And when it comes to weight loss, these two probably rank near the top: Will I gain weight on tamoxifen? Would help to hear your stories. I have been taking it for almost a year and recently my hair has - Answered by a verified Doctor. Anyways my suggestion is take letrozole this way (keeping in midn you should be off dutasteride) .25mg day 1, .5 mg day 2, .75mg day 3 and increase in . After 3 months Of feeling great, going none stop. increased clear or white vaginal discharge. While anastrozole has been shown to be effective in the treatment and . In addition, 5 years of sequential treatment—either 2 years of letrozole followed by 3 years of tamoxifen or 2 years of tamoxifen followed by 3 years of letrozole—was not better than 5 years of letrozole alone at preventing recurrence or death. It's an interesting medication and the doc told me to expect side effects. Hi there. Tamoxifen is also available as a generic drug, added Dr. Ford, and therefore affordable in the developing world. When does this end. Tamoxifen helps to stop cancer from returning if it's taken over a long period But it is known to cause side effects including hot flushes, sweats and nausea And a third of women do not take the . I want to complete 10 years total.Now that you have my background info, I have a question about tamoxifen and swollen ankles. Potential side effects and risks If you experience side effects and decide to take a break from taking tamoxifen, it is likely that the side . I was not tested for CYP2D6 to see if I metabolize tamoxifen. Next switched to Tamoxifen (6 months) - took a self-imposed break for a month when my son got married (felt so much better). "Five years of therapy confers benefits for up to 15 years—the benefits last far . But better adherence should be executed. Women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer face years of adjuvant therapy with antiestrogen drugs, with the latest data suggesting that . Life After Tamoxifen. I guess I just need a break and was feeling so good. Some people take tamoxifen to lower the risk of developing breast cancer. 41 possible side effects. I can't take Tamoxifen because I've already had surgery for a blocked carotid artery and the chance of stroke and/or blood clots would be extremely high in my case. I still have bloating & GI issues with this med, but not as severe. People taking tamoxifen that have low CYP2D6 levels seem resistance to tamoxifen and are at a higher risk of cancer recurrence. If you're sexually active with a chance of becoming pregnant, your specialist is likely to advise you use a non-hormonal method of contraception while taking . The daily oral medication stops cancer cells from using estrogen and progesterone to grow and spread. If you are taking tamoxifen, you have A LOT of questions. It's possible to become pregnant while taking tamoxifen even if your periods have become irregular or stopped. So Onc switched me to Letrozole. Design Qualitative study using semistructured, one-to-one interviews. For the past two months my hot flashes had become an hourly occurrence, making my entire body feel like it was . Reluctantly, you began the unknown path. Tamoxifen helps to stop cancer from returning if it's taken over a long period But it is known to cause side effects including hot flushes, sweats and nausea And a third of women do not take the . It found that 35.2% of women taking anastrozole experienced an increase in joint symptoms compared to 30.3% of those receiving tamoxifen. It appears that endocrine treatments for breast cancer significantly affect joint health, with anastrozole being the most potent drug. The rate of death from breast cancer in the tamoxifen group was approximately 30% lower than that in the control group during the first 15 years (i.e., including 10 years after the cessation of therapy). It started 12 days ago, about 48 hours after my oncologist asked me to stop taking Tamoxifen for six weeks. So recently I took a break from tamoxifen against my new onc wishes, (he is a drug pusher) doesn't listen to a word I'm saying. CYP2D6 and tamoxifen. Part of my problem with Tamoxifen is the wide range of side effects which include headaches, dizziness, nausea, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, leg cramps, hair thinning, brain fog, pins and needles in hands and feet, joint pain, moodiness, depression and anxiety. These results, from the BIG 1-98 trial, were published online October 20, 2011 in Lancet Oncology. No longer do they blindly follow the advice of doctors to take medication for the next five to 10 years that may or may not prevent the recurrence of breast cancer. Taking a Break From Letrozole Therapy After Breast Cancer. I am on day 2 and I am a different person. I'm really seriously questioning whether it's worth it. But, I've already discussed a one month off, two months on regime with my oncologist if I can't tolerate the Femara on a daily basis. — By Conn Hastings Researchers in Germany have used computer modelling techniques to estimate how a break from taking cancer medication affects the amount of drug in patients . The side effects have been very difficult: hot flashes, depression, v dryness, brain fog, joint pain, lack of libido. By Jigna Shah Jimenez March 31, 2017. If nothing else it will give you a clear indication of what your % is for taking or not taking. Tamoxifen blocks estrogen in the breast, but it acts like a weak estrogen outside the breast, so it stimulates bone and keeps it from getting thin. pain in the back, ribs, arms, or legs. The side effects are now too much. The message for women from this long-term follow-up study is "To take your pills for as long as they're prescribed," concluded Dr. Ford. pale skin. Computer modelling suggests that drug combinations could protect from long-term drug level reductions in certain patients after a break from anti-cancer drug tamoxifen. Setting 2 hospitals from a single health board in Scotland. Jan. 7, 2003 -- There's new hope for young women who must undergo breast cancer chemotherapy and will likely lose their fertility because of the drugs' side effects . rapid, shallow breathing. Medical Oncology 50 years experience. Taking a break from tamoxifen? When the body talks. Physicians may also recommend taking 30 to 60-day "breaks" from tamoxifen to help reduce hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. 