Anyone Taking 10mg of Tamoxifen Instead of 20mg?

kec, i dont know if or of anyone thats done this but it makes lots of sense to me. I heard of some ladies on letrezole that take a pill every other day. If you are smaller you may very well need less. . I dont understand why your blood or whatever cant be tested to see if youre getting enough. But they don't do it that way. We ARE all different and have different needs. You would think if side effects are severe that might indicate your taking too much. Wonder what your dr will say. Good luck.

GAILMARY

Forum link (scroll down to the next to last post by Pebblesv)

I hope I have linked this properly. There is a lot of discussion about dosage in here. Also some folks that are staying on10 mg. It might be worth the read.

I am on 10 mg . I tried tamoxifen two years ago and had to get off it after a month .... then I tried again .... got off it again . At the time it was 20 mg . My oncologist has now suggested 10 mg for a month then 10 mg twice a day. I am already having side effects And know that’ 20 mg will be too strong

I'm on 5 mg per my MO.

Here are the studies she gave me:

Tamoxifen At 5mg Halves Recurrence

"And although the patient numbers were relatively small, tamoxifen at 5 mg/day also reduced the risk of contralateral breast cancer by 75%, results of the TAM01 study showed."

Trial of Low Dose Tamoxifen

Low-Dose Tamoxifen May Be an Option to Reduce Risk of Recurrence, Invasive Disease After Non-Invasive Breast Cancer

"This study did not compare 5 mg with 20 mg [of tamoxifen], but the data seen here were pretty similar to data with the 20-mg dose as far as protecting against cancer," said Virginia Kaklamani, M.D., professor of medicine and leader of the Breast Cancer Program at the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, who moderated the media briefing on the study. "This is pretty compelling and something I would try in my clinic," she said. "Whether to go lower than 5 mg is an interesting question, but the reason to stick with 5 mg is mainly pragmatic. The smallest tablets we have are 10 mg, so to split them more than in half would be difficult. I think that for the time being, 5 mg would seem to be a good dose."

Biologic Activity of Tamoxifen At Low Doses

"Our results show that both 10 mg/day of tamoxifen and 10 mg/alternate days of tamoxifen are comparable to 20 mg/day of tamoxifen in modulating a wide array of estrogen receptor-regulated biomarkers, including established or putative surrogate end points of cardiovascular disease such as cholesterol (24), fibrinogen (39), Lp(a) (19), platelet count (40), and blood cell count (41), as well as promising surrogate end points of breast cancer such as circulating IGF-I (31,42)."

I was told the 20 mg dosage was based on research studies but even so my MO can't explain why taking a lower dose might be sufficient. From what I read, the daily dose a long time ago used to be 40 mg/day. I can't imagine taking that much. I think more studies are needed with a lower dose. If a lower dose is effective and has less side effects, then more women would probably continue to take it and be less miserable.

If you can tolerate 10 in the am, 10 in pm I'd do that. Longer studies are on 20. Not enough on 10...

You don't need 10 mg pills.. just buy a pill cutter. Cheap

kec1972 -> there are many studies out there. some are not in the final arm yet, so we still have to wait. however the results that are in, do seem to show in a significant manner that lower doses function in the exact same manner as 20mg.

these are a few that my MO referred to my.

Here are the studies she gave me:

Tamoxifen At 5mg Halves Recurrence

"And although the patient numbers were relatively small, tamoxifen at 5 mg/day also reduced the risk of contralateral breast cancer by 75%, results of the TAM01 study showed."

Trial of Low Dose Tamoxifen

Low-Dose Tamoxifen May Be an Option to Reduce Risk of Recurrence, Invasive Disease After Non-Invasive Breast Cancer

"This study did not compare 5 mg with 20 mg [of tamoxifen], but the data seen here were pretty similar to data with the 20-mg dose as far as protecting against cancer," said Virginia Kaklamani, M.D., professor of medicine and leader of the Breast Cancer Program at the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, who moderated the media briefing on the study. "This is pretty compelling and something I would try in my clinic," she said. "Whether to go lower than 5 mg is an interesting question, but the reason to stick with 5 mg is mainly pragmatic. The smallest tablets we have are 10 mg, so to split them more than in half would be difficult. I think that for the time being, 5 mg would seem to be a good dose."

Biologic Activity of Tamoxifen At Low Doses

"Our results show that both 10 mg/day of tamoxifen and 10 mg/alternate days of tamoxifen are comparable to 20 mg/day of tamoxifen in modulating a wide array of estrogen receptor-regulated biomarkers, including established or putative surrogate end points of cardiovascular disease such as cholesterol (24), fibrinogen (39), Lp(a) (19), platelet count (40), and blood cell count (41), as well as promising surrogate end points of breast cancer such as circulating IGF-I (31,42)."

since 10 mg research and such got underway much later than 20 mg, it'll take time to have 30-50 studies to equal the amount of research 20mg has. there are many studies that have finalized but are still processing the data so have not released the results as of yet. from the estimates my MO has given me, the public should hear more in the next year or two about those larger studies.

for me, it's enough that my MO is comfortable enough with the last few years, granted smaller trials, of 10 mg research so that I was able to try Tamoxifen. even at 5 mg I couldn't tolerate it. i can't imagine what 20 wouldve done to me. i for one am glad they have started the ball rolling so that other women will have this opportunity now, versus years from now.

Hi all. I’m currently taking 5mg a day. A 10mg every other day. I tried 20 mg and experienced too many side effects like extreme exhaustion, mood swings of course and hot flashes so I stopped on my own. This was all monitored by my home town Onc. I was being pressured into continuing the med which was extremely upsetting because it was life changing- in a negative way. So I decided to return to my Onc at the Cleveland Clinic. He was very understanding and explained that each person’s metabolism is different and therefore the way medicine is digested and used is different for everyone. He didn’t pressure me but explained the benefits of even a low dose. He also stated that what’s most important, more than the Tamoxifen, is diet and exercise.

So I’ve been on 5mg for about a month. No period thankfully but I do experience some headaches every other day that I think are related to the hormones or lack thereof.

I was on 5 mg for 2 months (end of March to end of May). In the beginning, not too many SEs. Then gradually joint pain/bone pain/fatigue. Started in my joints that already have arthritis. Spread to the rest of my body. By the 5th week I could barely get out of bed or do my yoga or my PT. Finally gave up and will take a break, maybe consider trying different brands later this summer or move on to injections. Even though my recurrence/mets risk is approx 35% w/o hormonal treatment, I could no longer function as a 41 yr old with Tamoxifen. Life was no longer life. It was a nightmare. I'd rather live now, rather than suffer. I'm about 6 days out now and did the dishes for the first time without crying or exhaustion! It was BLISS!

Warrior2018...so happy you are doing better now that you are taking 5mg of Tamoxifen. What really struck me about your post was your MO at Cleveland Clinic, which is a world renown facility, emphasized how important diet and exercise is! IMO most MOs put anti hormone therapy way above it, which I don't agree with. Good luck to all.

Sorry to hear about you not being able to handle it as well Mimasw. Maybe talk to your oncologist but depending on your diagnosis (which I can’t see in your signature) diet and exercise can be just as effective.