Husband wants to stop Tamoxifen

Would he rather take a chance on his health rather than take antidepressants? I am taking 10mg Paxil and it has made all the difference in depression. Is it the sexual side effects that he is not wanting? There are different types that don't effect the sexuality.

Tammy,

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We know it's the pills and he doesnt want to take antidepressants.

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Do you know why he doesn't want to take anti-depressants? Essentially, as you know, tamoxifen has affected his neurochemical balance (along w/ a number of other symptoms).

If Donald wasn't depressed before he got BC (and started taking Tamoxifen), he shouldn't think of any medication he needs to take as an "anti-depressant" (since it isn't to deal with a primary depression)...rather (in context) it is "side-effect controller." And BTW, be sure to ID all of the adverse side effects he is dealing with...it is possible that his oncologist may be able to balance the effects of the side-effect control medication to control all (or at least several) of the side-effects he is experiencing. I'd like to think that you and Donald don't need to wait out the 5 years before you can be close again...

HTH,

LisaAlissa

Hi Tammy,

I am so sorry that you and your husband Donald are going through this. It is bad enough having cancer, let alone cancer that mainly effects women. Our emotions can be so raw at this time and it must be difficult to be the butt of jokes when you are asking for help.

A litte about me. I am 39 and was diagnosed with node negative breast cancer 3 years ago. I am taking tamoxifen. My mother also had breast cancer 14 years ago. Unfortunately she just passed away from melanoma. I think this is why I am on this forum as I am worried about my sons given the family history.

In answer to your question yes I think tamoxifen does affect you mentally. I don't feel as sharp as I used to. However I also think stress, PTSD and depression would also lead to difficulty in making decisions. Yes Paxil does not mix well with breast cancer but other anti-depressants do. I personally take Celexa.

I so sorry you were both having a bad day. Although it is perfectly understandable.

Take care. I am thinking of you both.

Sandy

whether it be male or female side effects can be horrid. It was suggested I went on effexor and I too researched it, I did not like the side effects but I had to do something re the mood swings and night sweats, effexor has worked for me, and it is obvious when I forget to take it. I wish Donald well, life with bc just vacumns as our darling gary would say lol, peter seeing the koala made me homesick. Hugs to everyone suffering xoxoxoxo

Tammy how about asking the Onc if he can take Arimidex or Aromasin ? no harm in asking, or Femera also..

good luck

oz

Dear Tammy,

I've been taking tamoxifen since Dec. 2004. The first couple of months were pretty tough but then the side effects gradually eased. There was no one day when I felt better but I did notice gradual reduction in side effects by the end of the fourth month of taking tamoxifen. I don't like the side effects but I feel I need to continue taking tamoxifen for the recommended 5 years to obtain the reduction in possibility that tamoxifen provides of getting a life threatening recurrence of breast cancer.

I'm taking tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy which means that is there is no detectable breast cancer in my body but tamoxifen is recommended as a preventative therapy. You say that you are expecting your husband's oncologist to tell him if it is working. I'm assuming that your husband is taking tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy too, in which case there is no way that any doctor could tell you that it is working other than not finding evidence of active breast cancer. If I never have another occurrence of breast cancer, I won't know if that is due to the chemo, the radiation, the tamoxifen or that I would not have had breast cancer again without any of these treatments. I decided to take all recommended treatments to give myself the best possible chance of not having another occurrence of breast cancer which could be a lot harder to treat than the first occurrence.

I first went to the Dr because I was depressed (like I'd sleep for days, didn't give a darn about anything)almost lost my job- that was at the end on April. While I was there getting "Lexapro" for my depression I happened to ask the Dr about the lump on my chest.  The short version is  mamogram,consult with surgeon,lumpectomy and while still in the OR modified radical mastectomy of my right breast. Since then a port in my chest and started chemo 2 weeks ago. I am tripple positive so I get Herceptin every week and the other crap every 3 weeks . Have  had one week of each.

Tell your husband that the anti-depressant really helped me.

Bill.S  56 yr old MAN with breast cancer

I take Tamoxifen plus Lexapro and it is fine.  Please have him try something, it is so hard to deal with his situation and he would be surprised how many people DO take them.

Good Luck and God Bless

I have found that Effexor has killed my sex drive, but it's supposed to be helpful with Tamoxifen as an adjunct to the ER+/PR+ receptors.

Sirfin1

Please check with your oncologist and see if mastectomy changes whether or not you need tamoxifen. I had a bilateral mastectomy (right side cancer, left side healthy) and started my 5 year course of tamoxifen 2 weeks post op. So far 2.5 months later side effects are nothing. A few warm flashes at night but nothing that would stop me from taking it.

I would not change my surgical decision. I am certain that the bi lat was the best choice for me. 

Good luck with your decision.

Kris 

My father, who passed of bc in 2001, dealt with it as you say, stevepoll  in silence.. once the mx took place we didn't really speak of it again except to talk briefly about Tamoxifen.. he thought of it as a "wonder drug" and so did we - he was dx'ed of Stage II (no spread) approx. 14 years before he died.  He had been prescribed Tamoxifen "for the rest of his life" per his oncologist.. but when the rules changed to 5 years he was pulled off of Tamoxifen "in his best interest".  Only a year and 1/5 after being taken off of Tamoxifen the cancer returned at Stage IV.  So again we thought well if they had only left him on Tamoxifen he might still be alive!  But then I did some research, after having a dx of DCIS myself as well as BRCA (negative)..  only to find out that perhaps the Tamoxifen had helped to encourage another cancer and he was being treated as if his cancer was indeed a continuation of the first cancer.. no additional biopsy was done and so they put him on chemo's set up for bc when actually since he had mets on his liver and spine (and other placed) they could have been new, different cancers..  Tamoxifen might actually have been the seed for a new cancer and being on it for almost 12 years might have done him in....  It's so difficult to know and since they didn't do biopsy's we will never really know.. but I don't take Tamoxifen and one of the reasons I decided on a bi-lateral mx was so that I could avoid it as well as radiation therapy..  So much time since his dx and they still know almost nothing about bc and what Tamoxifen does... 

Dad had no side effects except perhaps a few pounds that he put one and he went from being a very slim man to a bit heavier..  He never complained about hot flashes or any other se - but then he was Irish and they say if you ask an dying Irish man how he's feeling today he'll tell you "great, sure I'm great".. as he did!  I hate this disease, it took my father away and it took my breast away.. I hate this disease....!!!!!