can you tell me the good and bad to tamoxifin

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pinksister66
pinksister66 Member Posts: 2
in Breast Cancer #1
I'm getting ready to start tamoxifen.....what should I expect?

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  • teresa41
    teresa41 Member Posts: 471
    #2
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    tamoxifen
    i started tamoxifen dec 2009 i noticed some depression at first but it did get better i havent had any problems i take mine in the morning also i think that helps as far as major problems i havent had any we are all different however. i wish you the best~!




    teresa
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #3
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    teresa41 said:

    tamoxifen
    i started tamoxifen dec 2009 i noticed some depression at first but it did get better i havent had any problems i take mine in the morning also i think that helps as far as major problems i havent had any we are all different however. i wish you the best~!




    teresa

    I haven't taken tamox, but,
    I haven't taken tamox, but, want to wish you good luck on it. I am sure the other pink sisters will post information for you to help.


    Hugs, Jan
  • mjjones453
    mjjones453 Member Posts: 155
    #4
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    survivorbc09 said:

    I haven't taken tamox, but,
    I haven't taken tamox, but, want to wish you good luck on it. I am sure the other pink sisters will post information for you to help.


    Hugs, Jan

    tamoxifen
    I am on Tamoxifen since May of 2010. I remember in the beginning feeling very tired. After some weeks, that seemed to pass. I did experience some bone pain, and also the dreaded hot flashes. The bone pain has gone away, and the hotflashes, are tolerable for me. I wish you the best while you are on it. Mary
  • mollieb
    mollieb Member Posts: 148
    #5
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    Bad and Good
    Bad: hot flashes (they did go away, maybe on their own, maybe from Effexor), bone thinning, blood clot (DVT)

    Good: reduced the chance of recurrence to virtually nothing. Worth it. I'm here on this board because I got another tumor, totally different profile from the old one. That first one didn't come back.
  • Tux
    Tux Member Posts: 544
    #6
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    Tamoxifen
    I have been on it for nearly 2 years. My side effects have been hot flashes (but maybe I would have had them anyway, since I stopped HRT when I was diagnosed.) I have had leg cramps--severe enough to wake me up at night--but they have eased up. I keep a heating pad by the bed-plugged in & ready to go--and that has helped. It only happened about once a month.

    I chose to take tamoxifen because it lessened my chances of recurrence, so I am willing
    to put up with some of the side effects. However, it is up to every person as to whether she wants to or not. Good luck!
  • LoveBabyJesus
    LoveBabyJesus Member Posts: 1,679 Member
    #7
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    Hi.
    I am about to take it in
    Hi.

    I am about to take it in 2 minutes, first time. I wish you good luck with it. People are all different but I am expecting us to do well with it.
  • Different Ballgame
    Different Ballgame Member Posts: 868
    #8
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    Everyone is different who goes on the drug
    As a volunteer for Lynn Sage Breast Center, when I read that a woman is on Tamoxifen Arimidex, Anastrozle, or Femara, I do my personal study and ask the woman how she is doing on the drug.

    I do not mean to frighten you but you should be educated. Some women have no side effects whatever. That makes me envious. Many women got hot flashes. A lot of women seem to gain weight from Tamoxifen (though I met one woman who did not gain weight during the five years of taking the drug...she stayed skinny). One woman was losing her hair (notice that I said ONE woman). A few woman had bone pain on Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen can affect your bone density, can affect your uterus, can give blood clots, can affect your eyes, and the list goes on. Bear in mind that you do not get all the side affects. You are going to either get no side effects or a minimum of side effects or multiple of side effects. No one can predict how well you will do on the drug.

    If you have a problem with weight gain, stay on a diet the whole time you are taking the drug and be diligent in exercising...as a preventative to weight gain.

    Have your eyes checked by a opthalmologist before taking Tamoxifen. Make sure you tell the doctor that you will be taking Tamoxifen. This is a preventative.

    See your gyne first before taking Tamoxifen and make sure the doctor knows that you will be taking the drug....another preventative.

    Make sure you have a yearly examine with your medical internist and that he/she knows everything relating to your cancer.

    Your hematology oncologist will check your blood work every 3 months to make sure that no cancer cells are developing. Any problems or side effects that are intense, please report that information quickly to this doctor.

    If you are estrogen positive, the tamoxifen will stop estrogen from being produced and stop it from feeding any cancer cells; thereby any cancer cells that got away will die. Tamoxifen should keep you in remission and cancer free.

    Lots of Hugs,
    Janelle
  • pinksister66
    pinksister66 Member Posts: 2
    #9
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    Different Ballgame said:

    Everyone is different who goes on the drug
    As a volunteer for Lynn Sage Breast Center, when I read that a woman is on Tamoxifen Arimidex, Anastrozle, or Femara, I do my personal study and ask the woman how she is doing on the drug.

    I do not mean to frighten you but you should be educated. Some women have no side effects whatever. That makes me envious. Many women got hot flashes. A lot of women seem to gain weight from Tamoxifen (though I met one woman who did not gain weight during the five years of taking the drug...she stayed skinny). One woman was losing her hair (notice that I said ONE woman). A few woman had bone pain on Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen can affect your bone density, can affect your uterus, can give blood clots, can affect your eyes, and the list goes on. Bear in mind that you do not get all the side affects. You are going to either get no side effects or a minimum of side effects or multiple of side effects. No one can predict how well you will do on the drug.

    If you have a problem with weight gain, stay on a diet the whole time you are taking the drug and be diligent in exercising...as a preventative to weight gain.

    Have your eyes checked by a opthalmologist before taking Tamoxifen. Make sure you tell the doctor that you will be taking Tamoxifen. This is a preventative.

    See your gyne first before taking Tamoxifen and make sure the doctor knows that you will be taking the drug....another preventative.

    Make sure you have a yearly examine with your medical internist and that he/she knows everything relating to your cancer.

    Your hematology oncologist will check your blood work every 3 months to make sure that no cancer cells are developing. Any problems or side effects that are intense, please report that information quickly to this doctor.

    If you are estrogen positive, the tamoxifen will stop estrogen from being produced and stop it from feeding any cancer cells; thereby any cancer cells that got away will die. Tamoxifen should keep you in remission and cancer free.

    Lots of Hugs,
    Janelle

    thank you
    I appreciate all the info you shared with me. I am the kind of person that likes to bell well informed about the treatment before starting it.....thx for helping me.......kellie
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #10
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    pinksister66 said:

    thank you
    I appreciate all the info you shared with me. I am the kind of person that likes to bell well informed about the treatment before starting it.....thx for helping me.......kellie

    I have been on tamoxifen for
    I have been on tamoxifen for a year. I have a harder time sleeping at night, hot/cold/hot/cold. my insomnia has gotten better. I do have issues with weight. good thing I lost alot during treatment. I have bone pain. this is not lessening. however I take the pill at night and I try to think of it as saving my life. My docs have said it is more important than the chemo. overall not awful, I also take a baby aspirin a day.

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