A little known side effect of Tamoxifen

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gayleyr
gayleyr Member Posts: 51
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Thought I would share with this group that I found out the hard way that there is a little known side effect of Tamoxifen. I have been taking 20 mg of Tamoxifen daily for about 9-10 months. Recently, I noticed every day my hair breaking off and loosing much too many hairs -- becoming very thin. I contacted the manufacturer of Nolvadex and they confirmed that approximately 5-6% of patients experience hair thinning or hair loss. If this is a problem for you, please contact your doctor. Maybe you are a candidate for Arimidex which does not list hair thinning/loss as a side effect.

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  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #2
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    thanks for info

    thanks for info
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159
    #3
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    disneyfan2008 said:

    thanks for info

    thanks for info

    Not saying you shouldn't
    Not saying you shouldn't have replied to this post, or that the info isn't viable/valuable~ but wow! She gave us this info back in 2002! I sometimes wonder how these posts migrate back to the top of the list now and then! LOL

    Hugs,
    Chen♥
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #4
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    chenheart said:

    Not saying you shouldn't
    Not saying you shouldn't have replied to this post, or that the info isn't viable/valuable~ but wow! She gave us this info back in 2002! I sometimes wonder how these posts migrate back to the top of the list now and then! LOL

    Hugs,
    Chen♥

    How can I delete my reply
    I didnt' see date..dont' know how I even read it..I am fairly new to board...
  • cinnamonsmile
    cinnamonsmile Member Posts: 1,187 Member
    #5
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    disneyfan2008 said:

    How can I delete my reply
    I didnt' see date..dont' know how I even read it..I am fairly new to board...

    i am new to breast cancer and
    i am new to breast cancer and having a double mastectomy next month. i love searching the boards for information. i am starting tamoxifen when the drs say i am ready after the surgery. had you deleted this post, i may not have known that information. please remember that sad as it is, there are probably newly diagnosed people coming to this site almost every day and what may be old to some, is totally new to others!
  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
    #6
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    cinnamonsmile said:

    i am new to breast cancer and
    i am new to breast cancer and having a double mastectomy next month. i love searching the boards for information. i am starting tamoxifen when the drs say i am ready after the surgery. had you deleted this post, i may not have known that information. please remember that sad as it is, there are probably newly diagnosed people coming to this site almost every day and what may be old to some, is totally new to others!

    Cinnamonsmile--
    I agree - I searched through old Tamoxifen posts also, and was worried about this side effect too before I started taking it.
    I asked my Onc about it and he said that I shouldn't worry about it - that it CAN happen as a side effect (thinning hair), but that it usually DOESN'T. And lemme tell ya, I had my last chemo in October, and my hair is growing back fast & thick. My eyelashes are coming in thicker than they were before, they just need to grow a little longer so I can gob some mascara on them!!
    Good luck to you on your surgery next month, I had the same. May you have a speedy recovery!
    *hugs*
    Heather
  • hope25
    hope25 Member Posts: 8
    #7
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    cinnamonsmile said:

    i am new to breast cancer and
    i am new to breast cancer and having a double mastectomy next month. i love searching the boards for information. i am starting tamoxifen when the drs say i am ready after the surgery. had you deleted this post, i may not have known that information. please remember that sad as it is, there are probably newly diagnosed people coming to this site almost every day and what may be old to some, is totally new to others!

    I am new to the whole Breast cancer thing too
    cinnamonsmile,

    I found out in Nov 2010 that I have DCIS after turning 40 back in May. My Surgery is set for Mid Jan 2011 and still deciding on single or double mastectomy. I am curious about your situation and why you chose a double vs. a single?

    Good luck with your Surgery
    Hope25
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #8
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    cinnamonsmile said:

    i am new to breast cancer and
    i am new to breast cancer and having a double mastectomy next month. i love searching the boards for information. i am starting tamoxifen when the drs say i am ready after the surgery. had you deleted this post, i may not have known that information. please remember that sad as it is, there are probably newly diagnosed people coming to this site almost every day and what may be old to some, is totally new to others!

    Yup...the archives are a great thing to search....
    I think Chen's point is that we 'old timers' (Sorry, Chen..lol) have seen so many times that a post that appears out of 8 years ago may or may not still be precise...

    I have taken Tamoxifen for almost 5 years (In July, 2011, I get to STOP!!! YEA!!!!), and I can tell you that I have beautiful, thick hair...(see my pic...lol). I lost it all to the Adrimycin, and note some hair fall now, but, as my hair dresser says, we all lose a certain amount everyday....on her advice, while taking Tami, I am vigilant about conditioning my hair and scalp...seems just like with 'real' menopause, Tami cuts the female hormone and causes some of the same symptoms....

    Ain't it GRAND to be a girl???? ROFLMAO!!!

    Welcome to the club, cinnamon, that no one wants to be in....

    Good luck on your surgery next month!!! Please keep us posted, you are now a sister in pink!!!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • betsymorgan
    betsymorgan Member Posts: 25
    #9
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    I'm glad this post got re-posted too
    I too looked around for a Tamoxifen-related post. I have horrible side effects: nausea, night sweats, fatigue...my onc suggested I stay on it for a couple more months, and if I'm still not used to it, to bag it. I had DCIS and a month later, stage 1 with no SN involvement. I had a single mastectomy with reconstruction. So she said that the risk of going off it wouldn't be that big.

    Do these side effects go away?

    thanks!
    betsy

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