Tamoxifen - Which Brand Has Least Side Effects?

macdebbie

I am going to start taking Tamoxifen next week - ugh...

I think I remember a few of you saying you take Mayne manufacturer and that seems to be better as far as side effects.

Can anyone chime in on what brand you take or have taken and which you feel has been best for least amount of side effects?

CVS carries Activus and the other Pharmacy near me carries Aribindo but can order Mayne.

I am petrified at the thought of strokes, blood clots, retinopathy, but I guess I have to get over it... My MO told me today that there's also MI (heart attack risk) which I didn't see on the list.

Thx!

Salamandra

At one point I went through and read all the related threads and my takeaway is that there is no one brand that is better for everybody. I clearly remember one post in which both the writer and her sister were taking tamoxifen, and they ended up on different brands because each of them had different side effects. I think it is very individual and the only way to know is to try. It's entirely possible that your first one will work out for you!

Every medicine that has been adequately studied comes with a terrifying list of possible side effects, including things like tylenol, aspirin, etc. I think cancer jars our (false) sense of control in the universe, so that is probably affecting how you are perceiving the side effects lists. Unless we do nothing all day every day, we are always taking risks. I'm pretty sure that driving a car is much riskier for your health than tamoxifen, but most of us do it without thinking about, many of us every single day, multiple times per day.

Good luck!

ParakeetsRule

Why does the manufacturer make a difference? Aren't they all the same chemical compound?

exbrnxgrl

parakeetsrule,

Yes, the drug component is the same however fillers, coloring agents, and coatings may differ. Due to this, some patients prefer certain manufacturers. I believe that Tamoxifen is now only available as a generic as well.

Here is some info on it:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27428472/

gb2115

Aurobindo gave me heartburn and was bigger. Otherwise I never noticed differences with the others. The side effects grew slowly over time. I would fill the Rx with what's convenient and go from there.

Beesie

The following site allows you to see the list of inactive ingredients in each of the brands:

https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=tamoxifen&pagesize=20&page=1

Click on any one of the brands and scroll down to the bottom where it says "Ingredients and Appearance" and click again there.

A lot of the brands are repackaged, which means that you don't know the manufacturer. I suppose it also means that at some point they could change suppliers, delivering the "same" pill with the same active ingredient but with different inactive ingredients - but I don't know if they would need to resubmit for approval to do that.

Beaverntx

macdebbie, I have taken Tamoxifen for three years and have had generic (the only kind available) from multiple manufacturers with no discernible difference in side effects. Others have found the manufacturer does make a difference, likely due to the fillers used. I have recently gone to a half dose so am taking it every other day. Warnings include to not cut, break, or crush the pill, probably because equal distribution of the active ingredient across the pill cannot be guaranteed. And, yes the half dose pill is available but I had enough full dose pills left and I did not want to throw them out!

macdebbie

Thx Beesie!