Face breaking out on tamoxifen?
I've been on tamoxifen for a year now and I have all kinds of side effects from it. Weight gain 20 pounds, I'm always tired and I have no desire to do anything, hair loss/hair thinning to name some, oh yeah and those lovely hot flashes too. But also my face is breaking out with acne. I talked to my Onco and he said it is hormones. Well that sucks! Just another stinky side effect from this drug that I have to live with.
Are any of you experiencing your face breaking out/acne from tamoxifen? It is so bad that I'm thinking of going on accutane! I'm 43 and I have always had some form of acne but now my face is so inflammed.
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Funny you should bring this up. I've had a rash in two places on my face for a month now. Not pimples...a rash. Went to the doctor yesterday, and he diagnosed it as perioral dermititis and put me on doxycycline for 10 days. I don't know if this is related to tamoxifen or not, but I'm wondering...
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I have started tamox about 4 weeks ago and have noticed that for the most part through chemo and rads, when I wasn't on anything, I never broke out. Now, I'm getting the chin pimples again - two in one week! I was getting them when I was on estratest too, so I'm thinking yes, it is tamox. and, these are those big, red suckers that I used to get -takes a while to go away.
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I too am having this problem. I started tamoxifen in April and have been dealing with acne since. Like Chelev they are the big cystic kind that are really deep and hurt. Mine are also on my chin and also up near my hairline. Seems like I have a new one to deal with just about every day.
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I found that my face went the other way - used to be redder and break out more on the BCP's, but it's dryer and stays clearer and less red on the Tamoxifen. Interesting how it messes with us in different ways. I read somewhere that Tamoxifen can intensify or bring on roseacea - maybe that's what's going on here?
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JanMarch and chelev, That's what I have too. They are on my chin and like JanMarch also along my hairline. Cyst type pimples that are very painful and take a long time to heal and go away.
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Okay, I have to share this - it's like I cursed myself. Sort of like when you brag that none of your kids has been sick in a long time, and immediately after you finish the sentence, one of them projectile-vomits.
So much for my "clear" skin. Apparently in response to my message, my face has managed to whip up a huge cyst-like pimple, just above my left eye, enhanced by my frown lines. I'm thinking it wants to be a third eye.
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Thank goodness I'm not the only one. I've been on Lupron and Tamoxifene for 5 months. I am having terrible break outs on my chin and even in my eyebrown line. I feel so self conscious, and they take forever to heal. Before one goes away, two more pop up. Anyone find a good way to treat this? I'm calling a dermatologist Monday. One more flipping thing to deal with besides all this other stuff.
Laura
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So glad I'm not the only one. My onco said Tamoxfin doesn't cause acne. I started tamoxfin 3 1/2 yrs ago at age 34 and have expericed painful cystic acne and roseacea that I never had before. I tried doryx just recently but also had side effects from it worse than the acne. Also had the hair loss switch really sucks after losing all my hair on chemo!
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You ladies are not alone on this one. I just had my ovaries removed Sept 1 and I have not had one of those nasty cystic acne since. When I was on Tamoxifen I got them all the time. So I know it was from tamoxifen. Also when I told my Onco he did say yes that the tamoxifen causes that kind of acne. I still get breakout but not the deep painful cystic ones. More like the clogged pores ones now.
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Hi, everyone. I am NOT on tamoxifen. I was on estradiol patch (estrogen) before I got breast cancer and they took me off immediately. Since then, i have terrible hot flashes and my face is horribly broken out. I did have a little bit of rosacea (slightly red occasionally) and my dermatologist says hot flashes make rosaces alot worse, thus the acne form of rosacea.
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Hey all,
I don't know where to post this -- still new. I'm on Day13 (great) of Tamoxifen and I've noticed two things ... my skin on my face, my chin area seems dryer and thicker, but not itchy. And I have what seems to be a "sunburn" type thing going on on my chest. It doesn't itch unless I scratch it. (I wanted to see if it was itchy!) Also, on my forearms I have obvious rash.
None of this is a big deal, but of course it's Sunday in about 30 minutes. Do I take the Tamox tomorrow, and go to the oncologist, or what? I'm not even anxious about this ... too much already.
