Tamoxifen and bones aching?

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robang13
robang13 Member Posts: 333
in Breast Cancer #1
I've been on tamoxifen for about a month now and have just started to notice that my bones ache. I had knee surgery almost 2 years ago and my knee actually throbs at times. The rest of me just feels "old". Has anyone else felt like this? Not too many hot flashes yet, so I guess that's good:)It's just the rest of my body that feels like it's aged 20 years already!

Angela

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  • jphilpo
    jphilpo Member Posts: 177
    #2
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    YES!
    Hi Angela,

    I too suffer from bone aches. I have been on femara and was switched to tamoxifen. It has not been quite 2 years yet. I deal with it every day and try to keep moving.

    Also, not everyone has these side effects, so please don't feel like you are the only one. Hot flashes are a nightmare. My doctor and I tried effexor, but I had side effects with that and couldn't continue.

    Let your doctor know and remember to ask for help.

    Jean
  • missingtexas
    missingtexas Member Posts: 146
    #3
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    This seems to be my only
    This seems to be my only side effect from Tomoxifen and it's quite bad at times. I'm curious about other people and what they're doing for it. It keeps me up most of the night even when I take something to sleep.
    Dana
  • robang13
    robang13 Member Posts: 333
    #4
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    missingtexas said:

    This seems to be my only
    This seems to be my only side effect from Tomoxifen and it's quite bad at times. I'm curious about other people and what they're doing for it. It keeps me up most of the night even when I take something to sleep.
    Dana

    Dana, Mine just started
    Dana, Mine just started yesterday and already I had enough. It's a moving, aching feeling thru the whole leg! I've been ok otherwise. I'm n pain meds for chronic back pain and that's not even helping the achiness.
  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
    #5
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    Im not on tamoxifen anymore
    Im not on tamoxifen anymore so i dont have anyting to add to that - but if you find yourself having bad hot flashes see if your onc is ok with you taking a 400iu vitamin E capsule daily - my onc recommended it to me for the hot flashes and to my surprise it is really working - they are becoming less frequent & not nearly as intense!
    *hugs*
    heather
  • Huskymac
    Huskymac Member Posts: 12
    #6
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    Femara and body aches
    I don't want anyone else to be in pain but I have to say I was relieved when I read this post! I have been on Femara for 5 months and I am miserable. I am 58 and feel like I am 88! Everything hurts...when I stand up from sitting I can hardly move. Bending down takes a lot of effort. One year ago before diagnosis I worked out everyday and walked...now I am scared to move because I don't want to hurt. I have an appt with my Oncologist next week about the pain. I do not want to stop taking it because I don't want to repeat the last year. What to do?

    I am so sorry all of you are experiencing the same side effects. Has anyone stopped taking Tamoxifin or Femara due to this side effect.

    It helps so much to read this website to understand what to expect. You are all heros to me! I guess misery loves company! Hang in there Angela! I HEAR you! Take Care everyone and Thank you!
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #7
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    Huskymac said:

    Femara and body aches
    I don't want anyone else to be in pain but I have to say I was relieved when I read this post! I have been on Femara for 5 months and I am miserable. I am 58 and feel like I am 88! Everything hurts...when I stand up from sitting I can hardly move. Bending down takes a lot of effort. One year ago before diagnosis I worked out everyday and walked...now I am scared to move because I don't want to hurt. I have an appt with my Oncologist next week about the pain. I do not want to stop taking it because I don't want to repeat the last year. What to do?

    I am so sorry all of you are experiencing the same side effects. Has anyone stopped taking Tamoxifin or Femara due to this side effect.

    It helps so much to read this website to understand what to expect. You are all heros to me! I guess misery loves company! Hang in there Angela! I HEAR you! Take Care everyone and Thank you!

    Hey gang,
    I'm not on
    Hey gang,

    I'm not on Tamoxifen yet but from all that I've read on it, bone and joint aches are common. I've also read that symptoms can go away in a few months once your body adapts to the new meds. Lets hope that's the case for everybody... I wonder if glucosamine will work to aid in relief? Hmmmm.... anybody know?

