Tamoxifen

Buzzandmax

Hi,

I have recently had lumpectomy surgery for 1cm IDC with clear lymph nodes. Chemotherapy was not recommended as follow up treatment, but rather radiation then Tamoxifen . I was would love to hear from anyone who has or is taking Tamoxifen and how it has affected you as far as side effects , complications etc go. Thank you in advance, this site has been so amazing .

Salamandra

Hey Buzzandmax,

There's a bunch of threads with us talking about the tamoxifen. One in particular is Bottle 'o Tamoxifen. That might be a good place to read and ask questions.

It seems like there is a far amount of variation in terms of side effects. One thing that some of us have had success with is starting at 10mg per day and working up to 20mg. I wish that I'd tried that.

Wigging2000

hello!

I’ve been on tamoxifen for about 2 months with no major issues so far. I started at the full dose and did ok. I did not have radiation or chemo, so Tamoxifen was my treatment after I recovered from surgery.

The things that I do notice are increased fatigue, weird periods, and discharge. None of these things are bothersome enough to consider stopping the medication, since it is basically my only treatment to prevent recurrence (other than a healthy lifestyle, which I am good about most days).

There are a wide range of experiences. I would guess that those who have no or little side effects may be less inclined to post about them. It can really affect some women. (I don’t post much at all about my mostly positive experiences).

Salamandra gave you some good advice too about checking out other threads related to Tamoxifen.

Glad to hear of your clear lymph nodes and no need for chemo for you! I wish you all the best!