Tamoxifen Holiday

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poopysheep
poopysheep Member Posts: 40
edited July 2017 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Wondering if anyone else has either considered or taken a bit of a tamoxifen 'holiday'.

After 7 months of being on tamoxifen the SE are getting a bit less manageable - the first 5 months was a bit of a moving target of a variety of things but none were that unbearable. The past 2 months however i've been experiencing a somewhat unrelenting bout of almost persistent vertigo. I have BPPV so i'm pretty well versed in vertigo but this is a bit different. With BPPV it's much more pronounced and very positional where this is more of an all day/any way vertigo. Everything else (the fatigue, the muscle and joint pain, the complete loss of sex drive, weight gain and belly) are all livable - but this vertigo is getting the best of me.

I have a trip to Africa coming up, we are planning to climb Kilimanjaro and i'm struggling to train for it. When I run the first 30 min are a nausea inducing dizzy fest - which does improve if I keep going, but it makes things so disheartening and tough. I've paid a sick amount of money for this trip and I would be super disappointed if i didn't summit cause I was out of shape cause I can't do anything without the room spinning.

So my long winded plan I devised is to take a small 3 month holiday from the Tamoxifen and then start it again as soon as I get back from Africa. I don't even know if that would be effective in trying to diminish the vertigo just even short term...

any thoughts or feedback are as always, MUCH appreciated!!

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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited July 2017

    It takes a while to get it out of your system. I quit in April, and I'm still having tons of hot flashes. I did have an ooph two years ago. Oh and it is 100 degrees again today.

    Have fun on your trip. We can only do what we can do. I'm glad you have such a wonderful opportunity. Bon Voyage!

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited July 2017

    Have you tried a different generic? People have different side effects on different formulations.

    I hear you on the vertigo. Mine unfortunately seems to be the result of anesthesia. I get dizzy and nauseated in the pool doing my PT exercises, and my balance is shot.

    Best of luck!

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  • Artista928
    Artista928 Member Posts: 2,753
    edited July 2017

    The TEVA brand is highly tooted as the manufacturer with the least se's by many people here.

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  • chef127
    chef127 Member Posts: 891
    edited July 2017

    Tamoxifen can effect the CNS and vertigo is caused by the CNS being attacked. Having BPPV gives you a vulnerability for the vertigo. I don't take Tamo but I do suffer from BPPV and bouts of vertigo when I move my head a certain way, its like spinning around when I was a kid to purposely get dizzy. I suggest you see a ENT to see if you have crystals in your inner ear that are disorganized. They do a maneuver with your head that reorganizes the crystals in the inner ear and viola, vertigo goes away. If that doesn't do it for you ask about Vestibular PT. Its is a course of exercises that teaches your brain to cope with the vertigo. My problem is a serious neurological disorder so the exercises don't help much but I've learned to focus and not move in certain ways.

    If I was climbing anything bigger than me I'd try to resolve the vertigo. I hope that simply taking a break from the tamo works for you if you have the time to wait and see. ENJOY that trip of a life time. xox

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