Sore Throat | caused by Tamoxifen?

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JohnSmith
JohnSmith Member Posts: 651
edited February 2015 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Has anyone here had a persistent sore throat while taking Tamoxifen?

My pre-menopausal wife who had a double mastectomy 4 months ago and started her hormonal therapy with Tamoxifen. After three weeks on Tamoxifen, she started getting daily skin rashes, especially after exercising. We solved the skin rash problem, but soon after she started getting a sore throat. It's a persistent sore throat that has lasted at least 5 weeks now. Her neck glands are a bit swollen. On
a scale from 1-10 (10 being the worst), the sore throat fluctuates
between a "3" on good days to a "7" on bad days. The docs don't think
the Tamoxifen has anything to do with the sore throat. They ran a blood
test and found nothing abnormal. They think it's viral. We're not so sure.

Is there anyone else taking Tamoxifen that experienced a sore throat that just won't go away?

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Comments

  • Faith777
    Faith777 Member Posts: 1
    edited October 2014

    DearJohn Smith,

    I am having the same problem as your wife. After being on Tamoxifen for a little over a month, I started having a sore throat that does not go away. Just like her, most of the days I would classify it as very mild (3) and sometimes it gets a little worst(7).

    I am getting a little concerned about it so I decided to schedule an oral cancer screening at the dentist (tomorrow) and will also see a GP this week and see what they say. I wish the best to you, your wife and family!

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  • smilinkar
    smilinkar Member Posts: 31
    edited October 2014

    Every once in awhile I get a sore throat but it actually feels more like my thyroid is throbbing. I know that sounds weird but it's the only way I can describe it. I asked my onc about it and he just smiled at me like he does when he doesn't know what to do with me. I hope you find some answers. It seems we all have a lot of SEs that the oncologists don't believe are from the tamoxifen.

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  • FeelingtheMagic
    FeelingtheMagic Member Posts: 155
    edited October 2014

    I had occasional sore throat for the first 1.5 years of tamoxifen, then the brand was switched and I developed a chronic sore throat. Since I was close to finishing my regime of tamoxifen, doctors took me off it rather than try switching back to the other brand (which had it's own set of side effects)  In my case, the doctors agreed the sore throat was tamoxifen related.   ( I posted about this in this section of the forum, about brand change side effects, if you want to know more and read what others are saying)  I'm 3 weeks off of tamoxifen and now on an aromatase inhibitor ... sore throat eased up almost entirely.  

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  • roqueta
    roqueta Member Posts: 2
    edited October 2014

    When I first started taking Tamoxifen, I developed flu-like symptoms with a sore throat, achy body and fever. They lasted for two weeks. I stopped taking the Tamoxifen and got better instantly. My oncologist asked me to try it again a month later, and that time I didn't get the flu-like side effects. Instead, I got the rash you speak of. I break out after exercising or showering. I'm wondering if it's heat related. Sometimes I feel like my doctors just think I'm paranoid or maybe even annoying with all my side effects. But they are real. It's a shame we are left to our own devices to trouble-shoot them.

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  • JohnSmith
    JohnSmith Member Posts: 651
    edited February 2015

    Hi again everyone,

    After I started this thread, we went to a ENT (ear nose throat) doctor to have her throat looked at. The doc concluded everything was fine. Soon after, her symptoms went away. Fast forward a few months to today and the sore throat is back. Frustrating!

    I'm wondering what others are doing to reduce these sore throat symptoms.

    Any suggestions?

    Thanks!!

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