    Hugs,
    Lorrie
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #8
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    butterflylvr said:

    Hey gang,
    I'm not on
    Hey gang,

    I'm not on Tamoxifen yet but from all that I've read on it, bone and joint aches are common. I've also read that symptoms can go away in a few months once your body adapts to the new meds. Lets hope that's the case for everybody... I wonder if glucosamine will work to aid in relief? Hmmmm.... anybody know?

    Hugs,
    Lorrie

    yes i have joint and
    yes i have joint and bone/muscle pain. when i am sick and get body aches it is awful. I have found exersize helps, although i dont want to do it!
  • robang13
    robang13 Member Posts: 333
    #9
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    carkris said:

    yes i have joint and
    yes i have joint and bone/muscle pain. when i am sick and get body aches it is awful. I have found exersize helps, although i dont want to do it!

    Well, I spoke to my aunt
    Well, I spoke to my aunt last night; she is on her second go round with tamoxifen, she says that it does get better as our body adjusts to it. She recommended a fish oil pill with dhea? Her doctor told her it was ok. She says it helps with the pain. She's going to look into the exact name though since she doesn't take it anymore. I'll get back to you once I know for sure. I told her to make sure you don't taste fish all day from it!! I told my hubby last night that I will give it a month, making it 2 months on, and if it doesn't get better I'm going to have to make a decision. It's not even the pain, I can handle pain, it's the throbbing achy feeling that doesn't stop even for you to sleep that is getting to me.

    Angela
  • mrs gadget
    mrs gadget Member Posts: 118
    #10
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    I've had chest pain
    I haven't had bone pain with it, but noticed some light chest pain and those terrible hot flashes that keep us up at night. I am starting to think sleep is a thing of the past for me...It seems like all of our side effects are different.
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #11
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    if and when I have aches I
    if and when I have aches I never know if due to meds or my age (52 in few weeks)

    I have been off tamoxifen for 3 mths now pre surgery *hysterectomy and now going back on...I'll pay more attention when I re-start taking it..

    Denise
  • pratt
    pratt Member Posts: 16
    #12
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    I have the very same
    I have the very same feeling. My doctor acted like she had never heard of these symptoms. I feel like I have aged 20 years. I don't know of I can continue taking this drug. I only started it in Oct 2010. I have read the other drugs that they use for breast cancer and they all sound worse. I don't know, sometimes I think I just want to quit the Tamoxifen and take my changes. I know that is wrong thinking-but if I feel this bad now-how am I going to feel after 5 years.
  • Char258
    Char258 Member Posts: 2
    #13
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    robang13 said:

    Dana, Mine just started
    Dana, Mine just started yesterday and already I had enough. It's a moving, aching feeling thru the whole leg! I've been ok otherwise. I'm n pain meds for chronic back pain and that's not even helping the achiness.

    Hi Dana,
    I am on Tamoxifen,
    Hi Dana,

    I am on Tamoxifen, Lupron & effexor. I also have been on pain meds for chronic back pain. Nothing seems to help. I just logged in to try to find some alternative to the pain meds or maybe a different one. Some days I can harldy stand all the pain.
  • MusicMama
    MusicMama Member Posts: 11
    #14
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    Yes, Yes, Yes!!
    Hi Angela - This site has been better than any of my doctors!! The side affects of tamoxifin for me have been crippling! For the most part I just try to suck it up because I don't want to sound ungrateful! I am glad there are treatments for this beast! If it had not been for this site, I would have quit the tamix about 2 months into it. But these amazing women have helped me push on. My life & lifestyle have been altered drastically from the side affects. Exercising does help the pain some. I have also started taking a supplement called Pro-Cal, which is a combination of Calcium & Potassium. It seems to be helping as well. Good luck with this. I hope it improves for you!

    Diane
  • jazna
    jazna Member Posts: 1
    #15
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    pratt said:

    I have the very same
    I have the very same feeling. My doctor acted like she had never heard of these symptoms. I feel like I have aged 20 years. I don't know of I can continue taking this drug. I only started it in Oct 2010. I have read the other drugs that they use for breast cancer and they all sound worse. I don't know, sometimes I think I just want to quit the Tamoxifen and take my changes. I know that is wrong thinking-but if I feel this bad now-how am I going to feel after 5 years.

    Pratt I feel the same way
    Pratt I feel the same way you do. I've also experienced problems with my feet, just trying to stick it out and regain some positivity is very difficult.

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