Forum Discussion
Tamoxifen Witching Hour
I'm wondering if anyone else has anything similar to a witching hour on Tamoxifen, I don't know what else to call it!! I am about four weeks into my daily tablets, I started taking a half as directed by my oncologist and have been on the full one table a day for just over a week now. What I have noticed is around 6.30pm my mood drops, I get agitated, no patience, feeling like I want to run, can't be bothered anymore....all the things. There's nothing essentially happening in life (other than dealing with bc) that would be making me feel this way I have just noticed the last few days I appear to get this super agitation at this time of night.
This ride really doesn't come with any instructions or a manual does it :(
This ride really doesn't come with any instructions or a manual does it :(
15 Replies
- Worth a try then, I reckon, after clearing it with your Onc ;)
- @arpie I checked my tablets and they are normal while with the line through the middle so halving could be an option.
- So long as you get the 'full tablet' each day - I wouldn't imagine it changes anything much ....
I've never seen a Tamoxifen tablet - does it have a coating or is it like a regular tablet? Does it have a line across it, that indicates it can be cut?
Tablets with coating often mean it dissolves further along the digestion system .... but if it is just a normal white tablet, it should be fine to cut it & take a half in the morning & evening.
Definitely ask your Onc if you can try it ... it may just make it 'easier' to take? Good luck xx - @Christabel03 I’m being careful about food, sleep and exercise because I feel a bit less resilient in general, I can’t imagine tamoxifen helps. I didn’t have an afternoon crash today, maybe if we treat ourselves like toddlers we can avoid the end of day wobbles! @arpie thats an interesting suggestion about the half tablet at a time, I wonder if it would have any impact on how the drug works?
- @arpie not a bad idea at all. I started on taking a half only for a few weeks and had absolutely no side effects at all. It all started once on the full dose.
- @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?
- @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 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
- 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?
- 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!
