Does anyone have indigestion from Tamoxifen

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AMANN
AMANN Member Posts: 140
edited August 2014 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hello everyone, I have been having more indigestion since I have been taking Tamoxifen, also more irritability, fatigue and leg cramps andy one else experiencing this?  Should I devide my dose?

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  • artsee
    artsee Member Posts: 1,576
    edited February 2009

    Amann...I wouldn't do anything before talking to your Onco. Self medicating can be dangerous and non productive......

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  • kayakgirl
    kayakgirl Member Posts: 172
    edited February 2009

    Hi Amann:

    Tamoxifen is  a drug that you should not cut in half. If you do want to take it twice a day get your onc to prescribe 10 mg tablets.

    I had leg cramps, severe joint pain and about 2 weeks of depression plus all of the dryness issues (eyes, nose,skin and vagina) from the Taxmoxifen that I started in November. I have arthritis in my hands and my right hand became very painful and swollen.

    Unfortunately, my idiot oncologist wasn't interested in my symptoms. When I tried to tell him what symptoms I was having he cut me off and just lectured me about why it was important to take the tamoxifen.I know why it is important, I just wanted advice on the side effects.Needless to say I am changing oncologists.

    To help my joint pain, I put myself on Fish Oil Tablets 1000mg twice a day and Schiff Move Free Advance (which  has glucosamine,chondrotin, MSM, and uniflex)- you take 3 tablets twice a day for 2 weeks then decrease to 3 tablets a day. This has decreased my joint pain and swelling. I also had my Vitamin D level checked and it was low so I am taking bigger doses of Vitamin D (recommended by my breast surgeon) and will recheck my level in 3 months. For the leg cramps I make sure I am eating green leafy vegetables and bananas which seems to help.

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  • LorenaB
    LorenaB Member Posts: 937
    edited February 2009

    I've been getting a bit nauseous in the morning, kind of like morning sickness (no I am not pregnant!) and lately I've been wondering if it is related to the tamoxifen.  I take it at night before bed.... But it could be something else, maybe my multivitamin or the probiotics supplement I've been taking.  It's so hard to tell what is or isn't a side effect. 

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2009

    yep, me too....since Ive been on tamox for the last 2 yrs I have noticed more heart burn and indigestion than before...it seems to go in spurts....I fight with it for several weeks, then it goes away just as suddenly as it came.....I cant take anti-acids do to a malobsortion issue and have found the only thing that helps is chocolate milk....I know it sounds weird but I can drink one of those little cartons of it and poof the heart burn in gone.

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  • apple
    apple Member Posts: 7,799
    edited February 2009

    i adore chocolate milk..

    i much on dry oatmeal if i have indigestion.. it takes so much saliva .. it just seems to fix usually.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2009

    just finished my 5 years of tamox--no indigestion here, just hot flashes, insomnia and achiness

    anne

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  • yawyaw
    yawyaw Member Posts: 27
    edited February 2009

    I am in my second month of Tamox. I thought I had the stomach flu for the first couple weeks, but I have decided its the drug (I don't think the flu last for a month, does it? :)  I will get waves of nausea, stomach pain and gas pains. No paticular time pattern. It's annoying, but I can live with it.  On a good note, I've lost a few pounds because of it. Gotta find the positive in everything....right?

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  • yawyaw
    yawyaw Member Posts: 27
    edited July 2009

    I am in my second month of Tamox. I thought I had the stomach flu for the first couple weeks, but I have decided its the drug (I don't think the flu last for a month, does it? :)  I will get waves of nausea, stomach pain and gas pains. No paticular time pattern. It's annoying, but I can live with it.  On a good note, I've lost a few pounds because of it. Gotta find the positive in everything....right?

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  • chaparrita1
    chaparrita1 Member Posts: 26
    edited July 2009

    I have had indigestion since starting tamoxifen two & half months ago, along with dizziness, hives, & fatigue. I talked to radiologist onc and med onc.  They both seemed to think it has nothing to do with radiation or Tamoxifen. "Take Prilosec" was the med onc nurses suggestion and just moved my appointment up one week, almost dismissing my concern.  So I went to and urgent care center and had my hives treated and referred to Upper GI.  Upper GI doc seemed to think that after radiation your esophagus has some ill effects and then the pills/Tamoxifen cause irritation in the mouth of the stomach, which could lead to an ulcer.  He also wanted to rush into an uppper gi test.  I AM SO SICK OF TESTS.  I will give Prilosec a try for a couple weeks along with Zantac.  And then consider having an upper GI test.  Somebody please suggest something natural.

