Tamoxifen-- Which generic are you taking without SE

Hi backtohealth: Great question. I don't know if there is a specific brand that has fewer SEs or if some people just have better luck in general. I have completed 5 weeks on Mylan brand and so far so good. However, I am 67-well past menopause-and I did not have chemo. Don't know if that influences SEs.

Keep in mind, everyone is different. Hopefully you won't experience SEs and if you do they may be mild. I have been on Tamoxifen now for over 3 1/2 years and have learned to manage SEs depending on the manufacturer. My preferences are:

1) Mylan - little or not joint pain but more hot flashes (I drink a lot of ice water and use cool wraps on my neck)

2) Watson - fewer hot flashes for me but more joint pain (need to take supplements to manage this)

3) Teva - really really bad joint pain, muscle cramps and hot flashes. Thankfully my pharmacists has been really good at obtaining supplies from the other two so I haven't had to take Teva for quite some time. If I had to take this brand for an extended period of time I would have to consider other options.

I've tried Teva, Mylan & Watson. No real difference for me. So, I guess it's the active ingredient

that's causing my issues. I was diagnosed at 52, started Tamox at 53. The joint aches/pains are there & worse than before. But I still work out everyday(run, swim, weights,bike, hike, pilates....) I would just start with one & switch if needed. My problematic SEs are uterine issues, dizziness, pelvic pain & crankiness. If you have SEs on all the brands like I do, you may want to revisit Tamox with your MO. Depending on your tumors, it may not really be that beneficial. If I didn't have positive nodes, I don't think I would continue on it.

backtohealth, there are plenty of women who take Tamoxifen with few SEs, but if you're having minimal SEs you typically don't post on these boards looking for support. Try not to read too much into the number of women here discussing SEs. Every person is different.

No one will force-feed you Tamoxifen. If you take it for a while and find it unbearable, you have the option of stopping. No sense in getting worked up over something that may not happen. I will be starting Tamoxifen soon and am taking a wait and see approach

In my almost three years on tamoxifen, I've taken Teva, Mylan, and Watson brands with no discernible differences in side effects (mild hot flashes/night sweats and creaky neck). I am 44 years old and premenopausal.

Hi Annie88,

I spoke to a pharmacist at the mail order pharmacy that our insurance plan forces us to use because I had this same concern. My first two prescriptions were filled locally with Actavis (formerly Watson). Since I've had no SEs, I wanted to be sure that when I switched over to the mail order pharmacy that they would fulfill with the same manufacturer. The pharmacist told me to have my doctor indicate on the prescription that they should fill it specifically with Actavis as the manufacturer. He said as long as that is listed on the prescription, they will fulfill it that way. Otherwise, he said they fulfill with whatever manufacturer that have on hand. Since these are all generics and we're requesting a manufacturer vs. a brand, he said there is no additional charge. Perhaps your pharmacy can do the same thing?

Annie88 - Our insurer requires us to use Express Scripts mail order pharmacy after the second fill of any prescription. Here is a ink to their site https://www.express-scripts.com/

Hope you have gotten the rest you were looking for!

Lisa