hard to handle.
Has anyone else experienced some depression with Tamoxifen?
Janine
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Hi tamox friends!
Yes..Manuela...Layne is right. Everyone is different!! Some have s/e, some do not, some have a host of problems that accompany meds,and others..zip..nothing!
Virginia..I am like you, although I have not gotten a period back (hoping I dont), but my hot flashes are not bad at all. More like heat waves. I don't think they have increased much at all since starting the tamox 2 mos ago. About the same as they were during chemo.
Layne...haha...had to laugh at the cat drooling on your head!
Janine...sorry to hear you are having some issues with depression. I feel for you. It runs in my family, and I know how difficult it is. Knock on wood, I have not felt any depression s/e from the meds. In fact, I feel very, very good, positive healthy, energetic. It almost scares me..haha. I hope it stays this way.
Finally....Puppy...happy b'day!! Ok..I know I am bad with the abbreviations on here...and I have seen it before, but what is NED? I am so happy for you to be finished!! Yeah...gives the rest of us lots of hope!
xoxo
Lisa
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Lisa,
I asked that same question too! It means "No Evidence of Disease"
May we all dance with NED.
Take Care,
Trish
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Thanks Trish..lol...now I know...and I agree...may we all dance with NED!!!
Lisa
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I also agree with everyone Manuela...everyone is different with the meds. You probably will eventually adapt to it...
I find that I am very CRANKY with the tamox...short fuse... Get pissed off driving very easily...and in the Xmas crowds...bah humbug! LOL
Today I read an article about chocolate and it's prevention of cancer (blah blah blah). I posted on my other board that if you don't hear from me, it's because I drown in a giant vat of dark chocolate!!
Virginia
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Janine, et al,
been taking tamox for about 6 weeks now and feel increasingly worse. It's not like depression (by all means we should be depressed); I feel crazy, irritated, and hostile sometimes. I get in some horrible dark moods but perhaps some of that could be attributed to my lack of sleep. Having a real horrid time coping this week, especially after the Herceptin last Friday.
My onc usually disagrees with me. Actually told me Herceptin could not cause nausea? They are not of that much help. Afraid to even call there. Seems I always have to figure out the way to proceed all by myself. Reading the postings on this site has helped more than anything.
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Manu- I am on Herceptin too... It didn't make me nauseous (sp??)...gave me a wicked headache with the first DD treatment. But, since then, my biggest issue is them finding a vein...
As for the Tamox...I think it can give you PMS-like symptoms. I noticed that my fuse is shorter and that I get annoyed easily. I am hoping that I can regulate that on my own. Some times are definitely worse than others... Like when I am stressed (like now with the holidays).
Do you have an oncology nurse? Maybe she would be more sympathetic? I am sorry to hear that your doc isn't that helpful to you...
Hang in there...
Virginia
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Virginia...ja, I go to this huge cancer center in Sacramento but they are so overloaded with patients.....it hard to give a crap. My onc is sympathetic some days and other days, who knows, she has PMS. Don't even mention veins...mine are so botched up. I never had a port. That's another story.
PMS-like symptoms is a good way describing it. It's pretty harsh to live with that every day. I work in hospital engineering with all men, except me. I feel like killing them lately (figure of speech). I CANNOT cope with them some days. I wasn't like this before and this is not me. Tried the effexor but it made me even crazier.
I am so sick of it all, I just want to quit treatments.
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Layne- they didn't specifically say dark chocolate (that's just my preference) so you are OK!!! Whoo hoo!!
Agree with you that the whole cancer "journey" is extremely stressful (obviously). I have to have a pelvic US and a follow up breast MRI, so I'm sure that weighs heavily on the mind. the sub-concious is so powerful.
Manuela- my onc office is overloaded as well. I once waited 4 hours to see her... Can you imagine? It was my sister's birthday too!! Last time I got wise and made the appointment for the AM and she STILL kept me waiting. It just snowballs. But, she's awesome and worth the wait. Your comments RE working with men made me laugh... Hopefully your body will acclimate to the Tamox and you'll be ok...think positive!! My onc nurse in NYC said that she thought Tamoxifen was a miracle drug and should be in the WATER...
