Tamoxifen-side effects & anti depressants

Heatherbelle

Good evening all~
My doctor wants to start me on Tamoxifen when I go back next week. I'm reading up on it but I know the internet is full of wacky information interspersed with the actual useful stuff out there. So, I'm asking all of you who are or were on Tamoxifen to share your side effects & information with me. Also -any of you who were on zoloft (which I am) and anti-depression, did your Dr recommend you switch to another anti-depressant? If so, which one? I have read that certain antidepressants can interfere with how Tamoxifen works & I certainly don't want that -but I did have a terrible year and a half in my twenties being mis-diagnosed with various mental issues, trying out several different anti depressants before finally getting the right diagnosis of manic depressive and panic disorder -both of which are completely under control (have been for many years). So I'm scared to stop taking my zoloft or switch medications again but I'm willing to do it do receive the benefits of the Tamoxifen.
Also - have you experienced hair loss or thinning with Tamoxifen? I already have hot flashes from hell so I'm prepared for that aspect...
Thank you all!
*hugs*
Heather

carkris

you cannot mix tamoxifen and
you cannot mix tamoxifen and some antidepressants. The antidepressant negates the effects of the tamoxifen. I tried to find the post which has this info. I am not sure about zoloft.

carkris

carkris said:

you cannot mix tamoxifen and
you cannot mix tamoxifen and some antidepressants. The antidepressant negates the effects of the tamoxifen. I tried to find the post which has this info. I am not sure about zoloft.

I looked it up and zoloft is
The study involved about 1,300 women and was released this past weekend at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Researchers found that women who were taking antidepressants like Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft along with tamoxifen for at least one year had a breast-cancer recurrence rate of 16% -- compared with a recurrence rate of 7.5% for women not taking the drugs.

However, not all antidepressants strongly affect tamoxifen's usefulness, and the study showed that women on drugs like Celexa, Lexapro and Luvox didn't have a statistically higher rate of cancer recurrence.

Mariannemm

carkris said:

I looked it up and zoloft is
The study involved about 1,300 women and was released this past weekend at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Researchers found that women who were taking antidepressants like Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft along with tamoxifen for at least one year had a breast-cancer recurrence rate of 16% -- compared with a recurrence rate of 7.5% for women not taking the drugs.

However, not all antidepressants strongly affect tamoxifen's usefulness, and the study showed that women on drugs like Celexa, Lexapro and Luvox didn't have a statistically higher rate of cancer recurrence.

Same`
That is what I have heard too. I was taking Prozac and had to go off of it. I am thinking about starting to take celexa. I am fighting depression and the doctor wants me to take it but not sure I want to take another pill!!! Marianne

carkris

Mariannemm said:

Same`
That is what I have heard too. I was taking Prozac and had to go off of it. I am thinking about starting to take celexa. I am fighting depression and the doctor wants me to take it but not sure I want to take another pill!!! Marianne

I know the reason I am doing
I know the reason I am doing as well as I am is the support and love i receive, therapy , and the little white 5mg pill I take. give it a try, life is too short and this battle can be too hard without battling depression too!

sal314

Hi Heather
I finished my 5 year journey with Tamoxifen on Aug. 31st. It was a rough start, but then evened out and was tolerable.

I didn't have any side effects for the first couple of months. Then I started getting the hot flashes and got very moody and depressed. I was already taking Effexor for post-partum and anxiety issues when I started Tamoxifen. I had switched to Effexor after being on Zoloft for two years. The transition was easy and the Effexor seemed to work. My oncologist wanted me on the Effexor as well since it helps with hot flashes. So I looked at it as killing two birds with one stone...helps with depression AND hot flashes...why not stay on it! There is also a drug very similar to Effexor called Pristiq. It's basically the same drug, but breaks down differently in the body so it's suppose to be easier on the liver.

As far as other side effects of Tamoxifen...periods are rare ( I think I had one a year!) and I did develop some annoying ovarian cysts. My oncologist told me that they are common, but will not turn into anything serious, so he wasn't concerned. The pain that comes with them is tolerable, just unconfortable at times. I'm waiting to see if they go away on their own now that I'm off of Tamoxifen. If not and the pain becomes too much to live with, I'll have to have the cysts removed. Again, nothing terrible, but one more procedure I just don't wanna go through!

