Beginning Medication/Tamoxifen

JaeAnn

Starting next week I most likely will begin taking Tamoxifen.  I say likely for my liver is being checked to make sure I can withstand this drug.  I understand the many side effects of this drug and am apprehensive about taking it, on the other hand, if you look at the side effects of asprin you'd be apprehensive also.  All this aside, I was informed that it causes weight gain.  Has anyone come up with a solution to keep the weight off and are willing to share this will us all. 

Thanks for sharing,

JaeAnn

leaf

I was concerned about weight gain with tamoxifen too.

I started 7-06, and I stopped yesterday, reluctantly.

I had a benign endometrial polyp, warm flashes that were tolerable. 

I am taking a tamoxifen holiday because a scleroderma specialist said tamoxifen made one of her patient's scleroderma get worse.  (I just have LCIS so tamoxifen is optional anyway.)

I think if I was able to exercise (especially aerobic exercise) that would have helped more.  Due to other issues, that's more difficult for me.  I am usually pretty good about getting 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables / day.  But I can just eat more than 1 large package of baked barbeque potato chips at one sitting.

People are so different.  I have a friend who is morbidly obese.  She went on a hospital supervised liquid diet with exercise for 3 months, did NOT cheat, and didn't lose an ounce.  I think that weight loss is a very complicated issue, and what works for one person won't work for the next.

JuliePuck

Hi, I am 50 years old and I was dx on 9/30/2008 with Ductile Carcinoma in Situ and Invasive Ductile Carcinoama in Situ and also have some microscopic calcification's that were biopsied and they found hypeplasia and papolomia (?).   My ER and PR are positive, Stage 1 (1.6cm to 1.7cm) but my HER2/neu was 2+ and considered "borderline."  I sought two surgical opinions; one said Lumpectomy and another said Mastectomy because of the calcification's.  The second surgeon (and the one I will probably have do the surgery), has now said from biopsy of the calcification's, that he will go with Lumpectomy.  I know I will need radiation therapy and am pretty sure they will advise hormone suppression also.  I had a hysterectomy, but retain one ovary and my cervix.  I have three questions (well, I have about a million questions, but for now only these three ;-)....If I have my ovary removed, would I still have to take hormone suppression therapy?  How often do women experience the worst of the effects of medicines like Tamoxifen (blood clots, bone loss, loss of libido, wt. gain...)?  And last, but not least, would I be shooting myself in the foot (or breast) to decline hormone suppression therapy?  I know it increases my chance of survival, but at what cost to my quality of life/how I actually feel?

 Julie 

kerry_lamb

hi Jaeann!

My husband and I have spent a week discussing the whole tamoxifen thing, as I have just 'finished' treatment: lumpectomy. mastectomy, axilial resection and 18 weeks of chemo. We weighed EVERYTHING up, especially my survival/recurrence percentages and I decided no tamoxifen; I am so sick of being sick from drugs.

THEN 

OK. What a difference a conversation makes.  Last night my husband was on the Batphone to our (Australia's) pre-eminent chemo oncologist (best friends with his brother) and he said choosing to not take Tamoxifen would be the worst mistake I could ever make. He has had TEN girls lately (all, like me, with strongly E+ tumors) who made that choice and they have all died. They talked about side-effects, and he said, yes, there are some very unpleasant ones but 6 months of T is better than none, one year is better than 6 months etc, so I MUST take it and I MUST try to manage the side-effects if I have any. There you go. A definitive answer to my to-and-fro. He also said it is common for a girl to come off chemo and feel so toxic and sick from chemicals, as I am!, and that is when they make their decision.  You are (kind of) looking at the next first-in-line for tamoxifen: me. 

I put on 6kgs during chemo and can barely tolerate that, let alone more! So I am going to ramp up the exercise to the hot, sweaty stage and simply stop eating crap. Life is too good to compromise! 

nobleanna007

Jaeann,

         I just started the dreaded Tamoxifen, But I did not have a choice since I was highly positive for er/pr her+++ so the decesion was made. I really don't want to gain weight and some women have reported they have not gained. But at this point I rather be alittle over weight and try to beat this then not take it. Its everyones personal decsion and what makes one make one decesion and what makes another to do what they feel is the right way for them. I just felt I did not have a choice in the matter.

                                              Good-Luck-Bridget

P.S. What BreastCancer Center are you using? I am thinking of going to Beth Iseral for reconstruction. I am now trying to find imfo on them.

JaeAnn

Leaf,

I am so sorry to hear about your scleroderma.  That in itself is overwhelming.   I know I need to be on Tamoxifen and will weigh the outcome of side effects.  It will also kill my 2 types of breast cancer and any more malligant melanoma's I might of endured in the future.  Whereas the other meds can only kill the reccurrence of DCIS. I do eat lots of veggies and fruit and I am at the point that I would love to sink my teeth into something with substance like bread my weakest link of all and of course cheezits.  None the less I have been on a no carb flour diet and the lowest of carbs in veggies and fruits.  unfortunately I am so tired and hungry a lot.  So I tried eating several small meals a day and that works when I am working but this weekend it seems I could eat my home.  I did have my blood checked for liver problems and blood clots and everything is normal.  I should be thankful and I am.  I wish you the best in your fight.

JaeAnn