Anyone on tamoxifen?

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tropicmom
tropicmom Member Posts: 88
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
And taking supplements? I just started (finally done with chemo!!!) Just wondering if there are any interactions.
I am interested in Vit D, astralagus, grapefruit.
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  • rumoret
    rumoret Member Posts: 685
    edited August 2007
    I take tomoxifen and this is what I came up with....had to quit taking some of my supplements.

    Herbs to Avoid - Estrogen Effects

    What are the herbs to watch out for? For women who have had breast cancer, the following herbs have been found to have estrogen-like effects and should be avoided:
    • red clover (trifolium pratense)
    • chasteberry (vitex agnus castus)
    • hops (humulus lupulus)
    • ginseng
    • soy
    • dong quai (angelica sinensis) and licorice (glycyrrhiza glabra) also have estrogen-like effects, but they are not as great as the other above herbs.
    Women taking the drug tamoxifen are even more likely to use herbs and soy because of hot flashes. However, tamoxifen has an anti-estrogenic effect (it's used for estrogen-dependent breast cancers), so people taking tamoxifen should take special care to avoid the above estrogenic herbs.
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  • BlindedByScience
    BlindedByScience Member Posts: 314
    edited August 2007

    If you're taking tamoxifen you must avoid grapefruit and pomegranate and SSRI-type antidepressants. These items knock out an important enzyme that converts tamoxifen to its active form. Grapefruit and pomegranate can disable the enzyme for 3 days from a single dose.

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  • tropicmom
    tropicmom Member Posts: 88
    edited August 2007
    Thanks for the responses. I'm bummed about the grapefruit. Since my diagnosis in Jan, I have been craving the canned (I know) citrus salad which is a mixture of three grapefruits and oranges. I ate at least a half a can every day, and I think it contributed to me not getting sick even when my counts were way down, and helped the chemo work.
    I haven't had any recently b/c I seem to be getting my fruit fix from all the summer fruits. But the cans in the cupboard are calling to me even now.
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  • rumoret
    rumoret Member Posts: 685
    edited August 2007
    Thanks for that information.....I just added it to my list. Funny thing I was just listening to a guy on television who was cooking with a chef and stated how great pomegranate was. I was thinking about getting some....so THANKS A BUNCH! If anyone has more information.........PLEASE ADD TO LIST.

    Love,
    Terry
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  • lvtwoqlt
    lvtwoqlt Member Posts: 6,162
    edited August 2007
    There was another thread that talked about not taking ST John's Wart while on Tamox. I think it had something to do with enzymes like grapefruit. It was also listed on the printout from the pharmacy not to take ST John and Tamox together.

    Sheila
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  • rumoret
    rumoret Member Posts: 685
    edited August 2007
    yes....I did remember the St. John's Wort....now that you mentioned it. Will add to list.

    Terry
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