2 In trials comparing an aromatase inhibitor versus tamoxifen in postmenopausal women, the aromatase inhibitor was even more effective than . Tamoxifen and other aromatase inhibitors are the hormone therapy drugs most often prescribed for people with early-stage . So I took a break, got a job and was able to juggle, husband, kid, and learn a new job. Either way, it might help you figure out what you want to do. By Jigna Shah Jimenez March 31, 2017. If you're taking tamoxifen, it may be possible to test FSH levels. Oral route (Solution) Serious, life-threatening, and fatal events from use of tamoxifen include uterine malignancies, stroke, and pulmonary embolism.Discuss risks and benefits of tamoxifen with women at high risk for breast cancer and women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) when considering tamoxifen use to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. what happen if i missed a day, a week or more? After a stage IIb breast cancer diagnosis in 1999, Margaret had surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The results of the study were perhaps not striking as far as QOL improvement. Going to have cholesterol rechecked in Oct. So then she gave me a 3-week break saying that studies show that having a break and restarting will usually lessen the side effects. While most women take tamoxifen for 5 or 10 years, it hasn't been clear if taking tamoxifen for fewer than 5 years offered benefits. Would love to hear from anyone else who has taken a break with liver Mets and how they fared. May 2019 in General discussion. (Obviously this third scenario is the one I cross my fingers for.) So when I had my recent check up I was expecting to change, and hoping that a new set of side effects would at least be something different to deal with, if not better. Six week break from Tamoxifen ... JayDee over 5 years ago. Osteoporosis is a disorder in which bones become porous and break more easily. You can use the study as a second opinion to make health care decisions. While long-term tamoxifen use among breast cancer survivors decreases their risk of developing the most common, less aggressive type of second breast cancer, such use is associated with a more . I am a 7 year breast cancer stage 1 er+ pr - her2- status and I've tamoxifen 1 year, 5 years aromatase inhibitors and then I'm on a year of tamoxifen. I am looking for advice as I am terrified of not having my "comfort blanket" of Tamoxifen for 6 weeks. Since I started the meds right after chemo, my onc thought some of my side effects might be residual from the chemo. It doesn't have any estrogen-like effects, so women taking this drug have more bone thinning and fractures. It can greatly reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and invasive cancer. I was on it for three years and stopped 9 months ago. And the rates of side effects were similar between the two groups. Anyway short version is this. In 90 days, you could probably feel a big difference. Keep taking this medicine (tamoxifen tablets) as you have been told by your doctor or other health care provider, even if you feel well. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 39 people who take Mucinex and Tamoxifen citrate from the FDA, and is updated regularly. The possible disadvantage of postponing or discontinuing tamoxifen for … that is one way to test if the tamoxifen is causing it. I took a break for one month then switched to Letrozole. The survey involved 400 healthy women at a higher risk of breast cancer from 20 centers across England. It's the final piece of the puzzle in my quadfecta of treatment for breast cancer: #1 Mastectomy. everyones effects from tamoxifen can be different from other patients. If I take 5 years of Tamoxifen it should go down to 5%. #2 Chemo. Reluctantly, you began the unknown path. My questions: 1. Others may worry about tamoxifen's rare side effects, including blood clots and increased risk of uterine cancer. I'd just finished telling him how the drug's symptoms had escalated again and I was at my wit's end. For most side effects, taking tamoxifen made no difference, but tamoxifen did increase the chance of experiencing some side effects, which are described on the following pages. Margaret Andrews couldn't wait to be done with hormonal therapy: treatment for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, which grows because of the hormones estrogen or progesterone. He makes me feel it's in my head. Results indicate that almost a third (29%) of the women believe physicians prescribe too many medicines, and more than a third (35% . Other hormone therapies may not prevent or change a woman's risk of getting osteoporosis. They include Anastrozole (Arimidex), Letrozole (Femara), and Exemestane (Aromasin). and finally #4 Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen and blood clots. But the one that is most important for people taking tamoxifen is CYP2D6. All typical side effects of body aches were the same as being on Tamoxifen. Not only did my use effects come back, but I had a whole new set of them on top of it. 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