Hives side effect of tamoxifen?

crselby said:

Hi Pattimac,
I've been on
Hi Pattimac,
I've been on Tamoxifen only one month. I have not had hives from it. But I have an autoimmune disease (leukocytoclastic vasculitis) that causes hives whenever my immune system is taxed. Oddly, what 'taxes' my immune system is not germs. I break out when I take certain drugs: Sulfa, and most recently Flagl. I even broke out when I took Airborne (the immune booster you dissolve in a cup of water) before flying. Benedryl usually takes care of it, but years ago, before it was diagnosed, my doc prescribed 3 things: Zantac, Zyrtec, and Singular. It'a a three-drug protocol. Through an accident I discovered it was the Zyrtec that was keeping the hives suppressed successfully. Months later a biopsy of one of the lesions showed I had leukocytoclastic vasculitis, not just simple hives. Don't know if you'll find this helpful or not...

ppurdin said:

Hives
Hello.we so need to talk.I had taken two treatments of cytoxen and taxotere.* days after the second treatment I broke out in hives.Starting from my head down.It was evening when i started breaking out.A few hours later it kept getting worse.I kept taking cool showers and it would help for a little while.but come back,some of the hives was as big as 50cent pieces.All over the back of my head.my arms.with in a few hours the itching was so bad it was unbearable.I went to the emergency room.they gave me a IV with benodrle,steroids and 2other drugs.They also gave me a shot. It let up by the time I was leaving the hospital it was breaking out again.Several trips to my Cancer Dr.She gave me a allergy pk.That helped a little.It has been about 6weeks now and i still break out.I used every anti itch cream,lotion you could think of.If I don,t take an allargy pill every day i start itching.I will wake up itching.I don,t wear my wig much because if my head breaks out in hives.The wig iratates it.The Dr. said I had a delayed allergic reaction to the taxotere.I see her again in two weeks if I can wait that long.i would think it would be gone by now.I have found out also that about every week I have to use a different allergy medicine.Then a couple weeks later I can use it again.Its horrible I know.I am begining to think I am going to have to live with this problem.I have tryed different soaps lotions,anything that could be doing this.And nothing helps it seams.She stopped my chemo and I am half way done with radiation.The first night I had it was the worse I thought I would itch to death.Two days later I woke up and my face and hands was swelled about 3 times their size and my hands itched horible.My fase has never broke out in hives though.Now i feel like a hot flush where ever it is breaking out.Then when I scratch it it turns real red.Please let me know how your doing.Maybe we can help each other.Love and Prayers.(Pat).

pattimc said:

Wow, Pat....
You have them way worse than I do! I've never had my hands swell but they have itched. I talked to the onco nurse yesterday and they have taken me off the tamoxifen for a week to see if that helps. The radiation nurse also gave me a cream called Miaderm to try. They want me to try Benadryl every day instead of the Allegra I was taking. I know this has nothing to do with anything I'm wearing or eating because nothing there has changed. I do think because my body has been in such stress with surgeries, medications, chemo and radiation that hopefully when this is all over, they will go away. If not, I'm liable to go crazy with the itching!

Thanks for the responses....they've been very helpful.

Patti