So I have been taking the dreaded Tamoxifen for the last 3 weeks and so far no major SEs other than a few more hot flushes . What I wanted to know from you other ER+ ladies is whether you have given up or limited the amount of alcohol you drink. I used to enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner or occasional evenings out but now Im not sure if I should drink at all whilst on Tamoxifen …? I forgot to ask my onc - has anyone else been given advice on this issue? I will be sad to think I can never drink again but everything I read on the subject of ER+ cancer and alcohol suggests it is a risky thing to do.
I was a fairly light drinker before diagnosis (although I did have a 12-18mth period of binge drinking about a decade ago following a relationship breakup). I am now completely teetotal. Feel much better for it and don’t really miss it.
Hi Emylou
Ive been on Tamoxifen for 14 months now. (also on Clonidine to counteract the hot flushes!). I still have wine, although not as much as usual recently, as Ive joined Weightwatchers!
From what Ive read, I think alcohol is a predisposing factor to most cancers, including all types of breast cancer. But at the end of the day, life is for living. Im sure “everything in moderation” is the key!
Cheers!!!
Mandy x
I commented to my breast surgeon that I would still like to have a glass of wine and she said “of course, you must, we give you all this treatment so hopefully you can live a normal life again, so go and live it”. I didn’t drink while on chemo because it just felt wrong. I started Tamoxifen 4 days ago and I am planning to not drink for at least the first couple of weeks while my body gets used to it. Before being diagnosed I used to drink a large glass of wine most nights and more at weekends. Now it will be much less frequent and in moderation. I was trawling the Internet the other day trying to find out if I can drink nettle tea while on Tamoxifen (see my thread Tamoxifen, Nettle tea and hyperactivity) and was reading a lot of herbalist and medical articles on good foods to eat to help get rid of breast cancer. There is one view that red wine in moderation is beneficial due to the red grape skins. I have stomach ache at the moment because I got carried away with my research and had ten different fruit and veg today!!! I have very good intentions but don’t know how long I will last before the wine, chocolate and coffee start to creep back in to my diet. And remember the saying “a little bit of what you fancy does you good”. Where’s the biscuit tin?
Thanks for your replies ladies. I think we all have to do what we feel comfortable with in terms of how we our adjust our lifestyle following our bc. For myself I will probably carry on having a couple of glasses of wine a week without feeling too guilty about it as its something i enjoy and i wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment that life is for living!! Despite having a pretty healthy diet before diagnosis I’m certainly much more mindful about what I eat and drink now. I also take a vitD3 supplement and a low dose aspirin after doing some research into it. Hopefully as time passes we will all feel a bit more relaxed about things, x
Part of the issue with Tamoxifen and alcohol, is that the latter does tend to make the hot flushes worse. I’ve certainly found this, and, as I don’t drink very much anyway, I’ve found it easier to more-or-less stop drinking (can’t say the same for tea and coffee, however - also blamed for increasing flushing!!) I have an occassional half-pint or glass of wine (NOT a half-pint glass OF wine you understand! :)) when I think, “S*d it! It’s worth it!” because I didn’t go through all that cr***y treatment to spend what’s left of my life being miserable. Everything, (within law and reason!), in MODERATION seems to be a good motto! (So just the one slice of cake today! :))
Please remember, when you are “googling” for dietry advice that anyone can post on the internet - and a lot of the ‘nutritional’ advice about cancer has no reputable scientific research behind it whatsoever, and is therefore completely unreliable and some of it possibly even harmful to your health! We all need a balanced diet.
I was never advised to give up alcohol, but unfortunately am one of those who’ve found a glass of wine (red especially) really makes the flushes a lot worse, so only have one very occasionally now. Have been on Tamoxifen for 14 months now, luckily haven’t been too bad with the other SEs some people get like joint pain or weight gain (I’d done that already with my chocolate habit!) Would agree with what others have said about everything in moderation, though am more motivated now to keep an eye on my diet and shift some more weight, the links between excess lbs and oestrogen production seem pretty strong. Emylou - I also take the aspirin and vit E, hope all goes well for you. Jude