Coping with tamoxifen side effects

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Judi_Donegan
Judi_Donegan Member Posts: 4
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer

I had a stage 2 invasive breast cancer (8mm), removed 3.5yrs ago followed by radiotherapy.  The onc. put me on tamoxifen (I was 44, pre-menopausal).  The side effects are ruining my life.  The sweats, the weight gain, the menopausal type symptoms as the estrogen is replaced in my sysem by tamox. is just miserable - exacerbated by endless itching on my arms which may be to do with the body's thermostat being screwed up so I am almost constantly hot.  In addition the tamox it is having a very negative effect on my liver with a consistent fatty-liver diagnosis for 3 yrs now.  

Post-op I was extremely positive, started jogging again and was feeling pretty good.  3.5yrs later its all spiralling downhill out of control and I'm almost certain its becaue of the tamoxifen.  I now read it is also being heralded as a cause for blood clots!  I am taking myself off it, and starting a course of aspirin tonight as I have felt kinda wierd pains in the veins in my legs over the last few months - my partner thinks this may be due to the weight gain but I am not so sure.  

Has anyone out there had similar experiences or suggest a solution for coping with this?  

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  • azsunn
    azsunn Member Posts: 201
    edited October 2008

    I don't have any suggestions, but I can sympathize (that spelling doesn't look right) with many of your side effects.

    I'll be watching for the replies you get.

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  • Judi_Donegan
    Judi_Donegan Member Posts: 4
    edited October 2008

    Susan, thank you for taking the time to share that with me and also for the helpful advice. I woke up this morning thinking, ut-oh I better NOT go off tamox yet, just in case there is some 'negative oestrogen' that could regroup and cause the BC again.  Now, a few hours later, and I am hot all over and itchy again, and I am checking my notes written in 2004 after the tumor was removed, and thinking : well, the radiotherapist told me the tamox offers an additional 2% protection from a recurrence of BC, which brings it up to 97% vs 95%.  Thats not a huge amount of added protection, and its probably not going to make that big a difference if I come off it. I will speak with the Onc. tomorrow.  Thanks again ladies for your thoughts and sympathies!

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  • abbadoodles
    abbadoodles Member Posts: 2,618
    edited October 2008

    There is a lot of information on another board here, Hormonal Treatments before during and after

    For some reason this site won't let me link to it so you can just click and get there.  Sorry.  It's in the Tests Treatments and Side Effects section.

    Why don't you check it out?  Best wishes to you.

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