Tamoxifen 20mg one fits all no matter weight?

katee02

Tamoxifen 20mg one fits all no matter weight?

katee02

Hello to all,

I have a problem with Tamoxifen. I ve been taking it since 1st December 08 as result of lumpectomy showed an estrogen positive IDC. The thing is, I weight only 48 Kg (a decrease in weight of 4 Kg since operation in October), as I m eating more cruciferous vegetables and have decreased intake of red meat, low GI carbs and fatty food. I also exercise regulary.

On taking Tamoxifen every 24 hours, I had bruising and tightness in my feet, and nose bleeds. Seemed to me dosage was a little bit too much for me though my Oncologist said dosage is not weight related. Started taking it every 25/26 hours and those symptoms are gone. Periods have stopped though ( I m still pre menopausal) so I guess medicine is working.

I'd like to know if anyone of you has encountered this problem. Thanks.

Katee

apple

from this very website -

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/planning/ask_expert/2007_08/question_34.jsp

klp

I am post menopausal and been taking 20mg. Tamoxifen for about a month now. I have not had any SE yet and hope I don't get any. Onco originally was going to give me Arimidex but I told her that it would cost me $100/90 pills and Tamoxifen had no out-of-pocket expense...she said ok, Tamoxifen and maybe after 5 years will switch to another..we'll see.

Anonymous

oncologist is right, dosage is not weight related. A difference in an hour or 2 shouldn't make any difference, I generally took it in the am just so I would always remember to take it, but the time was never exact. The nose bleeds would be what would concern me --I'm so glad they've stopped now. If you have them again, I would tell the doctor immediately. (It might be related, it might be from something else entirely). I finished my 5 years about 4 months ago, my main SE was hot flashes.

 Anne

katee02

Thanks apple, kip and awb. It feels good to have some more support. I guess I need to adjust dosage and hope that the SE will not perservere.

I ve read the info on the web site you provided, apple. Good advice.

Katee

dmh2418

I had some bad se's and took a break from the tamox.  When my 30 day break was over I asked my onc if I could start on 10 mg and work my way up to 20 mg and she said outright no.  She said it can't be done that way even though I've read of women on this site cutting it in half and starting on 10 mg.  If it's not possible to adjust the dosage they why do they make tamox in 10 and 20 mg tablets?

bre

Took my tamoxifen 10mg twice a day to cut down on the side effects.  Maybe you could try that.

AccidentalTourist

There is a study done in Italy which suggests that lower doses of Tamoxifen may be enough for bc prevention but with fewer side effects.  I have come across it on the hormonal treatment thread.  I take only 10mg and since starting on it have almost all common side effects so it is doing something.

dmh2418

I asked my onc if I could take 10 mg twice a day and she said "that is not possible, you can't do that".  I am going to another onc next week to see if I need it for one thing and to try the twice a day.  My old onc told me that tamox doesn't have any side effects.

bre

no side effects?  HA!  Had alot of side effects from tamoxifen and felt my quality of life was much lower so I switched to arimidex after 10 months of tamoxifen.  Felt that I'd rather have a better quality of life now and worry about the long term effects of arimidex later.  I was one of the few that lost weight on tamoxifen too.  Good luck with your second opinion.

revkat

Ok, this is too much. The docs can't even get it together on whether or not it makes a difference if you take tamox 10 mg twice a day (what my onco prescribed and she DIDN'T want me to take it all at once) or 20 mg once a day (which dmh2418's onco said was the ONLY way to take it)? WTH? I generally am pretty tolerant of the fact that medicine is art as well as science, blah, blah, blah, but this takes the cake. I say try it both ways and do it however seems to give you the best QOL! And just don't tell your onco.

(Or you could explain nicely that you have friends who are taking their tamoxifen in a different way and you wondered what studies he/she could point you to that would explain why your doc wants you to take it a certain way. I'd be interested in knowing if there were any, and surprised if there were.)

AccidentalTourist

Well said Revkat.