I’m supposed to start Hormonal Therapy (Tamoxifen)

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Misspb
Misspb Member Posts: 3
edited October 2020 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hi everyone I’m 34 years old I’m almost at the end of my treatment, did chemo, surgery now will start radiation. I am barely recovering from chemo treatment, I’m trying to get back on my active life but my body is tired from all the drugs and now my oncology wants me start taking these pills Tamoxifen which I have to take for 10 years.

I have no kids I was planning on starting a family when diagnosed. The side effects that I read about thes pills are scary. For people that take this drug Premenopausal did it affect your chances of having kids


with all the side effects that comes with it, is it worth taking them. If you’ve stopped taking the drug dd the cancer really come back

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  • buttonsmachine
    buttonsmachine Member Posts: 930
    edited October 2020

    Misspb, I am in a different situation to yours, but I started Tamoxifen when I was 32 years old. My nurse practitioner at the time said there can be more side effects when you first start Tamoxifen, but that after that many people feel better. I didn't believe her at the time, but that ended up being the way it was for me. After the first month or two, Tamoxifen was totally fine for me, and I had virtually no side effects.

    My best advice with hormone therapy is to give it a fair try, and see how YOU feel. There are many horror stories out there with any drug, but there are so many people who do just fine on it.

    Also, definitely discuss with your doctors, but there are many young women who do couple years on Tamoxifen, take a break to have a baby, and then go back on Tamoxifen. You should check out the thread "Coming off Tamoxifen early to have a baby" here: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/27/topics/763924?page=34#idx_1009

    Best wishes to you!

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2020

    "with all the side effects that comes with it, is it worth taking them."

    That is a very important question, but it's not a question that anyone can answer for you. It's also not a question where anyone else's answer, saying what they would do for themselves, means much about your situation. It all depends on YOUR diagnosis and risk level. And on YOUR tolerance of risk, i.e. what amount of risk can you live with comfortably, if you choose not to take hormone therapy? And on the effect that Tamoxifen has on YOU, which might be very different than the effect that it has on someone else - some people experience lots of side effects and other people experience very few.

    What's your diagnosis? Did you have an oncotype test done and if so, what was your score and your estimated recurrence risk? Have you discussed that with your oncologist?

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited October 2020

    Misspb, to me the issue about having children has more to do with your age after 10 years of tamoxifen. You would then be 44, which in and of itself greatly reduces fertility. There's a famous thread on this board called "Coming off Tamoxifen Early to Have a Baby." (I think that's the title.) If I am recalling correctly, the young woman did go off and successfully had her baby. So that's something else you might consider. Best wishes! And, as always, consult with your oncologist before making any major decisions.

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