Forum Discussion
Tamoxifen
I have recently had a lumpectomy followed by 6 weeks radiation therapy. I have been using tamoxifen for a month and have chosen to stop due to the side effects. My onco dx test showed I have less than 10 percent chance of it coming back. My question is: would a bilateral mastectomy further reduce risk of the cancer returning to my breast?
35 Replies
- Thank you all for your assistance and comments. It is very helpful. Narelle asked about my side effects: Waking up at night. Although I would read and go back to sleep it was accumulative. Tired. Irritability. Sometimes nausea and headaches. Much more forgetful. My mood was flat. As a single parent of teenage boys I do not have a lot of assistance. I stopped all alcohol, caffeine drinks and chocolate to try counteract the medication.You may be absolutely fine on it! My oncologist says that there is evidence to show that accupuncture is helpful. Tamoxifen is for pre-menopausal women. I am 51 so should my periods stop soon then I can go onto the aromastase inhibitors. Does anyone have any experience with these?
- First of all my naturopath is a very good friend & I don't think I pay full price, but just to give you an idea consult for me is $120.00 then you have your herbals depending on what you are given, you pay separate & a herbal can cost up to &45.00 & last up to 3 months & taste awful but you get use to it because you know it's helping you.....my naturopath deals with women's health & also does homeopath as well... I hope this helps you out :) Take care... Christine:) xox
Hi Christine, just out of curiosity how much is a naturopath roughly?
- Sorry to hear that your having a bad time with tamoxifen, I am going on tamoxifen soon & my naturopath has been helping me through this journey & said that there are lots of natural tonics & vitamins to go on, to get through some of these side affects if they a cure..perhaps a good naturopath might be a good idea for you..before I had breast cancer my only doctor was my naturopath, now I combine the 2 together to give me a better out come, the other ladies have given some great advice, so talk to your doctor & Good luck with your decision... Take care... Christine:)xox
- Sorry to hear that your having a bad time with tamoxifen, I am going on tamoxifen soon & my naturopath has been helping me through this journey & said that there are lots of natural tonics & vitamins to go on, to get through some of these side affects if they a cure..perhaps a good naturopath might be a good idea for you..before I had breast cancer my only doctor was my naturopath, now I combine the 2 together to give me a better out come, the other ladies have given some great advice, so talk to your doctor & Good luck with your decision... Take care... Christine:)xox
- Sorry to hear that your having a bad time with tamoxifen, I am going on tamoxifen soon & my naturopath has been helping me through this journey & said that there are lots of natural tonics & vitamins to go on, to get through some of these side affects if they a cure..perhaps a good naturopath might be a good idea for you..before I had breast cancer my only doctor was my naturopath, now I combine the 2 together to give me a better out come, the other ladies have given some great advice, so talk to your doctor & Good luck with your decision... Take care... Christine:)xox
It looks like you've managed to create your own post on Tamoxifen and other ladies,like myself,will hop on this thread and have a discussion.You could type in "Tamoxifen"into the search bar on the top right and that might bring up previous posts on this drug.You can just read or add your comments but if they are old posts then you might not get answers.If you scroll down this page to under the pink line,you'll see"resources"on the right hand side and under that "fact sheets and booklets".If you click on that you'll find info on Hormone therapy and Tamoxifen. You can keep replying on this post you have started and no doubt,other ladies will join in. Tamoxifen is always a popular topic.I probably should mention that I had a lumpectomy and radiation back in 2003.I took Tamoxifen for awhile but gave up because of the bad side effects I was experiencing.Then 7 years later I got a recurrence in the same breast,same spot,same pathology.I was told I only had an 8%chance of this happening -lucky me! So I had to have a mastectomy,chemo and then Tamoxifen for 5 years.I've been on it for over 3 years now.Even with a mastectomy there is still a 1%chance cancer could come back on the scarline -that's what my surgeon told me.It maybe different for others. Anyway,I'm not taking any chances and I'm taking Tamoxifen but don't know if I'll do it for 5 years.This drug has been around a long time and seems quite effective with fewer side effects than the other anti hormone drugs.Good luck with your discussions. Tonya xx
Hi Sara,
I have just had my lumpectomy a fortnight ago, and due to have my CT Scan on Thursday. I'm like you with a very slim chance of it returning and I have been told that the risks associated with Chemo outweigh any benefit that I will get from it. Therefore after 6.5 weeks of Radiotherapy I will be starting Tamoxifen with the possibility of going on to Goserelin injections after a couple of months as well. I'm just wondering what the side effects were that made you decide to come off the Tamoxifen.
Narelle
- I was intending to post this on the general discussion page but could only find this blog! Would you tell me how to find the discussion page with other people's comments/queries? X Lisa
- I was intending to post this on the general discussion page but could only find this blog! Would you tell me how to find the discussion page with other people's comments/queries? X Lisa
