Bottle o Tamoxifen
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so true, Professor 50! As you age, you slowly begin to lose your body hair - this was a surprise to me! So unless you are premenopausal, loss of leg, arm, underarm and pubic hair probably isn't a SE of Tamoxifen but simply a SE of aging.
Now that my hair is finally coming back I notice that I again have underarm hair! Go figure!
Cheers! Joan
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My leg hair seems the same but I'm sure my head hair has dropped out making it thinner because my hair clips fall off easier and the ponytail is narrower. A combination of perimenapause and tamoxifen I think (I say perimenapause because after tamoxifen stopped my periods for a year they have suddenly come back, though not every month -Surprise!!)
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jumpship---I spoke with a couple of people at Mayne. They told me that they bought Teva Tamoxifen and have only relabled it under Mayne. They both assured me that they have not changed the formula at all. I changed over 3 months ago and haven't experienced any changes in SEs. Could something else be going on?
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can I take cranberry supplements with tamoxifen my gyn recommended but I see they breakdown in the liver as does tamox....any problem taking both
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I have bern on this for 3 weeks now. I also take zoloft but my oncologist wants to wait to see how I do on this before considering switching that, since if I switched now we wouldn't know which drug would be causing side effects.
Problem is this. I take it before bed. Fall asleep no problem, but I wake up a lot during the night. This was not an issue before. The first night I took it, I woke up thinking it was the middle of the night or early morning and it had only been an hour!
What time of the day do you take yours? Maybe I should switch to morning? I also sometimes wake up sweating so that could be a hot flash or just the fact that I sleep with like a million blankets in the winter.
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Laureneliz - I switched to morning to take my tamoxifen because I started having issues sleeping. I am not sure if it has helped much.
I am currently taking ativan at night (which helps) but have to find a longer term solution. Some other members have provided some suggestions if you take a look through some of the older posts.
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i take mine at night too. I have trouble falling asleep for the first hour or 2 or 3, but once I finally go down, I'm out. I do wake up sweaty, but I also sleep under a heavy duvet and sometimes a heated blanket. I listen to insight timer app when I can't fall asleep - they have all kinds of meditations for sleep, wellness, you name it.
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I take mine in the morning and I still wake up a million times. I am at the point that between the arm cramps, the hot flashes and the lack for sleep, I am going to give up and take cancer. Sarcastic but not entirely.
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I take ambien because of MONTHS of next to no sleep. I'm afraid they will get to where they don't want me to take it anymore. I cut down to half, but lie there for HOURS before I can go to sleep. Sucks!!!
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My nights on Tamoxifen....
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farmdream. . .LOL.. . .me neither.
Scottie
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I always took the Teva brand and now Mayne, the Mayne pill is larger so it must be different...My finger nails keep splitting and breaking too....
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I have had mild and various symptoms that have come and gone, including dry eyes and dry "everything" but that resolved other than dry stools/constipation which I can manage. My current issue, after 25 months on Tamoxifen, I find rather debilitating--arthritic pain in my hands (NEVER had this before) and hand/foot cramps. My hands and fingers hurt so much that it is hard to grip anything, and I find myself dropping things more frequently. I am only 53 and was still having regular periods when I started Tamoxifen and nowhere near menopause, so I am having trouble believing these SEs are pure aging. Rather, I feel that Tamoxifen is creating "accelerated" aging. I am considering backing down my dose to 10mg for one month to see if my pain resolves. I am too fearful to stop it completely. I appreciate any tips or advise. I wish I could take curcumin, but after much research, I am not convinced it does not interfere with Tamoxifen. I cannot take NSAIDS :-(.
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By the way, I take Nolvadex, the original brand of Tamoxifen which has very few fillers.
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Nolvadex is not available for sale in the USA. I take Mayne (formerly Teva) generic and have not had too many side effects other than 5 lbs weight gain and stiff joints/feet in the morning. I find that daily exercise (even just a brisk walk) really helps.
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Just FYI....each brand of Tamoxifen has their own "imprint" on their pill. The Mayne brand says 93 and then 782 underneath that. This was the same as what Teva had on theirs. I used to take the Watson brand which had WPI on one side and 2233 on the other. This is how you know you're taking the same medicine even if one company buys the other.
And while I know that many people are not convinced that it's ok to take turmeric with Tamoxifen, there are other things that you can try like higher doses of Vitamin D (I take 5000IU a day with my surgeon's big thumbs up), glucosamine, SAMe (which i haven't tried) and for some...fish oil. I've found a holistic doctor who used to be a top breast cancer researcher. He's helped me with all my SEs and got me to the point that I can deal pretty easily with them. He's the one who suggested turmeric and ginger and once my oncologist did all his research, he agreed with it as well. He also told me about a pill I buy off Amazon called Peridin-C for hot flashes. Works like a charm for me! And when I was suffering with nausea and dizziness, he suggested a really good refrigerated probiotic which solved that problem as well as any potential issue with constipation. My oncologist hasn't been real helpful with the SEs but he's a fanatic about researching so anything I think about taking, I just go to him and let him make the decision. I'm now to the point of working out every day walking, doing yoga, lifting weights and generally going about a normal life. If you can get help from a holistic or naturalist doctor, it may help.
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Lala - Both your doctors sound amazing. I don't have access to as many options unless I travel to the U.S., which gets to be expensive. And my onc is so busy, he does not have time to research what supplements I am taking, although I find him very supportive. My vitamin D is 56 pg/mL--is that high enough? I take about 2000IU daily. I take fish oil, but I think to get the full benefit for my joints, I need to take 8 pills a day or 8,000 mg ! I cannot seem to do it (too many pills to remember). I also take 5-Loxin twice a day (boswellia serrata, standardized to 30% AKBA) which I forgot to mention. I have not tried SAM-e or glucosamine, so those are next. I walk every day but maybe that is not enough. I just got a rebounder, which I thought might increase my circulation. My hands and wrists feel too fragile to lift weights right now.