I did have an experience once years back, when put on some thyroid med (an experiment I didn't need) I had a full body rash that was unbearable within about 12 hours. This is not that. So I think, "what's the big deal?" Just curious.
Maybe I'll post this in one other place.
Sigh, sigh, sigh. And hugs to all.
BP
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Well, it's Sunday night and I have a rash on my neck now ... so ... I'll take a wild guess it's the Tamox as there isn't any other explanation. Will call M.D. in a.m. Pharmacist said take Benadryl and I heard here that Benadryl can interfere with Tamox. Have to look around a bit more.
I'm not freaking out. Tomorrow is another day.
Hugs to all.
BP
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I see no one has posted here for a while, but I have been on tamox for two and a half years. I am thirty seven and never had acne. But I too am experiencing terrible pimples on my chin and forehead/hairline. The vaginal dryness is also of concern-but so are the achey joints. I'm BRCA 2+ and have to be on this for another 2 1/2 years. I hope this is the worst that I have to experience. But nothing seems to get rid of these craters!
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I've only been taking Tamoxifen for 6 months, but I also have that horrible acne on my chin, and yet the skin on the rest of my face is dryer than it used to be - I would LOVE someone to tell me how to make it go away!
I had really achey joints. I've been taking 1000mg of turmeric with piperine, which is works for me, almost no more joint pain. Bonus side effect is that it fluidifies the blood (tamoxifen can cause blood clots).0 -
May I chime in? I had sufferred from acne since I was a teenager. I tried all topical acne treatment you could possible find in the market. I tried all antibiotic treatments, 3 courses of accutain, birth contor pills, you name it...nothing worked. Few months before my BC diagnosis my MD put me on daily doxycyline and spironolactone. I however stopped it 3 weeks before I started taking tamoxifen. Just to see what will happen. I was hoping since Tamoxifen is a hormone blocker that it would take care of my acne. After 3 days of tamoxifen I have 5 cystic acne on my chin. I restarted taking spironolactone. For some reason the combination of tamoxifen and aldactone to me has good result. I never thought my skin has been this clear since my preteen years. You may want to try also the Benzaclen ointment. It's very good for spot treatment. It's the only ointment that worked on my tough acne. It KILLS acne in 24 hrs. It's a prescription so you have to ask your physician for it.
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I've been getting bad acne since starting tamoxifen. My skin is so oily now, and on a humid day I feel like I need to wash my face 10 times to get the film of dirty grease off of me. Funny though, my skin was awesome on chemo.
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Hi,
I am now off tamoxifen and on arimidex and so not on here often but wanted to say that for me I was getting huge cystic acne on tamoxifen less so now. It has to do with the hairs that are now coming out on my face (light colored almost transparent downy hairs) due to chemo throwing me into menopause. Chemo medicine cleared all my acne during treatment by the way. I suspect that spiroadlactone was a contributing factor to my heavily hormone reactive cancer (my theory - you needn't bleieve it) so it makes me uncomfortable to read about its use as a tratment, off label, for acne, even though I was given it forthe same reason three to four years before dx.
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Is there anything that helps clear it up other than prescription chemicals?
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I, too, have been experiencing frequent outbreaks of acne on my chin since starting tamoxifen 2 months ago. It's annoying! Although I am otherwise feeling quite well, and don't seem to be experiencing any other side effects (yet) that I can identify as related to taking tamoxifen. Guess of all the possible side effects, I'll take this one and roll with it!0 -
ok, so I have never had problems with my skin like I have since being on tamoxifen! At 53 my face looks worse then a 16 yr old. It’s so embarrassing I’ve been to Dermatologist had 3 biopsies, it started on my trunk area and has moved upward to my face. Mostly chin and hair line, ears and scalp. They hurt, have tried everything under the sun, doxycycline, cream nothing works! I’m thinking of stopping the tamoxifen, I can’t stand this
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yes me too! I’m 45 and have never had perfect skin by any means but wow, the tamoxifen is really taking its toll. And so oily with large pores now too. Doctors refuse to even believe it’s related which is SO frustrating!
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