Can we make a list

Garlic while on Femara comes to mind.

While on tamoxifen avoid: 

prozac, paxil (antidepressants)

fluconazole (for yeast infections),

amiodarone ( a heart medication),

benadryl,

cimetidine/Tagamet, ranidatine/Zantac,

dexamethasone (steroid)

from   http://medicine.iupui.edu/flockhart/table.htm

I didn't know about the benadryl - why is that?

Isn't there something about vit. E ? 

Other things to avoid on tamoxifen and this is news from 1999, and  I don't know if other studies has negated this info since but:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9806E5D8133CF931A35750C0A96F958260

And sesame seeds should also be avoided.  I hope you don't like hummus.

Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 150 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Some premenopausal breast cancer patients use phytoestrogen-rich soy and flaxseed to alleviate side effects induced by drugs such as tamoxifen (TAM). Lignan-rich flaxseed protects against breast cancer and increases the effectiveness of TAM. This study determined the interactive effects of lignan-rich sesame seed (SS) and TAM on estrogen-responsive MCF-7 breast tumor growth and bone health in ovariectomized athymic mice under premenopausal-simulated conditions. Ovariectomized mice with an estrogen implant and established MCF-7 tumors were treated for 8 weeks as follows: (i) positive control fed basal diet (BD), (ii) SS group fed BD supplemented with 10% ground SS, (iii) TAM group with TAM implant fed BD, (iv) SS + TAM group with TAM implant fed BD supplemented with 10% SS, and (v) negative control fed BD with no estrogen implant. Palpable tumor data, adjusted for body weight, showed that SS does not inhibit MCF-7 tumor growth and tends to negate the tumor inhibitory effect of TAM by increasing cell proliferation and reducing apoptosis. SS alone and combined with TAM enhanced femur biomechanical strength but caused no differences in bone mineral content or bone mineral density in either the femur or lumbar vertebrae. SS is not protective and interacts adversely with TAM in MCF-7 breast tumors but induces beneficial effects on bone both alone and when combined with TAM.

PMID: 17526767 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I think that I will go crazy trying to figure out what I should or should not injest!  It seems that items that I have used for years contain soy - my coffee creamer of all things!  My BS told me to avoid fidoestrogens... too bad he didn't give me a list of what foods contain this.  And Paxil?  I was told that Paxil was good at counter-acting side effects from Tamoxifen.  It would be nice if we were all given a book with all of the real do's and don'ts...  Is there one?

Benadryl inhibits the CYP 2D6 enzyme the same way prozac and paxil do, but not quite as strongly. 

I didn't see any other antihistamines on the chart, so others may be safe to take.  Probably worth checking them out before taking. The chart indicates benadryl is a weak inhibitor of CYP 2D6, so it may be safe to take occasionally.  Best idea is to check with the dr first. 

Urbie,

You should not take any SSRIs while taking Tamoxifen, because it affects your body's metabolism of Tamoxifen, and it won't work as well...

I know, it is just TOO much to have to know!

Harley

I don't know if taking benadryl or SSRI antidepressants is safe after tamoxifen therapy is over.  I can't find any information about that aspect, just about taking them at the same time.  I'm wondering if Effexor and such help with the hot flashes BECAUSE they interfere with tamoxifen? 

Hi rrs,

I have found a few items on the grocery shelf without soy, Campbells tomato soup, also their dry onion soup(good for making gravy or cooking a roast)  Walmart brand-canned chicken broth  Kashi, snack crackers. Bertolli organic olive oil and garlic spaghetti sauce to name a few. I know what you mean , soy is in so many things. 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/soy/NS_patient-soy

Urbie,

I think your Dr. might need to see the list of phytoestrogens before he tells you to give them up. 

http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/phytoestrogen.php

Looks like there are many foods that are otherwise good for you that have phytoestrogens -- I cannot give up onions, garlic, olive oil, etc.