Has anyone felt BETTER on tamoxifen?
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Gemini - I read that that tamoxifene was first developed as a form of birth control - but it did not work that well . So I think that the hormonal effect could be similar to pregnancy because that is what birth control pills do - they put you in a state similar to pregnanacy so you do not get pregnant. Thank you so much for starting this thread and to all you nice ladies that are sharing your experiences - mostly positive - that is very encouraging.
I am starting 3rd week of RADs so 4 more weeks and I will start tami - maybe sooner if I feel no fatigue from the Rads.
Regarding the brand - I had it filled at Safeway and they used the Teva brand -I think it depends on which pharmacy you go to so if you want a particular brand i would call around first.
Hope you all have a sunny sprintime week ahead !
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Two weeks in and feeling great! And Farmerlucydaisy - now that you mention it, I've been sleeping much better, too.
Taking the Watson brand (it's what they gave me when I had the prescription filled at CVS).
I think my hormones were out of whack (too much estrogen for the amount of progesterone) before and this is evening them out to where they ought to be, but it's just a guess.
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Annette - I agree with you! Day six and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop but it doesn't. If this is HRT for Bc patients I'm loving it.
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Wow so glad to hear off all the positives of Tamoxifen! Makes me less nervous to start mine once I'm given the go ahead. Will be sure to call my pharmacy ahead of time to check on the manufacturer they use.
Jen0 -
I am on day three, plain old headaches are my only SE so far. I feel pretty good. Aromasin really got me at about three months and Arimidex was worse as I went on. I hope Tamoxifen doesn't do the same.
Hugs Ginger
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Hi ladies how is everyone doing on your Tami? I just started mine tonight so nervously waiting over the next few days to see if I notice any SE. I had mine filled at Rite-Aid. They do the Teva brand. Hoping the SE are minimal and I have good things to report on soon!
Jen0 -
So far so good, just headaches when I wake up. Regular headaches not migraine.
Ginger
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Best wishes to you and I pray that all your dreams of becoming a mommy come true!
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Hi ladies just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing on their Tamoxifen? I'm one week out since I started and so far, so good! I'm on the Teva brand. First 24 hrs had mild headache and some moderate cramping. Didn't last very long..since then no side effects except mild vaginal discharge. No hot flashes, no leg cramps, etc. Hoping it continues! If so, the next 5-10 year's will be a piece of cake!
Hugs,
Jen0 -
In my 4th week now, and so far so good. Light vaginal discharge but more a slight annoyance than anything. WAY less cyclical hormonal symptoms (moodiness, tender breasts, etc) which is a good thing. No hot flashes, muscle/joint pain etc.
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Last week, I completed three years of taking Tamoxifen. In 2 weeks I am scheduled to begin taking an AI. Right now I don't feel any different than before I began this journey on Tamoxifen, nor do I feel any different than when I completed taking it last week. Considering how well I did on it, I am beginning to wonder what's the rush to begin taking an AI. Despite now being postmenopausal, I don't think completing 5 years of Tamoxifen, in my case, is such a bad idea.... Hmmmmm....
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I am a week in and th headachey is gone. No other symptoms as of now. Amazing after my AI experience with Arimidex and Aromasin. I hiope this keeps up! I praY THIS KEEPS UP.
Ginger
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I'm exactly 20 days in. The biggest side effect I'm noticing is the watery discharge. Northing more than a nuisance, but enough so that I don't want to be caught without wearing a panty liner. A few times it has been so profuse that I've wondered if my period has started. No period yet since beginning the tamoxifen, but I had a migraine yesterday and today (both went away after I took my beloved Imitrex -- I don't know how I lived for so many years of migraines without that medication!). Usually my migraines are cyclical, so I might be getting a period soon. Hot flashes have been manageable and don't seem to be any more frequent than they were before I started.
Like others have been saying, I don't mind these side effects at all. So long as this migraine isn't related to it!
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Day 15 for me. I feel fine. I stopped Prozac for 3 days then started Effexor 37.5 mg per my onco. The first week of tamox I had some night sweats but now those seem to be much better and I'm not really having any daytime hot flashes. My only regret is that I didn't try the Tamox again sooner! The Effexor seems to knock me out (I take it at night) and I have vivid (but not scary) dreams. Who knew!
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Well I popped my first tamox pill tonight after dinner . I still have 2.5 weeks of rads to do but I wanted to get started ! It is the Mylan brand - hope my se's are mild ! Rads have been pretty easy but I am feeling a bit of fatigue and mild dizziness at times . Exercise seems to mitigate those se's though tha k goodness !
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Day 5 now and still no real se's . 1st few days a bit of stomach upset but that may have been food related . I am taking it after breakfast .
Anyone taking a daily low dose Asprin with this since the most concerning SE are blood clots ? (rare but concerning nonetheless ).0 -
My MO recommended low dose aspirin to help prevent blood clots and for cancer prevention. I was on and off last year because of reconstruction surgeries but am on it steadily now. I also was taking fish oil but found I bleed too easily so just stick to the aspirin now. I do eat lots of fish.
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Just read thru this thread and glad to see there are people who are posting positives about tamoxifen. Seems the only ones I read before this were mostly the negatives. I've been on it since November and after the first month the side effects faded away. The only thing I've really noticed is my skin is much dryer.
