CBD and Tamoxifen
Hi There Fellow Survivors,
I will have been taking Tamoxifen for 4 years this coming September. I have been very fortunate in that my side effects are within my tolerance level. However, the main SE I have are 24 hour twitching of my legs. I can tolerate this until I get painful contractions which can make my entire leg seize up and twist - sometimes both legs at the same time (not a good look).
I started taking CBD (over the counter reputable health food store) and my bone pain and contractions have eased (twitching still there). I have however just read that new studies show that CBD can inhibit metabolization of Tamoxifen so I have stopped taking CBD (after 11 days of use).
Does any one use CBD with Tamoxifen? Has anyone had a chat with their oncologist about CBD?
I will book a chat with my oncologist but I wondered if anyone has an opinion or experience they would care to share for my and our ongoing knowledge development. Or is there an existing thread I have missed in my search
Thank you
Comments
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skwashie,
I am not familiar with Tamoxifen and CBD. I don't know where you live but in California, CBD sold in health food stores or any other outlet that is not a licensed dispensary is not derived from cannabis but rather hemp. There is considerable debate over whether this makes a difference or not. I only buy from dispensaries and I buy products with THC in addition to the CBD. If you'd like to read/contribute to to this, please follow this link:
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/79/topics/874792?page=14#post_5743441
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Hi exbrnxgrl,
I hope you are well and thanks for this. I will shoot over to the thread you have provided.
I am in Australia but currently on a break in the UK and so have purchased CBD legally (the hemp variety).
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skwashie,
I have also been trying to investigate how CBD interacts with Tamoxifen as I am desperate to find something that might help with my insomnia and the leg cramps. I went ahead and purchased some CBD tincture and started working on finding the dose that would work for me. After using it for a couple of weeks with some success, I came across a couple of studies which indicated that CBD could make Tamoxifen less effective due to the issue you mentioned in your post. That kind of freaked me out, and I have reluctantly stopped using CBD.
I would be interested in hearing what your Oncologist has to say about it if you have an opportunity to have the discussion with them. I don’t recall if the articles that I read differentiated between CBD derived from hemp or cannabis. Frankly, I don’t think there is a lot of research that has been done regarding how Tamoxifen and CBD interact, but I hate to think that I might be putting up with the Tamoxifen side effects, only to decrease its effectiveness by using CBD.
Good luck with your legs. I can relate to how miserable the cramping can be!
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Hi mom2bill,
I hope you are well and I’m sorry about the sleep problems and leg cramps. Fortunately I am a talented sleeper although the leg cramps have been waking me.
I have found further research on CBD and there are conflicting studies. Some studies show that CBD inhibits aromatase and so blocks the production of oestrogen. Other studies have shown that as long as you do not take CBD within ten minutes of your other meds it will not inhibit metabolisation of other drugs. It looks like CBD is prioritised in the metabolisation process rather than culling the effect of other drugs. It has also shown that CBD can increase the strength of metabolising medication the following day. So, timing is important (I have started taking CBD again as I do not take it at the same time as tamoxifen - 12 hours apart).
Importantly, my leg cramps are manageable now and I have also suddenly had all the pain in my knees, hips, back,and legs dissipate. I am able to bounce up and down the stairs pain free … it feels amazing.
I am still raising it with my oncologist, and will report back on here, as I need a prescription in Australia.
I hope you get some relief soon.
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Hi Skwashie,
Thanks for the additional information. I guess I’m still sitting on the fence about whether or not I’ll try the CBD again, but I will factor in this new information. Right now I’m thinking about taking some occasionally on the nights when it is critical that I get more sleep, however it might be more effective when taken regularly. I will, however, make sure that I not take it too close to the time I take my Tamoxifen.
I’m glad to hear that you have gotten some relief. Take care.
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Hi mom2bill,
I hope you are well. I had an appointment with my oncologist today. We discussed my move to taking CBD oil. He fully supports me and feels that if it works (which it does for me) I should take it as it will support my completion of taking Tamoxifen.
I have an appointment with the medical marijuana clinic on Wednesday. At the moment I’m accessing CBD on the grey market (that’s what the oncologist called it). I’m advised that CBD is cheaper this way rather than getting it prescribed. I need the prescription so as to be legal here in Australia; as well as ensuring that the CBD I am accessing is of the right standard. However if you do your due diligence you can find the right companies.
I currently have no pain. My twitching legs still twitch but I now have multiple nights without leg cramps and when they do come at night they are manageable. Importantly, for me, I am living pain-free… I thought those days would never returned.
Good luck with your journey and I will report back on my appointment with the medical marijuana clinic and then how I get on.
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Hi Skwashie,
I just came across your post and wanted to thank you for sharing the information from your oncologist. I’m glad to hear that you are essentially pain free, and I hope that that continues. I’m still using CBD periodically and it does help with my sleeping issues on the nights that I take it. As I take my tamoxifen in two 10mg doses, I am working on figuring out the best time to take the Tamoxifen so that it will not be too close to when I take the CBD.
Hearing that the CBD has helped with your pain, I’m recognizing that I’m going to have to take it consistently in order to reap the full benefits…but for me, if all it does is help me get a reasonable amount of sleep, it will be worth the expense.
Wishing you many more pain free days and good luck with managing the rest of your time on Tamoxifen.
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