Forum Discussion
Hi Everyone
This is Kara from BCNA's Policy Team. I've had a look at this and found one recent study that looked at whether magnesium decreased the frequency and severity of hot flushes. 41% of the women reported a reduction in their frequency, and 76% reported a reduction in their severity. So, like a lot of things, it seems to help some people but not others.
It is always a good idea to check whether any complementary medicines you are taking or thinking about taking are safe to have with your breast cancer treatments. We know that some, St John's Wort for example, can reduce the effectiveness of tamoxifen (and some chemotherapy drugs). You can talk to your doctor about this. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in the US has a terrific website that provides evidence-based information about the safety of herbs and other products with cancer medicines. It does not show any contraindiction for taking magnesium with tamoxifen, meaning it is safe to take magnesium with tamoxifen.
Hope this helps.
Kara