Virginia
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Layne, your input is very helpful. At least it makes me feel like I have not completely lost my mind. Stress is hard in itself. I also got into this terrible auto accident on the freeway (4-car pile up) right before Thanksgiving. Totaled the car of course and my back hurts non-stop since. Backpain and night sweats, no rest, murderous mood-swings, but I kept going to work every day, popping pain pills, till I had Herceptin last Friday. Maybe I just need a rest.
I can't afford to continue not working. Now I am stressing over the lost money.
that I need to pay for the new car. My daughter says I have not been the same since the accident.
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Good morning, tamoxi-girls...
Wow--lots of activity on the board while I was sleeping!
Manuela, you poor baby...dealing with the aftermath of your accident on top of all the cancer and holiday stress. I second what everyone said about different reactions to drugs, etc., etc. It seems that you're just stressed to the max right now (the holiday season is just one more factor)...maybe not a good time to make any big decisions about changing treatment. Then again, you're the Mauela expert and you know what you can take. I agree w/ the idea of talking to an oncology nurse if your dr. is PMSing or whatever; also maybe there's a social worker on staff that could help you talk through some issues. Thinking of you and hoping things get better for you.
Layne, I was in stitches reading about your talk to the men at work. :-) Good for you for bringing up the mammo issue and encouraging them to take care of their wives.
My task for today...meet with a dr. at the military clinic (I've been there twice in 8 years) who will write a prescription for a follow-up mammo and bloodwork for me. I'll have to travel to Yokosuka, near Tokyo as we have no hospital here. I hope there are no hassles or roadblocks, but this being the military...wish me luck.
Re: pelvic US...I had one back in Sept. because an ovarian cyst showed up on one of the thousand scans I had. I wasn't told to drink and hold a ton of water, or even a glass of water. My sister had one at the same clinic several weeks later, and she had to drink like an elephant. What gives? Maybe because they already knew I had a cyst and weren't just going in cold to see what might be there? Hmmmm...
Gotta go get ready for work. There's nothing like an elementary school with two days left before Christmas break...the kids are so cute and excited, and the Santa Claus threat works like a charm in getting a little work out of them. :-) Sleep well, friends...
Lynn
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Thanks Lynn...enjoy the little ones!
In my next life...I would love to be a teacher of kindergarteners!! I bet you love your work!Good luck on getting your scrip.
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Hi everybody!
Went to NYC to see Christmas decorations...what a break from the cancer stuff! I am half way through radiation ....yahoo!
Harley, I hope you are doing well...I always think of you!
Barb0 -
Lynn- I have to drink 32 ounces of water 1 hour before my US. (This too, is a follow up to a US & MRI I had back in Sept/Oct. My gyno is a little freaked and cautious about the whole ovarian cancer thing. Although, I am BRCA negative.
Barb- I am going to see the deco's in NYC on Saturday. I know it's going to be complete and total pandemonium. Do you live near NYC? I am in NJ...very close to The City... I actually had my surgery in NYC---but my rads and chemo in NJ because getting into the city is such a hassle.
Virginia
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Manuela, I'm so sorry the Tamox is having such awful side effects! I recommend acupuncture and meditiation, which got me through tx and I want to start again now that I'm on Tamox. It also might help your back. Having cancer AND a nasty car accident is enough to send anyone over the edge so be gentle with yourself! (BTW, I knew a Manuela who went by Manu - but she was Italian, living in SF...)
I went to see the Christmas ornaments/displays and the annual SF SPCA windows (adoptable dogs and cats are displayed in Macy's windows! EEE CUTENESS!) earlier this December and thought I was going to be trampled in the crowds. But it was fun!
Last time I had a pelvic ultrasound (turns out all I had was an ovarian cyst, thank God) I had to do the drink-lots-of-water thing. O MY GOD I thought I was going to explode! Or wet my pants!
