Age when you start Tamoxifen and SE's...

MrsH

Does anyone know if the age you start Tamoxifen is related to how your body handles the drug and if the side effects are better or worse. My onc said the SE's are worse the farther you are from menopause. That seems to make sense that someone younger might have worse side effects. At 46, I'm heading towards menopause, but I'm scared about what this drug is going to do to me, the menopausal SE's and the bone loss/cataract/bood clot/stroke/uterine cancer SE's - ugh! I've been told I should be happy I am ER+ and this is available to me, but I'm still scared and really don't want to take it :-( My doc said the alternative is that I could die if my cancer spreads. Clearly, I don't want to die, but I don't want to live like an old lady before my time. Thoughts?

badger

hi MrsH, IDK the answer to your question but was 50 and in peri-menopause when dx.  Been on tamox two and a half years with minimal SE's.  Hot flashes and foot/leg cramps are the main ones and they're annoying but tolerable.  I live a good life and enjoy being married.   

I did have an ooph last year, and have had a trans-vag US to measure the endometrium.

Cataracts run in my family and the tamox won't help but I'm prepared for that.

My mom had BC when she was 50 and took tamox the full five years.  She's 82 now.

Makes the SE's seem not so bad.  Wishing you all the best!

(edited to shorten your name, good idea to protect your identity!)

MrsH

Thx badger, what's ooph? Glad your mom's ok and that your SE's were manageable :-)

badger

Thx MrsH, ooph is short for oophorectomy, meaning I had my ovaries removed.

MrsH

Onc Doc #2 recommended oophorectomy today... going to post to ask questions for those whove had it. Any thoughts Badger?

badger

MrsH, my onc also recommended an ooph but I resisted.  By then I was in chemo-pause, meaning ovaries were pretty much non-functional, but I wanted to keep the little bit of 'girl juice' they might still be putting out.  Plus avoid another surgery.

My compromise was to agree to the BRCA gene test.  If positive, I would consider an ooph but if negative I would not.  (If you test positive, you are at higher risk for other cancers.)  I was negative so said no. 

Two years later, I had appendicitis and got a CT scan of my belly.  Yep, inflamed appendix that came out that day, but by coincidence also picked up an ovarian cyst.  Had a consult with ob/gyn surgeon and he said what the heck are you still doing with your ovaries?  You have estrogen-positive breast cancer.  Didn't Dr. X (my onc) tell you to have them out?  [these men know one another and I thought geez they're in cahoots.]

So I tell him my story and he said hmmmm and gave me a look like well the decision is out of your hands now.  I said OK, the ovary with the cyst has to come out and I may as well have them both out while I'm asleep.  So a month later, I was back in surgery having the ooph.  Cyst was not cancer but it was a hard few days to wait for results. 

Both surgeries were laparoscopic so just small incisions and fairly uneventful recovery. 

HTH (hope that helps).  Ask more questions if you have them, either here or in PM. 

SelenaWolf

I was premenopausal before chemotherapy, but chemo threw me headlong into menopause.  Which was GREAT!  Love being in menopause!  I was 50 when diagnosed and just had my 51st birthday when I started tamoxifen, and I've had very few problems with it.  I experienced a few minor side effects in the beginning while my body was adjusting, but these went away within weeks.  So far, so good.

My oncologist didn't recommend a oophrectomy for me, even though I was hormone positive.  I have a very strong family history (on both sides) of heart disease and an oophrectomy would just increase that risk tenfold.  Last thing I want to do after surviving cancer is drop-dead of a heart attack- or stroke before I have a chance to live a few more years.  So, for me, it's out.

islandmom

I have been taking Tamoxifen for 2 years.  I was 48 when I started.  The only side effect I have is vaginal discharge so I use panty liners.  Lots of Hot Flashes in the beginning, they are pretty much gone by now.   I lost all my chemo weight and I exercise regularly.  I actually feel and look better than before BC.