Timing tamoxifen with other meds, supplements, etc.

PurpleCat

Has anyone been told to take tamoxifen with or without any particular foods, additional medications, or supplements? I'm still sorting out the recommendations from my survivorship appointment. At their recommendation, I got my vitamin D tested, and it was low enough to win me a prescription for the next couple of months. I've been taking that at the same time as my tamoxifen, but maybe I shouldn't? I also need to start a calcium supplement, but the one I want to take is combined with vitamin D, so I'm holding off on that until the prescription is done so as not to overdose. I also started magnesium glycinate a few weeks ago, and am planning to add ground flaxseed to my diet. For convenience, it works really well to just take all this stuff in the morning and add the flaxseed to my oatmeal or smoothie, and then forget about it all for the rest of the day; however, obviously if any of these things would interfere with my tamoxifen I need to do something different. Has anyone been advised about this?

Moderators

Hi Purplecat,

There's some good information on medications that can interfere with Tamoxifen on the main Breastcancer.org site's page on Tamoxifen. There's also some good advice on Suggestions for Using Supplements.

Also, you may be interested in this article: Study Suggests Lack of Vitamin D Production During Winter Months May Make Tamoxifen Less Effective.

We hope this helps!

--The Mods

gb2115

I don't think tamoxifen has a lot of "don't take at the same time" warnings. But ask your pharmacist if you're not sure. They are the best ones to ask. Walgreens even has a pharmacy chat on their website. I've used it a lot to ask about interactions. You can also search for drug interaction checker, and type your medications in.

PurpleCat

Thanks, both of you!