I don't want to go through that again!Puppyfive, congratulations on your many years with NED and may you have many, many more!
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Barb,
I think of you often, too, and pray that your rads. tx continues to go well and that Tamoxifen will not cause too many ses' for you.
WOW!! Christmas in NY must be spectacular!! Merry Christmas!
Hugs,
Harley
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Hey T-Warriors!!
Sorry about not responding back Lisa!
But So Happy you now know, and will dance with me!
Manu, My heart breaks for You sweety! I also tried Efexxor
for years, but for me no big help, but some!
then I got Lexapro and my life is so much more Doable LOL! I too had a ruptured ovarie! already had my children, so decided to have a total Hyst! (my spelling is so bad i try very hard to spare all of you)
! I took my pills one in the morning and one before bed!
ask Your doctor about fluid pills! they helped with weight gain, and nausea! Hang in there Sweety, what You are going through is NOT EASY! Hope I can help you, so You can have a Happy dance with me soon!
God Bless all of You, You all can do this!
xoxoxo Puppy
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Sigh.....at least somebody seems to care. Left messages for my onc this morning but no call backs yet (as I excpected). Skipped the tamox last night and actually got some sleep...no profuse sweating fits. Feel a little better this morning, at least not completely freaked out, only semi-freaked. I am just not going to work this week...don't care what they do. You right, I need to stop beating myself up. I was in better spirits and more hopeful during chemo and radiation than I am now. Maybe I need to ask to be taken off work for some time longer if for no other reason than my mental well-being.
And, thanks to you beautiful ladies, I worked up the courage to take the tamox again this morning. Switching the time may help some.
I am from Germany that's why the name "Manuela."
Sure wish I could at least get into the Christmas spirit. I do have a beautiful grandson and daughter. I was beastly with her last night when she came by (I think she'd been crying). I feel like a jerk.
Waiting to hear from somebody from the Cancer Center.
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Puppy Five,
Happy Belated Birthday!, and Happy cancerversary! SEVEN years!! WOW!!
Congratulations and wishing you many many more years dancing with NED!
Hugs
Harley
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Harley, how very sweet, thank you!
YEP, soon You will be dancing with me and many others!
"BELIEVE" and make sure You take that little Miracle Pill Tamoxifen!
God Bless all of You and have a Wonderful Holiday
Pup
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Merry Christmas, everyone!!
May the New Year bring us all Joy, Health & Happiness!
Harley
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Hi, T. friends--
Well, after much hemming and hawing on my part, I stayed up last night (until 11 p.m.--really late for me), and called my onc's office on the east coast re: stopping my prozac, which I've been doing myself. I talked to the nurse and told her my concerns...she said she would talk to the dr. and I should call back at 2 p.m. NY time (that's 4 a.m. my time-ack) and she'd have an answer for me. She was very nice but telling me that there are patients in the practice on tamox who take prozac as well as some taking effexor.
Anyway, to make a short story long, I set my alarm for 4 this morning and called the office again to talk to the nurse. Lo and behold, after only about two minutes on hold, my onc gets on the line! I recapped my concerns about the prozac, and he said I was absolutely right to wean myself off. We decided that I would try to go a month antidepressant-free and see how it goes; after a month off prozac he said I should begin to be able to tell if I really need another antidepressant and to let him know and he'd prescribe something that wouldn't work against the tamox. He's also going to give do that test to determine if I'm a good metabolizer; that'll be next summer when I go back to NY.
I'm a little nervous about not having something to help w/ the mood swings particularly...I can handle (to a point) hot flashes, but I hate feeling so emotionally out of control. We'll see...but at least I have a course of action. Woohoo!
If you're watching CNN over the next few weeks and the headline is "American woman in southern Japan goes berserk over nothing, causing an international incident", you'll know it's me.
Enjoy your evening, and happy holidays to all of you! I echo what Harley said about good things for all of us in 2008.
Lynn
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Lynn, I was on antidepressants the whole 5 years, mostly Effexor!
