Need advice on dealing with vaginal discharge from tamoxifen

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Ellebean22
Ellebean22 Member Posts: 3
edited August 2014 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

I've been on tamoxifen for about 6 months and have pretty heavy discharge on a daily basis. I'm dealing with it fine day to day but I'm going on a cruise in 3 weeks and am trying to figure out how to deal with it while on the beach. Liners work fine but I can't use them if I want to go swimming. Can light tampons be used? Don't want to be embarrassed and certainly don't want to miss out on the beautiful beaches. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!

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  • Monis
    Monis Member Posts: 472
    edited August 2014

    I also have been having constant discharge.  Like you, I've been using liners, which work well.  Not sure what to tell you about beach wear though.  I haven't worn a bathing suit in years!  My discharge is so constant that my skin/tissues around all my lady parts have become red and irritated and burn.  I even sometimes get tiny fissures which bleed a bit.  Sorry if TMI.  I have been struggling with what to do about this.  I've tried Vagisil to relieve the redness and burning, but I just can't keep things dry enough to heal.  Anyone else out there with any suggestions? 

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited August 2014

    Ellebean, welcome to Breastcancer.org!

    Lucky you for going on a cruise, that's awesome! 

    Until you get more responses here you can read about vaginal discharge and how to manage it in the main Breastcancer.irg site (just click on the link).

    We hope this helps!

    The Mods

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  • Ellebean22
    Ellebean22 Member Posts: 3
    edited August 2014

    thanks for sharing. So sorry it's causing you so much grief! Have you mentioned it to the drs? I hope there's something that can help. It's awful to be uncomfortable all the time. Good to know I'm not alone . 

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  • rgiuff
    rgiuff Member Posts: 1,094
    edited August 2014

    I always used panty liners. At the beach, I'd just go in and get wet often, but a light tampon sounds like a good idea if you want to stay dry. The discharge would come and go in cycles for me while I was on tamoxifen. Now that I'm off it, no more discharge. I lasted 3 years taking it.

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  • coraleliz
    coraleliz Member Posts: 1,523
    edited August 2014

    I've been dealing with spotty discharge while on Tamoxifen. If it's not too bad, I just wear dark underwear. If that's not enough, I use a lightweight tampon. I leave the tampon in for as many hours as possible, but never more than a day. I swim laps a couple times a week & use a light weight tampon for that. I just can't stand pads! My spotty/discharge/bleeding is relieved when I have a D&C/polypectomy. But it continues to come back each time(I just keep growing polyps)

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  • gavinsgrandma
    gavinsgrandma Member Posts: 407
    edited August 2014

    Good morning, I have been on Anastrazole for the last month and MO just switched me to Tamoxifen, I will pick it up today and start taking it. They switched me because I was already getting very significant hand, wrist, ankle, feet and spine spine as well as increased hot flashes, not sure which of these threads are best for a Tamoxifen newbe but I thought I would start here.

    Thank's Shary.

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  • Ellebean22
    Ellebean22 Member Posts: 3
    edited August 2014

    thanks so much for the advice! I really appreciate it. It's not one of those things that you can just ask anyone. 

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