How soon after other treatments did you start tamoxifen?

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PurpleCat
PurpleCat Member Posts: 358
edited November 2018 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Both the nurse and the patient navigator told me that my surgeon is somewhat unusual in starting her patients on tamoxifen immediately after surgery. They indicated it would actually be OK for me to wait until radiation is done, and I'd really prefer that, as I'm realizing my post-surgical pain probably isn't going to be gone before radiation starts, and if I'm also dealing with tamoxifen side effect I will lose any semblance of a stiff upper lip I've been able to maintain through this ordeal. I have an email in to the surgeon's office to ask for clarification, but was wondering what others have been instructed to do and why.

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  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,710
    edited November 2018

    I started tamoxifen after surgery but before rads, which I understood is unusual but ok if MO recommended. I think the main reason MO’s wait is to distinguish between side effects of different treatments.

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  • Veeder14
    Veeder14 Member Posts: 880
    edited November 2018

    I started Tomaxifen 2 1/2 months after Rads. I actually hadn't even been referred to the MO but requested to be assigned one to address other issues. It was the last step in the process. She was ok with me waiting until after my trip, I wanted to get my energy back and not start a new medication while away from home. So probably I would have started a few weeks sooner if I just waited for the referral process to MO like the hospital usually does.

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  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited November 2018

    I’ll be starting an AI about a month after finishing rads. My MO never suggested I start any sooner.

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  • Georgia1
    Georgia1 Member Posts: 1,321
    edited November 2018

    I started Tamoxifen three weeks after rads; I finished radiation right before Thanksgiving and I simply didn't feel like starting until after the holidays. My MO was 100 percent good with that and so if you want to wait you should.

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  • star2017
    star2017 Member Posts: 827
    edited November 2018

    8 weeks after chemo (would have been six weeks but I was having surgery, so delayed, four weeks after surgery, 1 day before radiation.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2018

    I started Tamoxifen about a month after rads.

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  • DanceSmartly
    DanceSmartly Member Posts: 69
    edited November 2018

    I started Tamoxifen 2 months after rads. I had what my radiologist called an average skin reaction to rads (entire breast, including the nipple, reddened and peeled, resulting in oozing and all sorts of fun wearing bras) so I wanted to let that heal before starting hormone therapy. That took about 3 weeks. Then we had a trip that we had scheduled before my diagnosis and I wanted to enjoy the trip as much as possible, so that pushed out my start date another two weeks. Then I went back to work and was so completely exhausted for another three weeks that I couldn't face the potential side effects of Tamoxifen.

    So far, I think the delay in starting hormone therapy worked well for me as I seem to be tolerating Tamoxifen fairly well (though the first 2-4 weeks were not a lot of fun).

    My MO did not seem overwrought about my delayed start date at all.

    Dance

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  • tlfrank
    tlfrank Member Posts: 199
    edited November 2018

    I started Tamoxifen 1 month after finishing rads.

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