I know I am coming into season but

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Kat11
Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I look like a Tomato. When I get the flashes which I am getting more and more while on Tamoxifen. My face turns bright red. If I am out, people ask me if I am ok. It's embarrassing. Is there anything I can do about it.

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  • pattimc
    pattimc Member Posts: 431
    #2
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    Me too
    I was at a benefit dinner for a friend of mine and became so red and hot we had to leave! I also get red ears!! I've been on Tamoxifen since June 2009.
  • crselby
    crselby Member Posts: 441 Member
    #3
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    hot and sweaty
    Say, Kat, hot flashes are not only annoying but emabarrassing! I had gotten used to them over the last 11 years (menopause at 47) but the Tamoxifen I started taking in November 2009 made them worse. Oh, God's cruel joke on women.... So I went against my normal desire of not wanting to take ANY pills and asked my onc if he knew of something to help. He knows I like to stay as close to natural as possible so he suggested Peridin-C. I purchased it off the internet, took it for 3 months and got no relief. So I asked my gyn if she knew of something else to help and she put me on the lowest dose of Effexor. What it does is change my brain chemisty to ignore or stop the signal trying to tell my ovaries to make a mature egg. (For gosh sakes, give it up already! I'm 58!)

    I'm the last person to mess with my brain chemistry!!! But I was desperate, and it's working. I'm hoping, after the sweats and flashes are gone for a time (yet to be determined), that I can begin to wean off of the Effexor and still be hot flash free. Depends on how long it takes to train my brain. Hah!

    Good luck with this, Kat.


    ~~Connie~~
  • cindycflynn
    cindycflynn Member Posts: 1,132 Member
    #4
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    I know what you mean!
    I was giving a presentation yesterday at work when one hit, and I knew that my face was very red, but there was nothing I could do but just keep going.

    Talk to your doctor about what you might be able to take to alleviate the hot flashes. My medical oncologist had recommended vitamin E, which I took for a couple of weeks after chemo, but I can't take it right now while I'm doing the radiation because my radiation oncologist won't allow it. Once I'm done with the rads I'll go back to that because it seemed to reduce the number and severity of the hot flashes for me.

    Take care,
    Cindy
  • ms_independent
    ms_independent Member Posts: 214
    #5
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    I hate it
    I've have been having a terrible time with hot flashes. Mine are caused by menopause not tamoxifen. I started taking magnesium (slo mag) and have seen a huge improvement. I don't know if it would work with the cause being different. I've also read about taking Vit E and black cohash. Ask your Drs if it's OK to try any of these. I know friends have taken something prescription that has helped with tamoxifen-related hot flashes.
    Good luck, El
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #6
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    cindycflynn said:

    I know what you mean!
    I was giving a presentation yesterday at work when one hit, and I knew that my face was very red, but there was nothing I could do but just keep going.

    Talk to your doctor about what you might be able to take to alleviate the hot flashes. My medical oncologist had recommended vitamin E, which I took for a couple of weeks after chemo, but I can't take it right now while I'm doing the radiation because my radiation oncologist won't allow it. Once I'm done with the rads I'll go back to that because it seemed to reduce the number and severity of the hot flashes for me.

    Take care,
    Cindy

    Hope you find something Kat
    Hope you find something Kat that helps you. Have you talked to your oncologist about it?

    Leeza
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #7
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    cindycflynn said:

    I know what you mean!
    I was giving a presentation yesterday at work when one hit, and I knew that my face was very red, but there was nothing I could do but just keep going.

    Talk to your doctor about what you might be able to take to alleviate the hot flashes. My medical oncologist had recommended vitamin E, which I took for a couple of weeks after chemo, but I can't take it right now while I'm doing the radiation because my radiation oncologist won't allow it. Once I'm done with the rads I'll go back to that because it seemed to reduce the number and severity of the hot flashes for me.

    Take care,
    Cindy

    Vitamin E?
    Cindy and others -- I haven't heard of vitamin E for hot flashes -- can you tell me more about that?

    I'd never had a hot flash in my life until I started the Tamoxifen -- I'm thankful that I only get them at night, and they're usually not too bad, but if something as simple as vitamin E could help, I'd love to try it!

    I wouldn't start anything without asking my oncologist about it first, but, before I talk with him, I'd love to hear from any others of you who've had success with it.

    Thanks much,

    Traci
  • cindycflynn
    cindycflynn Member Posts: 1,132 Member
    #8
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    TraciInLA said:

    Vitamin E?
    Cindy and others -- I haven't heard of vitamin E for hot flashes -- can you tell me more about that?

    I'd never had a hot flash in my life until I started the Tamoxifen -- I'm thankful that I only get them at night, and they're usually not too bad, but if something as simple as vitamin E could help, I'd love to try it!

    I wouldn't start anything without asking my oncologist about it first, but, before I talk with him, I'd love to hear from any others of you who've had success with it.

    Thanks much,

    Traci

    Traci
    My doc said I could take up to 800 IU a day. The capsules I bought are 400 IU each (I think that's the normal dose), so I took 1 in the morning and 1 at night.

    I also hadn't heard of it before she suggested it, but was very happy to find something so simple as well. Hope your doc okays it for you. It definitely helped with mine.

    Good luck! (as I type this, I'm having my 4th hot flash so far today!)

    Cindy

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