Weird Tamoxifen side effect

ryley
ryley Member Posts: 55
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
OK, I had an unusual side effect of radiation - chest pain that could be so bad it was debilitating at times - that no one ever heard of. Now that the radiation is over - no more chest pain! So, it must have just been an unusual side effect for me.

Now, I have a side effect from the Tamoxifen that my doctor never heard of either, have any of you experienced this? I take my Tamoxifen at night before bed because someone on this web site claimed it kept the side effects to a minimum (they happen 2 to 3 hours after taking it). But I've noticed extraordinarily bizarre and constant dreams - and I remember them as I wake up. The couple of times I forgot to take my Tamoxifen, no dreams (that I remember), so it must be from that.

Has anyone else noticed this?

It's not particularly unpleasant but it seems unusual. And yes, I have all the hot flashes, etc. but feel it's a small price to pay if I don't have mets for the forseeable future.

Hugs to all my fellow survivors-
Ryley

Comments

  • 24242
    24242 Member Posts: 1,398
    #2
    Well a perfect example why side affects are in %'s. I even experienced some of the 1% side affects and one of them being deep nerve pain. Mine two from radiation and sometimes painful to breathe but that two would subside.
    I on the other hand started out with one then two cancerous tumors. Then because of all the side affects from treatments that I have experienced, I had to learn to cope with all I felt and the pain that was all too consuming. With each challenge comes a whole other bag of tricks to help the symptoms.
    Don't we have enough just being female? Then some of us have to face the big C. I just heard Canada had the highest breast cancer rate in the world. But face it and usually head on, we go making the best, of what we have left. I have learned some of my most amazing things from the women I have met, and some of them not with me anymore. The courage and grace that I have seen have made me very proud to call myself woman.
    I am always amazed to see how differently all the drugs affect everyone differently. How the same breast cancer can be totally different for another to fight but fight most do.
    Keep ON KEEPING ON,
    Being good to ourselves and treating ourselves the same as we do most others is a key.
    Tara
  • miraclemom
    miraclemom Member Posts: 41
    #3
    hey you what is going on e-mail me okay i am worried about you my friend-Lori
  • jamjar62
    jamjar62 Member Posts: 135
    #4
    Hi Ryley,

    Just a thought but I wonder if you are actually dreaming more or just sleeping better now that your are done with the hardest part of therapy? The deeper you sleep, the more you dream so maybe you are just able to relax and sleep better and deeper. Or maybe it is the tamoxifen...I dreamt the other night that I was riding a roller coaster in an inner tube.

    Karen
  • KimInBeirut
    KimInBeirut Member Posts: 39
    #5
    Ryley,
    I, too, had very severe chest pain during radiation. I also had difficulty catching my breath at times. I had a couple of other oddities occur that I was told usually only happen during chemo, but I didn't have chemo -- leaving the docs very perplexed with me at times!
    I can't help you with the tamoxifen, because as close as I've come to taking it was to move it from inside the drawer to the top of the dressar!!!
    You might want to check all the active and inactive ingredients of it and see if anything sounds familiar that may have given you such dreams in the past.
    I say this, because I had some sleep difficulties during some of this whole ordeal, and if I took Exedrin PM I had horrible nightmares..but, I did just fine with Tylonol PM. Again, just an oddity, but something to look into.

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