SOme women get joint pain after awhile on Tamoxifen. Oddly enough, I didn't notice anything until AFTER I stopped taking it! Just in the past 1-2 months, every little joint in my hands and feet hurt! So weird. I'm too young to have arthritis! Ugh.

SO...I'd give Tamoxifen a try. It took me 4 years after my diagnoses to finally give in and try it. My doc. just kept buggin' me to go on it. I finally caved, but glad I did. Now I know I've done EVERYTHING in my power to give myself the best chance at staying cancer free. I'd hate to look back and regret not taking it if something were to ever recur.

Good luck.

Sally

teresa41

sal314 said:

Hi Heather
I finished my 5 year journey with Tamoxifen on Aug. 31st. It was a rough start, but then evened out and was tolerable.

I didn't have any side effects for the first couple of months. Then I started getting the hot flashes and got very moody and depressed. I was already taking Effexor for post-partum and anxiety issues when I started Tamoxifen. I had switched to Effexor after being on Zoloft for two years. The transition was easy and the Effexor seemed to work. My oncologist wanted me on the Effexor as well since it helps with hot flashes. So I looked at it as killing two birds with one stone...helps with depression AND hot flashes...why not stay on it! There is also a drug very similar to Effexor called Pristiq. It's basically the same drug, but breaks down differently in the body so it's suppose to be easier on the liver.

As far as other side effects of Tamoxifen...periods are rare ( I think I had one a year!) and I did develop some annoying ovarian cysts. My oncologist told me that they are common, but will not turn into anything serious, so he wasn't concerned. The pain that comes with them is tolerable, just unconfortable at times. I'm waiting to see if they go away on their own now that I'm off of Tamoxifen. If not and the pain becomes too much to live with, I'll have to have the cysts removed. Again, nothing terrible, but one more procedure I just don't wanna go through!

SOme women get joint pain after awhile on Tamoxifen. Oddly enough, I didn't notice anything until AFTER I stopped taking it! Just in the past 1-2 months, every little joint in my hands and feet hurt! So weird. I'm too young to have arthritis! Ugh.

SO...I'd give Tamoxifen a try. It took me 4 years after my diagnoses to finally give in and try it. My doc. just kept buggin' me to go on it. I finally caved, but glad I did. Now I know I've done EVERYTHING in my power to give myself the best chance at staying cancer free. I'd hate to look back and regret not taking it if something were to ever recur.

Good luck.

Sally

tamoxifen
i started tamoxifen dec 2009 i did notice some bad depression at first when i started on it but it was winter outside to so that didnt help and i was having night sweats when i took it later in the day once i switched to takeing it in the morning the night sweats stopped. i dont have hot flashes one thing i have noticed is i cant loose weight but im not gaining either. i havent had any hair problems either. im not on any meds for depression so i cant say anything about that.



wishing you good luck!

teresa

CypressCynthia

Here is what I noticed about
Here is what I noticed about tamoxifen. I actually felt calmer on it, less moody. It was kind of sedating to me. However, especially the last 2 years, I noticed more afternoon fatigue. I also noticed a big loss of libido, which was tough because I was 33. I did not notice any hair thinning at all--I had lots of hair then (after it grew back from chemo). My onc told me that I could gain 40 lbs if not careful. I heeded his advice, but still gained about 10-15 lbs, but I lost it when I stopped the drug.

But everyone of us is unique. Our bodies are made up of thousands of chemical reactions which vary from individual to individual. You may get some side effects, but you may not.

To me, the worst side effect is the beast, so I take whatever weapon that is out there and fight.

DebbyM

carkris said:

you cannot mix tamoxifen and
you cannot mix tamoxifen and some antidepressants. The antidepressant negates the effects of the tamoxifen. I tried to find the post which has this info. I am not sure about zoloft.

There are several
There are several antidepressants that you are not suppose to take with tamox. They say they can make your chances of a recurrence stronger if you take them with tamox. Ask your oncologist, he should know. Good luck Heather.

Hugs, Debby