Bottle o Tamoxifen
Comments
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Lurline, I think there is no 'normal' with tamoxifen. You will read some people whose side effects got better with time and those who felt worse and worse. So it could be related to the tamoxifen or not. It's always hard to tell.
Trvler, my Hub suffers from relentlessly bad sleep. He can falls asleep alright but never stay asleep. Wakes at 2 a.m. and that's it. He's awake. He has found that if he lays on the floor for 10 minutes before going to bed, letting his spine stretch out and doing a few simple stretches, it helps with some of the aches he tends to get that wake him up and make sleeping miserable. But at this point we are investigating medical marijuana. I know nothing about it but apparently it has been refined down to a science, what and how much you need to accomplish what task. He has developed a years long bad sleep habit and needs something to break the cycle. But I do know how miserable it is to not feel rested! Dragging yourself through the days like a zombie. Ugh.
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Lurline:
I think others on this forum have said that Turmeric and Magnesium help with joint/bone pain. I take both - not for that, just suggested by my alternative MO -- and I've had little joint pain. Maybe worth a try.
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lurline- I’m about a month behind you in this whole thing, and I’ve just started getting some minor pains and stiffness and the dreaded muscle cramps I’ve been hearing about! All very minor so far, but I’m still on steroids for radiation damage, so it’s hard to tell what my actual level of discomfort is. I’m really hoping it isn’t going to get progressively worse! I think not only does Tamoxifen take time to build in your system, but maybe the lack of estrogen takes time to start causing trouble as things wear out
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shelabela- 14 Years on the night shift, My only behavioral risk factor. Ironically, I left my job a few months before I found my lump. Yeah, I’ve heard the correlation before, but a family’s gotta eat, right? Not to mention I was carrying our health insurance up to that time. Too bad I hadn’t yet replaced my life insurance before this happened.
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Yes I've read some of the studies r: night shift and BC. I was 8 yrs out if doing shift work when BC found me. But have done shift work on and off for a good chunk of my career. I also am a poor sleeper. Hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Was using melatonin until my pharmacist at the cancer centre told me of a study that indicates that melatonin grows er positive BC so I stopped.
Trvlr There is a long acting melatonin out there. Not sure if it is any better.
I had joint pain in shoulders elbows hands and knees up until a few days ago. Have just been exercising more over the last week so thinking it is helping with the Tamoxifen se. Either that or my body is just getting used to it. Either way it is good to exercise 😊
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Oh my goodness, Melatonin grows er+ cancer. What a long list of suggested helpful remedies that might actually be harmful. Why is it that we have to stumble across these things. Has anyone else had a Dr or Pharmacist tell them this about Melatonin???
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shel ababa - yes
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Wait... so LOW on Melatonin is Risk factor. but taking Melatonin also bad for ER +ve?
not cool!0 -
About Melatonin, as with anything we should do our own research before believing what we read on this site. I looked into this and found just the opposite...but do your own research and remember, anyone can post whatever they want to here.
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My MO recommends melatonin as a safe option for sleep issues while on Tamoxifen.
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Mine recommended it too. I always have weird dreams about animals attacking me or people I love when I take it though. Very weird. Could be a pack of coyotes or an alligator... last night it was a fuzzy kangaroo stuck on a fence.
I try to limit ithe melatonin if can. 0 -
Does anyone have stiffening/cramping of the fingers and hands at night? Then I get shooting pains up to my elbows. This lasts generally through mid-morning at least. My pcp said it was probably from the tamoxifen and prescribed a muscle relaxer (tizanidine 2mg) which helped a lot. But I really do not want to take any long term meds to counteract the tamoxifen if I don't have to.
All in all I have had an easier time than many on the tamox, and this symptom is not a game changer, it is just uncomfortable and annoying. I am just wondering if it has happened to anyone else, and what you have done about it. Btw i do take magnesium already, so it is not for lack of that.
Thanks in advance for any advice-
Barb
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I think my melatonin is long acting. I agree that exercise helps with the side effects. Really, outside of sleep and hotflashes/chills, I don't have any. But the sleep is big one.
