Tamoxifen

I have a tendency to read (maybe too much!) about any drug I have to take, so I was prepared for every side effect ever mentioned. However, I really didn't have major problems that affected my day to day existence all that much. I had a mild headache the first week or so. That went away and never came back, even though my doctor said it could last as long as I was on it (two and a half years altogether). I seemed to shed hair more while on tamoxifen, but I never developed bald spots or noticable thinning. My cycles noticeably changed from 5 days out of 24 days to 2 days every 45 days or so. Those two days were problematic (too many trips to the bathroom). I had a few hot flashes, but nothing so uncomfortable that I couldn't cope with it. I went on a healthy lifestyle kick at that time too, so I ended up losing weight (138 to 117) partly by exercising and mostly by portion control over five months of while I was on tamoxifen. Did you know that body builders take tamoxifen to lose body fat and define their muscles more? Of course, that's an under the table use of the drug, but so much for the side effect of weight gain from it. Eventually the student oncologist I had flipped out over the missed cycles and referred me to an ovarian cancer specialist. Better safe than sorry I guess. That led to quarterly ultrasounds to find out I had ovarian cysts that just weren't moving along like they should. The possibility that they could also be cancer was there, but tamoxifen can cause cycle changes without being cancer too. Surgery was eventually done and everything was normal after all. Because they took everything else out at that time, I switched from tamoxifen to aromasin (exemestane) which is more effective at reducing cancer reoccurance and lengthening survival time. Then I really had hot flashes!!! (and aches and pains and no more cycles at all).