Tamoxifen

Hi Ady

This is Eliisa from BCNA's Policy Team. Thanks for sharing your post about your concerns with hormone therapy. It’s normal to have fears about taking a drug for a long period of time, especially when reading about the potential side-effects.

Clinical trials have shown that women who took a hormone therapy for five years were far less likely to have a breast cancer recurrence than women who did not. Even after five years had passed, and the women were no longer taking any hormone therapies, the women who took a hormone therapy were still much less likely to have a recurrence. This means that the beneficial effects of hormone therapy are ongoing and will last well beyond the five years you take them.

We are aware there are a number of side-effects possible with hormone therapies such as Armidex, and everyone will experience these differently. As many women on this thread have already commented, most symptoms and side-effects will ease over time. Some women may not experience any at all. If you are concerned about side-effects, speak with your doctor as there are ways to manage many side effects.

You may also be interested in BCNA’s Resource Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer, which can help you understand how hormone therapies such as Tamoxifen and Arimidex work and why they are beneficial to you and what to expect.

There are currently no effective ‘alternative’ treatments that reduce breast cancer recurrence. There are, however, additional ways women can help in reducing their risk of breast cancer returning, such as not smoking, watching alcohol intake, exercising regularly, eating healthy and maintaining regular appointments with your oncology team. There are also some complementary therapies which have been shown to reduce the impact of some of the common symptoms of hormone therapies.

It’s important that you feel okay with taking any medication. Before considering any therapeutic product, consult with a member of your medical team.

Hope this helps

Eliisa x