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Capecodgirl, I have not had any hand cramping at night, so far. But I have suddenly developed weird finger/ hand cramps during the day. It's like my pointing finger spasms and pulls itself under my palm. Very weird, very annoying and it's like the strength in my whole hand craps out when it happens. This is entirely new to me. I was about to drain a big pot of boiling spaghetti the other day after several hours of this hand cramping going on. I had dropped several items already. As I looked at that pot of boiling water I thought, hmmm, this could go wrong. So I asked Daughter to do it. I spent all night shaking my hands to try and get the spasms worked out. Blech! I hope for you this is just a phase and it settles down in a while. My leg cramps did, thank god.
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My hands were doing some really wild cramping last night. Thumb pulled in toward center and pinky pointing out to side. It hurt. Feet were cramping too. I had been getting leg cramps but they have gone away. I hope this isn’t a new normal
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Are you hydrated? Try magnesium supplements. I take magnesium every night to avoid constipation but supposedly it helps with muscle cramps, too. I rarely get any muscle cramps. Just be careful. It can make you have diarrhea.
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So melatonin is not good for ER+? Or it is? UGH!!! I take it although I don't know if it helps.
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I looked it up and couldn't find anything negative pertaining to Melatonin and ER+, I only found good things but I'm no expert in reasearch. I reacted above to another post and had never heard anything bad
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twills and trvlr, i did not research the melatonin issue, it was my pharmacist at the cancer centre who suggested i stop it as there was one study that showed an increase in tumour size while taking melatonin and it suggested a correlation. I'm not sure of the study, but at the time i figured she knew best so i stopped it. i take zopiclone the ODD time if i cant sleep. Magnesium has been shown to help sleep. You coiuld look up "sleep hygiene" on the web which will give you some good safe options.
And I agree, do your own research, there is lots that support it to decrease estrogen in body - was also why i was taking it at the time in higher doses at 20mg as well as sleep before she told me or suggest i stop. Didn't want to chance it
I know zopiclone isn't good either that is why i take it only rarely.
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I actually looked up specifically Melatonin and ER+ cancer and I only found good things and as far as Magnesium, I've taken it for 3 weeks and haven't noticed anything yet, nothing bad or nothing good. I'll keep trying:)
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TWills, how much Magnesium are you taking?
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I've read that Melatonin works well with Tamoxifen. Ah, hell, who knows, right?
Magnesium is great for headaches, too, for those who have them. Many have magnesium deficiency.
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Michelle, 400 to start with, I know I can take more but wanted to adjust a bit and I also have a slight issue with my liver soI need to be careful with that and Magnesium can be rough on the liver.
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Magnesium is cleared by the kidney
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Is anyone else having issues with their eyesight? I had my eyes checked before surgery and nothing had changed. But now I’m not seeing as clearly as I should. I’ve been back to eye doc and she can find nothing wrong. Everything to her seems normal. Ug
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TaRenee-
I noticed in the last couple months that I am really struggling to read my laptop, and any printed material ( I do wear prescription cheaters to read). As luck would have it I was due for my annual eye exam. I told the optometrist about it and asked about the tamoxifen connection with this. He told me it was more likely due to my age (ha ha) --56 than the tamoxifen. He said although tamoxifen can affect vision it typically does not present until you have been on it for several years. His intern also told me that is what they are teaching in school as well. I just find it funny that this is happening within 7 months of starting the tamoxifen. I wonder how much else that is going on in my body I am blaming the tamoxifen for when it is actually that I am just old!
Hope this gets better for you-
Barbara
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Cronicpain, that's correct, it's cleared by the kidney and I have been told to go easy on anything that the kidney has to "clear". Even Tylenol:/
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As to Tamoxifen and melatonin.....my MO approved me taking it albeit in small doses. When I first consulted with my homeopathic doctor, he also suggested melatonin in small doses. He actually told me that in many cases the more melatonin you take the more it works in the opposite way--keeping you awake. He suggested I start with the smallest dose made which is 0.3mg. I couldn't find it anywhere except Amazon. Most doses are at least 3mg and this was a 10th of that. I bought it and within about 10 days was sleeping straight through the night. I continued to take it for almost a year. I started it shortly after diagnosis which, as we all know, totally messes with your sleep. Once I had established what I felt was a good strong sleep habit, I slowly weaned myself off it. It's now been 4 years since I quit and I still sleep very well. Usually a solid 8 hours a night. It's not perfect because I had a hysterectomy in year 2 so I do get a couple of hot flashes a night but I can usually go back to sleep pretty quickly. But if you're struggling to get sleep on melatonin, it may be that the dose is too high.
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Barbara:
Laughed out loud at your response!😀
I agree actually!
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