For those of you suffering from heavy periods... if the tamoxifen doesn't help you in that area, I can recommend the ablation. I had one done in 2009 and it made life so much better. I still had a period, but it was just 1 or 2 light days. Nothing like before.
I hadn't had a period since last November so I was thrilled. Until last month when it showed up again. Will have to see if my "sturdy ovaries" are back to full function or not. My MO said it was a sign that my body is doing well healing itself after chemo.
Sadly, it seems I am not one of ones who will experience weight loss, as I have cut back on what I eat and I'm actually gaining weight
I really want to exercise, but there are so many other things to do when I get home I can't motivate myself to get going. Have to do something soon because my daughter is getting married next year and I don't want to look like a Macy's balloon.0 -
Great thread! Just picked up my RX for Tamoxifen yesterday and started today before I could think about it too much. So good to hear good news about treatment. Will hang in there with you all to see how it goes. Hoping for the best for all!
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Thanks golden01 about the low dose Asprin - I will ask my mo about it too - makes sense to me !
Chell45 - can relate about not being able to fit in exercise ! Especially of u work it is very very difficult . I joined a women bicycling club and it is helping a lot - peer pressure is good and we have a beautiful bike trail along the American river here as well as some quiet country roads to go on ! I also made a resolution to walk at least 45 minutes a day since I ended chemo - haven't been able to keep it 100% but am close !
Mamasixtaz - we can compare notes- so far so good for me !!0 -
Just bumping the thread to see how everyone is doing! It's been a little over a month for me and so far so good. Had my first follow-up with my oncologist and he renewed my prescription for the next 6 months. He hasn't said how long I'll be on it - I think it will depend in part on if/when I hit menopause, so for now, I'm committing to 6 months at a time, LOL.
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Gemini
Thank you for starting this thread. This is my first post. Picked up my prescription for tamoxifen today and just read here about the different brands. Ive had major anxiety about taking it and reading these posts has helped to assure me it's going to be ok. Will still wait until I can call my obgyn about her opinion on having a transvaginal ultrasound.0 -
Almost a month in for me and things are going very well. Just wanted to stop by and say that I had been having night sweats since I started, but now I am two weeks into 37.5 mg of Effexor and the night sweats seemed to have diminished significantly. OR could be also that my body is adjusting to tamox. I never thought I would be glad to be on tamoxifen, but I am! I had a T V ultrasound when they first discovered the ALH, so I think I'll ask my OBGYN for a yearly one now.
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I had a TV ultrasound about 9 months before my BC diagnosis for other reasons, so we have that at least as a baseline. My gyn said she doesn't think routine TV ultrasounds are necessary for pre-menopausal women, but my onc said that some gyns do, some gyns don't, so it seems pretty variable.
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Hi Ladies!
I've been on tamoxifen for 7 months now and thought I'd post my experience so far.
I'm 42 and still pre-menopausal. The first 3 months were horrible! The side effects were terrible! Especially the body drenching night sweats! PMS was a dangerous time for the rest of the population, although they had no idea. I had to keep reminding myself that prison would totally suck! I also had constipation and joint pain.
I tried effexor and found that I am one of the few people who cant take it, it makes me vomit within about 30 minutes. I'm kind of glad though, I really didn't want to take another prescription med. I prefer natural alternatives if possible.
I am happy to say after becoming very routine with the tamoxifen, I take it every morning. I think my body has adjusted to it. Oh, for the constipation I upped my fiber and water intake. (Dulcolax for women is also helpful if you need it!)I have also started taking the supplement SAM-e.
The nightsweats are far and few between,I have only had one hot flash in the last 2 months, I haven't planned to kill someone in a violent, bloody way recently and I really think the SAM-e has helped with the depression,joint pain and night sweats!
In closing I would also like to add that I have tried to look at this differently. Taking tamoxifen is the one thing I can personaly do, to lower my chances of a re-occurence! If I can never see the inside of a rads room, it would be awesome!
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1 Week and so far so good, only a bit more emotional. Cry easily but could be just the ups and downs of this disease...can't blame the Tami. Hope all are tolerating this well.
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I am losing weight, not something a person who is JUST at a healthy weight wants to do. I have memory lapses. But if this can help, me, I am all for it.
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Hi Everyone,
I started taking tamoxifen with great trepidation 7 weeks ago and have been really surprised by my body's positive response. My hot flushes have gradually decreased and now I have an uninterrupted night's sleep. I've also started walking great distances and trying to learn to jog too! It really is so easy to live with, and my only regret is the amount of time and energy I wasted worrying about it before I started it.
I did find changing brands significantly reduced hot flushes: http://pinkandapple.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/generic-genox-vs-tamoxifen-sandoz-brand/
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I've been on the Mylan brand for almost a month now and only complaint is some hot flashes - especially at night . I take it after breakfast in the am and have not had any digestive issues . Seems like I am tolerating it just fine ! But now since Mylan is not making any longer I will be starting the TEVA brand later this week - hope it is just as easy !
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Hey girls I hav been taking Tami 8 months ago it resulted in a small meningioma in m'y head i read an article about The possible association btw new BC And meningioma it s all a hormonal problm m'y doctor gave me t'en rounds of rads Am doing Well So far n i dnt knw whether The meningiom existed Since m'y childhood or came With cancer tank GOd it s nt a met So it s nt a big deal it s benign
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