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  • RoxanneC
    RoxanneC Member Posts: 110
    edited July 2009

    Hi chaparrita,

    Ginger is a natural remedy for indigestion.  Ginger Snap cookies might help.

    Hugs,

    Roxanne

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  • LuluB
    LuluB Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2009

    Yes ... I already had indigestion and GERD from a hiatul hernia. Taking Tamoxifen immediately made it flare up and get worse than I've ever had it. No answers yet. Not taking it now. If you already have a hiatul hernia, take aciphex or something like that PRIOR to getting a scope. No need for that now except (and I know this sounds snarky) that it makes the doc a lot of money. I'm getting doctor shifting too.

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  • chaparrita1
    chaparrita1 Member Posts: 26
    edited August 2009

    It's been two months since I have finished radiation.  And it seems that the "indigestion" is getting better.  But my pain is hardly ever in my chest.  It is mostly on my back by my lungs. Like a huge air bubble that only gets better if I lay on my stomach or belch. I also have pain in my neck and jaw. I have been reading about pleurisy (swellling in the lining of the lungs) and the symptoms sound somewhat similar.  Any thoughts?  Indigestion vs Pleurisy?  God Bless.

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  • chaparrita1
    chaparrita1 Member Posts: 26
    edited August 2009

    PS Med Onc. took me off Tamoxifen for a couple of months. He seemed to think that radiation irritated my esophagus and Tamoxifen was too abrasive for now. Will keep everyone posted.

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  • AmyJ
    AmyJ Member Posts: 3
    edited October 2009

    Did the nausea ever go away? I've been on Tamoxifin  for 5 wks and still have waves of nausea that require  that i take an antinausea drug.I take it with food at night so now not usually sick all day but in am Amy

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  • chaparrita1
    chaparrita1 Member Posts: 26
    edited March 2010

    Sorry for not replying sooner.  I have not had nausea or indigestion since getting off Tamoxifen.

    I will see my med onc next month...he will reevaluate my case again then.  He informed me that some women just don't respond well to Tamoxifen.  The same standard dose is given to all women, regardless of height, weight, or race.  I was surprised that a 4'11" 135lb woman gets the same dose as 5'6" 150lb woman? No wonder some women don't "react well to Tamoxifen"!

    Anyway, 1 year cancer free this week! Thank you Lord!

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  • Nadine1029
    Nadine1029 Member Posts: 1
    edited October 2013

    I've been having acid reflux for the last few months, and never before.... am suspecting tamoxifen, which I've been on since 2/9/09.  I was counting down til my last day, which was going to be 2/8/14.... but suddenly they're recommending TEN years.  Ugh.  (My hot flashes are every half hour when I'm awake, and wake me up every couple of hours throughout the night.... Joint side effects mean that I can't bike as many miles as I used to, even if I work up to it gradually, which used to work.... and now there's this sour stomach.....  

    Yeah my digestion's been a lot worse since the tamox.  I tried bisphosphinates for awhile, though, and that REALLY killed my digestion.  It's much less bad since I stopped them -- and also wheat.  I can eat very low levels of it, but more than 1-2 cookie's worth/day, and I'm going to pay. 

    --------------------------

    dx 4/4/08, stage 3,grades 1/2, er+, pr+, HER-2 neg

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  • sunnyone41
    sunnyone41 Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2014

    7 weeks into Tamoxifen my mouth is suddenly sour all the time.   I have never had a problem like this in my long life, so it must be the medicine. Also hives, fatigue, knee pain, hot flashes day and night.   This is my second med.   I took Anastrozle for 6 months and it was terrible.   I was off anything for 3 months and the symptoms remained almost the whole time.   They finally subsided and I started Tamoxifen.   There just isn't any of these drugs that are nice.   

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