I am sure if You need some Help, it will not take very long for the
new drug to work! Hang in there sweety, But I will watch the news
just so I can say Hey, I know Her!
God Bess, and Keep on Keepin On!
Pup
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Virginia,
Hope you have a great time in NYC! It was fun and crazy all at once. The windows were decorated so beautifully. I am originally from Delaware and my husband has his Dad in Roseland,NJ, so we visit often. I live in Florida now....big difference in weather....!
Puppy, I too would like to congratulate your dance with Ned! What a wonderful feeling for you. I hope we all get to dance with your Ned!
Harley, have a Merry Christmas if I don't get back to post!
Barb0 -
Merry Cristmas and Happy Holidays to Every one!
You can do this, You are All so Strong, and Loving!
One more thing, My doctor told me, T amoxifen Makes
Our bones much stronger! could be a reason for some of the SE!
Hang in there and Together, We will Survive!
All My Love, Puppy
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Puppy...thanks for that tidbit about Tamox and strong bones!! I am not a milk drinker, and always worry about not getting enough calcium. I take a daily womens multi right along with my daily tamox, but I know that is not enough calcium. That makes me feel a little better.
I have one question for those of you that are on anti depressants. Is this something you were on prior to bc? I see that allot of women are on them here and on other threads where I converse. I wonder about the meds working correctly for me. I am not really having mood swings etc.? I sure hope that does not mean that the tamox is not working it's magic for me. Just wondering, any input would be great. Thanks!
I have family in NY..and I have always wanted to go see the displays at Christmas. Maybe I will make that a goal for next year. I do fly free...so I could do it inexpensively.
Manuela..I hope things get better for you. Concentrate on your daughter and your grandson...think of how lucky you are to have them...and try and let the bc and all that goes with it...go to the back of your mind..at least for now. I know that is hard to do. But think positive, and I will pray that things become easier for you.
A very Merry Christmas to all!!
xoxo
Lisa
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Hi Ladies! You would be proud! I think I've gone a whole 5 days without forgetting to take my Tamox! LOL I left the pill box on the counter just so I constantly saw it... And now I'm hyper about it... Anyhow, I'll get my false sense of comfort and put it in the drawer and forget again...and start the cycle all over again...
Went to NYC yesterday. What a mob-scene but it was awesome... Just looked at the tree and went to Top of the Rock. It was kind of cloudy and yucky, but it was way cool. Good diversion.
Now it's really gloomy and yucky here in NJ --- rainy --- thank god it's not snow!! I am trying to motivate myself to bake cookies... Or, maybe I'll just curl up on the couch!! :O
Merry Christmas to all!!! I agree with all the other sentiments...here's to a Happy and Healthy '08!!
Virginia
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Lisa,
I started taking Prozac so long ago it wasn't available as a generic drug, was diagnosed with bc this year. I've been taking tamoxifen since the beginning of October. The only SE I am having from tamoxifen is serious, worsening depression. I'm at the point that I feel I must choose between treating depression and treating bc, and I am going to stop bc treatment if one of my doctors doesn't come up with something workable when I see them in a couple of weeks.
What's the point of preventing a recurrence of bc if I'm thinking about driving the car off the road every day?
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Hi all,
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I had a nasty cold and cough for a couple of weeks, but fortunately got over the worst of it just before Christmas day. Now, I just have a slight sore throat.
I saw my gyn today for a consult. He said that he will do a baseline transvaginal ultrasound when I have my annual pap in Feb, but he doesn't do anymore unless there's a reason. So, unless I start experiencing bleeding, or anything out of the ordinary, I only need to see him yearly. He said the research isn't showing a benefit to routine u/s or biopsies. He also recommended I start taking calcium which I already knew but I've been lax, and a daily baby aspirin to prevent a clot (which I'll need to research further).
Tomorrow is my birthday! I didn't used to be happy to have a birthday, but now I appreciate being alive to get older. lol My mom is watching the children while my husband and I spend the day together. I want to drive to a yarn store in the foothills, then have lunch.
Take care everyone!
Cynthia
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