By the way, the ringing in my ears never went away, but I habituated to it, and it's hard to prove it was Tamoxifen that caused it.
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FYI regarding fish oil is that many nutritionists (and my doc) say it's not safe from heavy metals and maybe radiation (Fukashima). You can get same benefits of Omegas from Algae. I take DHA from Algae (brand Xymogen). www.nutritionfacts.org has a few short videos about the subject.
BTW, before my diagnosis I was in menopause for a year and the first sign of that was ringing in the ears. It's mostly gone now (or more likely I've gotten used to it so don't notice). The little bit of research I've done on it is that it can be related to hormones ...surprising how little is known about menopause and hormone effects in women. Especially since breast cancer has high incidence of development during this time affects so many women. IMO just another example of women getting second class treatment! #resist !
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katcar---That's a pretty good level for Vitamin D. My BS is convinced that low Vit D levels help to cause BC. I told him that couldn't be my problem since I work with horses and am outside so much. Then he ran the test and wow! I was low! Like in the 20s! I now take my 5000IU and in 4 years have managed to get it to 49 which is acceptable for him. And I still spend a lot of time outside so you'd think it would be higher!
As to fish oil, my docs just asked that I take a "good" brand and make sure I get 1000mg minimum of the DHA/EPA combined. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find those numbers. You can take high doses of fish oil and still not have high mgs of the part that really counts. You just have to read labels. I buy mine from the Vitamin Shoppe and I buy the smallest bottle possible so I don't have to worry about it going rancid before I finish the bottle.
Walking definitely helps my joints feel better but so does yoga stretch and weights so who knows which helps the most. And my ringing in my ears started about 9 months after my hysterctomy (with oopherectomy) so I'd bet it's the menopause and not the Tamoxifen. It's been a year and a half since then and I definitely feel it's lessened rather than me just getting used to it. I know it seems that Tamoxifen is a b**ch with SEs but I think menopause is way meaner!!
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Katcar have you tried a nerve medicine such as gabapentin? Also the magnesium glycinate and ginger help me. I had to get off all of my supplements for the surgery this Monday and it's driving me crazy. Even my green tea. Of course I also stopped the Tamoxifen until a couple off weeks after surgery. MO had me do this the last time as well.
I'm still have cycles as well and had to laugh when they told me they will do a pregnancy test before the surgery. Seriously? ???
Scottie
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jumpship---Nothing has helped my ringing. Just over time it's either lessened or I've gotten used to it.
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I've been researching Vitamin C and bioflavonoids for reducing hot flashes, and learned that bioflavonoids can help with tinnitus (ear ringing). Here is one product on Amazon that has good reviews for that symptom:
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Does anyone notice that tamoxifen side effects get worse at certain times of the month? I wasn't having too much trouble (mainly mild night sweats) but for the past few nights I've had drenching sweats and severe joint pain in my hips and knees. This coincides with my period, so I'm wondering if that has something to do with it.
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Lala - I hear you on the menopause bit--meaner than I ever imagined. I don't recall anyone in my family having such a hard time, so I do think some of it can be blamed on the Tamoxifen.
I cannot believe your Vit. D was that low with your outdoor lifestyle! I guess it depends on where you live, what you wear (covered up), and how well your body converts.
I am going to mix my fish oils--I have one that is lower in EPA/DHA (from Australia) and the VitaminShoppe one which I have. Both are relatively fresh, so I don't want to toss the Australian one. That should give me the daily dose that I need. So far, not making a bit of difference.
It is amazing to me how many women on here have the ringing in the ears. I believe there is no cure for it--but some people get used to it or "habituate."
Scottiemom - I cannot believe they want to test to see if you are preggers! Really?!
Thanks for your recommendations--I tried Gabapentin a while back, and I really did not like the way it made me feel, and I even emptied out some of the capsule to try a lower dose. I do take Magnesium Oxide at night--is it better to take the glycinate? And I eat tons of ginger.
Mellee - I used to be able to tell when I was having my "period" on Tamoxifen with my mood changes. It's getting harder to tell now after 2 years with no real period.
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katcar---My BS said he finds that most people have low Vit D levels because we use so much sunscreen so I guess it's a tradeoff....low levels or skin cancer!! And as to magnesium....per my holistic doctor, he has me take 2 tablets of SloMag which is magnesium chloride. He feels that is the kind that helps with the joint pain. And at night I take one tablet of KAL magnesium glycinate. He feels that helps with hot flashes and keeping you regular. With all I take who knows what is doing what but I can say my hot flashes are minimal (and that's despite SURGICAL menopause) and I'm as regular as a clock and my joint pain is very bearable so I must be doing something right!
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Katcar. . .I've been told that the mag citrate and the mag glycinate absorb better or something like that. They definitely help me more than the oxide which I was originally taking.
Scottie
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Hi Melee
Yes I notice the same thing happening to me with my tamoxifen. It goes in cycles it seems like. Hot flashes bad for like 2 weeks than none or nausea for a few,weeks than none. It's crazy.
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hi everyone. I just ended chemo 4weeks ago and saw my MO and he wants me to start tamoxifen now. So I just picked it up today. Is there a time of day where I should take it. Mornings or nights? Hate that I even have to take this. I'm just getting over chemo SE. Hope my SE are not bad. I still have not gotten my period back since chemo ended but it's only been a month.
Hugs.
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I started taking it at night and had horrible insomnia, so now I take it in the morning and can sleep at night
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I don't know if it makes any difference when you take it but I take it in the morning.
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