tamox.....tamox.....help

Most of us do just fine on tamoxifen.  it is not a really bad drug, but some women do have bad reactions to it.  Discuss this directly with your onc.  I've got to tell you, the reaction you had doesn't sound like any kind of tamoxifen reaction I've heard about.  Could you have a middle ear infection?  Did they do a brain MRI in the ER?

Wow Calam,

That was an interesting website you gave http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic100241.html

What concerns me is, even if you escape liver cancer, if you get a recurrence of breast cancer on Tamoxifen you are more likely to get an estrogen receptor negative cancer. They are more dangerous and harder to treat. It seems a lot of risk for a 3.5% benefit of Tamoxifen.

I'm sure you will look at the evidence and follow your own common sense.

Hi-I too had trouble at first with Tamoxifen. Are you splitting the dose? I had to take a 45 day break from it after being on it for a year. During that time my onc put me on an antidepressant which totally has helped with most of the side effects (I still get foot cramps on occasion) I was resistant at first to try the antidepressant, but am so glad I did. It is ultmately a very personal decision, however since you had 2 lymph nodes involved I would seriously consider staying on the Tamoxifen as it also targets any cells that may have strayed.

calamtykel, first to say that I do not believe in any cookie cutter approach. What might work for one person may not work for another. 

If I wasn't feeling better, I would look for the cause rather assume it is one thing or another.  

After my second dx of bc, I did just that and went to a naturalpath to see why my body was turning against me.  I learned then that I was hypothyroid and also had Hashi's.

I've learned a lot in the last two years of research, I'm just now getting the real picture.

I've learned that our problems can be complex. It's not just one thing that wacks out our body making it susceptible to cancer.

I've learned after my second dx that I am hypothyroid and have hashi's (thyroid autoiummne disease). There is a lot of information about hashiminto and auto-immune disease connection to breast cancer.  Apparently, a lot of women who are dx with bc also have low thyroids.A low thyroid can cause dizzy spells. I had them before dx of bc. I also had bouts of vertigo this summer. I believed it was caused by candida overgrowth. For whatever reason, my thyroid hormones are still low. I suspect there maybe a connection between yeast and autoimmune disease...not sure.

Where I'm going, I recently was dx again with bc. When the doctor associate learned that I have Hashiminto, she said that I could not take breast cancer inhibitor drugs (such as Al and Tx). I had no idea before then that these drugs could cause other problems for me (than the general side effects of liver damage, stroke and other cancers). I then wondered, how many women are prescribed these cancer drugs who have thyroid problems. Do oncologist check out our thyroids?

Perhaps your dizzy spells has some type of thyroid connection. If you did have a hashiminto's and took bc drug inhibitors, maybe this is why you are not feeling well. I don't know...but if I were you I would check it out further.