LCIS - Tamoxiden - What can I expect now?

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Roswell4
Roswell4 Member Posts: 6
edited June 2014 in LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)

I was recently diagnosed with LCIS, and started on Tamoxifen a few weeks ago.  This week, I have had a few strange things happen, and I am not sure if they are med related or not.  Just wondering what others have experienced.  I had 4 different things on 4 different days!  Some of them I can find something on websites, some not so much.  First, I do not even remember bumping my leg, but I got a large, dark nasty looking bruise.  One site says "tell your dr immediately", other sites just say "it can happen".  Anyone dealing with this?  Then I had a day that I was just a basket case.  Ready to burst into tears at any moment.  (I am waiting for BRCA test results, and am nervous about that).  I'm typically not that kind of person.  Lasted one day, then was gone.  The next day, my vision went blurry, but just for a few seconds - maybe 15 seconds.  Then it cleared up.  Today, I got a real "shaky" feeling.  Felt like I was shaking inside, but was not physically shaking.  This lasted about 30 minutes, then passed.  Has anyone else experienced these things?  Is this just my body adjusting to the meds?

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  • Roswell4
    Roswell4 Member Posts: 6
    edited July 2011

    I can't believe I spelled Tamoxifen wrong!

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Roswell----I wouldn't worry too much, since everything is clearing so quickly.  It  just sounds like your body is  adjusting to the tamox, it can take a few months. I was diagnosed with LCIS almost 8 years ago and my risk is further elevated by family history of bc (mom had ILC)----I had lumpectomy, took tamoxifen for 5 years, now take evista for further preventative measures, and continue with high risk surviellance of alternating mammos and MRIs every 6 months with breast exams on the opposite 6 months. I haven't done genetic testing as my oncologist has always felt I'm at low risk for BRCA+ (I don't have a lot of the "red flags" for it). PM me if you'd like to talk--I've been dealing with this a long time!

    Anne 

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  • beacon800
    beacon800 Member Posts: 922
    edited July 2011

    I don't know much about the tamoxifen, but the blurry vision is a bit odd, IMO. I would alert your doc to that symptom.

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  • leaf
    leaf Member Posts: 8,188
    edited July 2011

    I tried to do a Pubmed search on tamoxifen with blurry vision. It sounds like decreased vision can happen with tamoxifen.

    It seems the most common ocular side effect with tamoxifen is an increased incidence of cataracts (in this study 18.2% in standard term users, 21.4%  in long term users vs. 14.8% in non-users).http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10845279  But, of course, cataracts don't disappear in 15 seconds.

    There are some much rarer ocular scenario such as Classical findings include severe loss of visual acuity combined with crystalline retinal deposits in the macula and macular edema or crystalline deposits in the peripheral retina.  It sounds like this normally presents as a gradual loss of vision over several months. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20393723

    This 2000 study suggested that ocular problems occurred in patients taking 5 or more years of tamoxifen. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10845279  Since you have only taken tamoxifen over a few weeks, you would not be at high risk for this, if you are like the patients in this study.

    Of course, I'm not a physician, but you're under a lot of stress and anxiety right now.  I agree with awb and beacon: its probably a combination of your body adjusting to the med, but the blurry vision is a bit odd.  

    To be on the conservative side, you may want to mention this to your doc, especially if you haven't had an eye exam recently.  Most of the Pubmed articles I read emphasize the importance of getting regular eye exams. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003029.htm

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