Tamoxifen Witching Hour

Hi @Christabel03
Many different and weird side effects are reported  for  tamoxifen ( and the AIS like Letrazole) and mood swings is one of them.
When I started taking Letrazole I read somewhere that it could lead to hot flushes but taking it at night mimimized that so that’s what I did and I didn’t get much in the way of hot flushes - it may be that taking it at a different time of day can help or that things settle down after a while.
But definately talk to your oncologist , it’s important to address side effects to try and keep up these drugs.
Hopefully others on here taking tamoxifen can hop on here and let you know their experiences.
Take care🌺

Hi @Christabel03,  I started tamoxifen in November 2020 and stopped in June 2022 and switched to Letrozole because the side effects really got to me. We are all different and all react differently to these drugs.

My experience started off ok but I did notice the mood thing. It made me just feel flat. I thought I could manage that with exercise but the mood thing eventually got worse.

Far worse than the mood for me was fatigue and breathlessness. I was always a big walker but after 20 months on that drug I found i was struggling to even go up 10 steps. I thought I had a heart issue and got that checked and the all clear so it was just the tamoxifen effects. 

My oncologist is pretty good and suggested I take a 6 week break and I started on Letrozole. Wow my life has improved 100%. No fatigue, no breathlessness and no mood issues. It's fantastic. I have a little hand pain but currently it is manageable. My oncologist is ok for me to switch again if the hand pain increases  which is great. 

Talk to your oncologist and discuss the side effects. If it gets too much see if another med would work for you. 

Best wishes with your treatment.

https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/treatment/hormone-blocking-therapy/

A good explanation from the BCNA website 

What time of day do you take Tamoxifen?   I tried breakfast time, then lunchtime and settled on about half hour before bed

I never experienced low moods, just fatigue, which I think was due to where I had been rather than Tamoxifen alone

Thanks everyone, I appreciate hearing about other experiences. I have been taking the Tamoxifen in the evening after dinner and I did that after reading about others who had started taking it in the morning and then switched. I am only just back to work a couple of days a week and I wasn't sure about trying to navigate anything that might rear its head while also trying to deal with the challenges of being back in the workforce (and a new job too not my old employer sadly). 
Will certainly monitor it moving forward and speak with my oncologist at my next treatment round. Sometimes its hard to know is it a side effect or is it just life at the moment!!

@iserbrown thank you for the link will certainly have a read xx

@Christabel03

Here's another link that's worth reading.  Fatigue was a problem for me 

https://www.bcna.org.au/health-wellbeing/physical-wellbeing/fatigue/

Hi Christabel03 I've been taking tamoxifen for nearly 6 months and had a long list of side effects, dizziness, fatigue, hot flushes, ringing ears, low mood, etc. And the most depressing thing is that I need to take it for at least 2 years as I am perimenopausal! After surgery and 15 sessions of radio this is the hardest, and longest, part of the treatment. I considered having a break for a few weeks, but I preferred to try for a bit longer. Some days are better than others, but the side effects are a daily reminder of what I have been through!

Hi @LatinGaby yep you have summed it up quite nicely, such a shame you have had a lot of side effects as well. I think I am on it for five or more years which I am not looking forward to. I am assuming I am going through chemo induced menopause now as my period disappeared when chemo started and it has never come back and chemo started in November 2021 so I never know if my hot flushes are meno or side effects from the tablets! I do agree some days are certainly better than others, it's so hard to. navigate all these things isn't it?

@Christabel03 I’ve only been on tamoxifen for 2 weeks but on a few days have crashed in the afternoon, feeling irritable and emotional, I wondered too if it was the tamoxifen and if I’d be feeling like that every afternoon like a ratty child! I’ve been taking the tablets before I go to bed. It hasn’t happened every day though and I’ve put it down in part to still being in recovery from all of this 

@JP46 yes!! That is exactly it feeling like a ratty child! I take mine at night as well after googling and reading other peoples stories I seemed to read more things that people said they managed better having them at night.
I think you are right too there is all the recovery of what you go through on top of the tablets as well it would have to be a combination of everything I reckon!

@Christabel03 & JP46 ....  I wonder if taking a half a tablet in the morning & a half at night might work better than the 'full dose' at night?  Could be worth a try?