Tamoxifen or Amtriptyline Morning Headaches?

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Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited May 2017 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
Tamoxifen or Amtriptyline Morning Headaches?
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  • Kymmy442
    Kymmy442 Member Posts: 4
    edited May 2017

    Hi all. I started my hormone therapy about 2 weeks ago. Im taking Tamoxifen. I am also on 50mg of Amitriptyline, for nerve pain associated with my unilateral mastectomy and lymph node removal. I was wondering if anyone has had issues with either one of these, causing headaches in the morning upon waking. Since i started both around the same time, and they both have a lingering effect, i havent stopped taking one or the other to see which one it may be. Not to mention not wanting to cause more side effects by dropping one or the other. I take them both before bed. And the headaches actually wake me up fairly early, usually at almost exactly 6am, every day. I also have a very unusual blood clotting disorder, that has caused 15 dvts since i was 25. I am on Coumadin as well...with constant monitoring of my pt/inr blood work, because of Tamoxifen increasing chances of blood clots. But as i have been on Coumadin for over 15 years, im pretty sure it isnt that. Unless its reacting with the other two meds. Any help or shared experiences would be appreciated. 😊

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  • cive
    cive Member Posts: 709
    edited May 2017

    I take an SERD rather than tamoxifen, but the nortriptylene that I take (similar to amitritylene) has reduced my headaches and also some insomnia, although occasionally I get ringing in my ears.  I'm also on warfarin for afib.

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  • tessu
    tessu Member Posts: 1,564
    edited May 2017

    I take amitryptyline 10mg off and on for nerve pain from nerve root problems in my neck, unrelated to (and predating) my bc, and it has never caused me headaches --- dry mouth, yes. Also, I'm on AIs, not Tamoxifen.

    Hope you find a good treatment for your headaches (((hugs))

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  • vlnrph
    vlnrph Member Posts: 1,632
    edited May 2017

    I have not experienced this however wanted to suggest moving the tamoxifen to earlier in the day and seeing if a change like that helps. Rather than 'bunching up' by following an evening dose with another right away the next morning, you can try it at noon/lunch for a while. I assume your warfarin is on a late afternoon schedule.

    With sedation being an expected result of the older tricyclic antidepressants, taking the amitriptyline at bedtime is a good idea. Other anticholinergic side effects such as dry mouth are also common.

    Be sure to mention these symptoms to your prescriber(s) - they can make a note in your chart so, if you need to be hospitalized, etc your meds can be given at the preferred intervals.


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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited May 2017

    amiltriptyline is often given at nighttime for the treatment of migraines. So, I think morning headaches would be unlikely caused by the medication. That said, if you have a blood clotting issue, I wonder whether your team discussed with you doing ovarian suppression with an aromatase inhibitor? If you are premenopausal, that seems to be recommended by more physicians, especially with patients who have clotting issues. I would contact my tesm if I were you. Those headaches could be a side effect of the meds or be caused by something entirely different....


    I also take amiltriptyline along with several other meds for systemic nerve pain.. For me, it works well. However, my cardiologist is keeping a close watch of my heart functioning because long term use of amiltrypttylinecan cause heart issues.


    Good luck!

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