Bottle 'o Tamoxifen

Yes. On tamoxifen, it came out in large amounts in the shower. My hands would be covered in hair - when I say covered, I mean covered. Reminiscent of when I had chemo 30 years ago. The hair loss is less on letrozole, but I'm also taking 5000 of Biotin everyday now too. Some days its worse than others but I can't figure out a rhyme or reason to it. I notice that my hair is not as full, but no one else has said that they have (and I have plenty of people that would say something for sure.) No bald spots, just thinner.In addition to Biotin, one of the nurses recommended a product called It Works if the Biotin didn't help. So far the Biotin seems to be working so I haven't had to try anything else, but I wanted to throw that out there in case you needed it. I hope this answers your question!

I use the Natro brand. Only 1 capsule!

Agree with not assuming vitamins are safe for you even at ok mg. My dad who has left side weakness was taking 2500 b6 daily. His neurologist told him to stop as it makes his neuromuscular problems worse. He's doing a little better along with PT. You just never know about interactions with not only other meds but other illnesses as well. Never thought the 'good' vits not taken in excess as directed could cause more problems, let alone with herbs and supps. I take nothing except D3 cuz I was low and baby aspirin for protection against stroke and clots while on T. Otherwise, it's foods, the sure fire source. I have no other health issues and never have.

So much for no such thing as too much vit b's since excess gets peed out. Not before it's gone around your body first!

I think hair loss may be the only SE I don't have. My hair is growing very fast. And the curl and body it has. Love it

I started tamoxifen in January and have just noticed my hair thinning too! Calling my oncologist tomorrow to see what he suggests to take, but I'm hoping it's just a temporary SE.

I have been on Tamoxifen since January 2016 and only recently did the hair lost get bad.

Also a word about Synthroid. My friend (a guy) was telling me how he was having thyroid issues and the doctor wanted to put him on Synthroid. He didn't want to take it so he did some research and found evidence that fasting can jump start the thyroid. Fasting can be in different forms...not eating one meal a day, not eating for one day a week. He now skips breakfast every day. And his thyroid got better. Just an FYI. I thought it was really interesting. It make me wonder what other things could be helped by fasting.

I. Am. Falling. Apart. For real. My hair on my head is thinning, I’m getting a bit of a mustache and the chin hairs are super noticeable ( why can’t those be grey rather than black??? ) And I’m pretty sure my legs are BOTH coming apart at the seams. The cramps tonite are relentless. Toes to knees on both legs. I can’t walk it off. Can’t rub it hard enough to loosen up. And then my hip started to cramp. I sure hope these SE fade away. If not, I’m pretty sure they are going to drive me nutso!! Any suggestions? I’m already taking magnesium. My potassium levels stay on the high end of normal.

Today I was on my feet all day standing for test administration. Tomorrow I will be proctoring 2 or 3 rooms (which means tons of walking) for about 4 hours. I’m tired just thinking about it

TaRenee-, I’m so sorry. Have you tried Curcumin? It can help with some of the pains. If your potassium is low/borderline a banana a day can also help. Biotin for the hair thinning - It Works supplements if Biotin doesn’t do the trick. Laser hair removal for those facial hairs. Curcumin, biotin and laser have all helped me tremendously. If SEs continue to negatively impact your QOL you can always ask MO about switching to an AI. If you’re premenopausal, you’d have to take an ovarian suppressant. I had an oophorectomy and made the switch....SEs are far more manageable. Good luck tomorrow!🍀

TaRenee, Have you had your calcium level checked recently? I was first put on Femara and the leg cramps were horrible. I read on that site that Claritin ( not Claritin D) helped. I take it for seasonal allergies, but it did somehow help. The other thing is chewing tums if it is Calcium related. My parathyroids were damaged when my Thyroid was removed. I was told by my first Endo to chew a couple if my muscles were cramping. My right shoulder muscles attack me every couple of weeks and it only takes a few minutes for the tums to do their magic! Good Luck!

VL22- I had tingling/itching/numbness in my arms, hands, and feet for weeks after chemo was over. My RO and MO both said that it couldn't be from chemo since that was long gone from my system (finished chemo in April 2018). But the RO prescribed Gabapentin, anyway, and it has helped.

But I think you're right that we just feel awful after a long slog of treatments. I'm just starting to feel like a human being again and started my tamoxifen this morning. I hope you feel better soon.

Did you guys know there are different types of magnesium? If so do you know the correct one to take for muscle spasms/cramps? I asked my naturalpath about it yesterday and I forgot what he called it. Thanks all.

Hi ladies....just picked up my first bottle of tamoxifen and I saw a few posts about people doing better on the drug when they take it made by certain manufacturers. I’m hoping I can find some people with this same pill I got. It looks like it’s made and distributed by Mayne and has a wpi on one side and a 2233 on the either. Just curious how this event have done with side effects on this one vs others. Thank yiu

There is a lot of solid research about the benefits of fasting to boost/strengthen immune system (so we can naturally fight off mutant cells)...I found the book The Longevity Diet very informative and applies to overall aging as well as post chemo care. The researcher who wrote the book also involved in an excellent 5 day fast program which I'm about to do called ProLon. My friend who had advanced stage cancer said her oncologist highly recommends post chemo and she said it was great because it's not starvation for 5 days but a set amount of food/drink such that your body responds as though fasting.

Hi All,

I have a question about Fish Oil (Omega-3) supplements. I just recently started to take one capsule a day in the last 12 days. I found that after reading the label there was soy and vitamin E also in the capsule. So, I began to search online and found that the majority of fish oils have both soy and vitamin E or at least soy. Is that combination okay when taking arimidex or for those taking tamoxifen? Does anyone have a recommendation as I have checked both Walmart and Costco.

Thanks

Hu

Hi Sara,

The bone density test was the only test that I needed to have before starting tamoxifen. It was easy. Good luck with your tamoxifen!

Buttercup