Hi everyone,has anyone else had this problem,when I first started tamoxifen felt fine,for first few months,now seven months later going crazy,any little thing can trigger anxiety.After a few days I feel what on earth was I worried about ,then it happens again.House was broken into recently and any time I have to deal with it anxiety comes up again
Dear Laura
About 18 months after my op and from starting Tamoxifen, I had a big panic attack. Had never had one before and found it very frightening. My GP told me what it was when I described it to him a few hours later. It had seemed to be brewing for several days before it happened…I had been feeling uneasy and edgy for no good reason. He said it could be a combination of fluctuating hormones and Tamoxifen, but thought it was also likely a reaction to going through the whole cancer thing. Actually talking to him helped a lot. He prescribed low dose beta blockers which I take if feel anxious. I took them when I was first diagnosed for a short time, and found they did help enormously…nothing changed, but I felt calmer and better able to cope and get on.
By the way, being broken into would cause most people a great deal of anxiety, so don’t think it is just you over reacting.
thanks timetraveller,
still feeling on edge and unpredictable but it helps to know there are ways to deal with these feelings and hopefully it will get better over time
Hi,
Look at my profile for some extra info about me - it’s easier than me typing !!! It’s all linked in with both the menopause and the tamoxifen and hormones - sorry !
I was on tamoxifen for 7 months, ended up at the consultants in tears and was changed to arimidex and zoladex (short version !). I was an emotional wreck on tamoxifen with amongst other things hot flushes day & night. Just before I got the hot flush, I got anxiety/panic attacks where I felt as though I just wanted to escape and run away from everything and everybody - all very distressing. I’m slightly better on the new stuff but still get them. I’ve been told by the nurses and consultants that this is one of the side effects and can depend on how individuals react to the hormone therapy and I obviously react strongly (have found out since that I was 100% oestrogen & progesterone positive so that may have something to do with it). Not sure there’s a lot they can do but I found that knowing others suffered the same thing helped - at least I wasn’t going mad !
I started a post ‘Zoladex - emotional wreck some days’ - have a look on there cos it’s got a summary of my feelings and they are the same as when I was on tamoxifen. On the old site, there was a thread to do with stopping tamoxifen because of these feelings, started by kayty but no idea how to find it again.
Hope it helps knowing you’re not alone !
Liz
thanks lizcat,
I also got sudden anxiety before every hot flush ,in fact it was the anxiety that I noticed before I knew what the hot flushes were.I think my OH thinks I’m going crazy and sometimes I think so too.I asked my GP if the symptoms will lessen over time and he just said "you’ll learn to deal with it "which I didn’t find very reassuring.will read the other thread,it helps to find out that others have been through the same thing.
Can any one help me i am some sort of wreck i cry all the time haveing panic attacks so sure i carnt breath , sweelinginlegs very painfulfeel no sense of worth keep wanting to die , my consultanat took me of arimdex foe a couple of weeks but same side effects as arimidex, would love to come of them but have been told cancer will groww again dont know what to do i have no life , i feel so sorry for my husband he bears the brunt of it all the time.
Also i find my self saying some terrible things out load and feel so scared in case it happens outside my swearing is out of hand as well i think i am going mad , i need some one to help me so if any one out there feels as bad please let me know , also i had very bad arthritis to start with and carpel tunnel so i was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea . marie x
Hi english
It sounds like you’re having a really tought time at the moment. May I suggest you give the BCC helpline a call on 0808 800 6000. Here you can share your feelings and concerns with one of our trained members of staff who will offer you a ‘listening ear’ as well as support and information. The lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. This service is there to support you so please do call if you think it will help.
Kind regards
Sam (BCC Facilitator)
Hi,
I realise that some of these posts were written some time ago. I too have been getting Anxiety symptoms and have been taking Tamoxifen for over 5 weeks now. Being someone who has suffered with General Anxiety Disorder in the past (birth of both my children), I recognised the symptoms immediately and put into practise previous CBT training. This includes using a relaxation download on y phone, learning to ground myself and working out exactly what is panicking me and challenging it. Counseling can also really help as can talking to other people. Personally, I find going back to work and focusing my mind on other things helpful.
I think it is important to keep an open mind about the Tamoxifen as it is not clear whether the drug alone can cause Anxiety. Many women experience mental health problems such as anxiety and depression during menopause so if tamoxifen has triggered the menopause then those of us who would feel anxious through menopause are going to suffer these symptoms anyway at some point in our lives. Also, for most of us, starting tamoxifen coincides with when we have been signed off from chemo and oncology. As such, we may be feeling lost and, as said by one nurse at The Haven in Leeds, abandoned. Add to this the fact that we may have been very strong and stoic throughout the whole ordeal of having cancer in order to get through all the surgery, worry and treatment; when it’s all over we may suddenly collapse in an emotionally and physically exhausted heap!
With all this in mind, I think it is a good idea to keep an open mind about whether the drug itself is causing the problem. Because once we think that, then we have a difficult decision to make: do we come off the drug that could be saving our lives? It could be that we would suffer mental health problems with menopause anyway. I know that my mother and grandmother suffered panic attacks during menopause but they got through it even without the professional helpand support you can get now. We can get support with Anxiety symptoms and, being someone who has suffered with it on a few occasions, I know it works. So, why not give it more time, tackle the symptoms or do a week’s trial without Tamoxifen to see how you feel without afffecting the oestrogen levels in your body (according to my doctor that would be fine). That way you could get a clearer picture of what is going on with your body and how you can cope with it. In my experience, the anxiety always goes away but you have to face it head on - as one author writing about anxiety and depression says - feel the fear and do it anyway!
hi spam, just wanted to say i agree with everything you said. i have suffered from panic attacks from the age of 15 ( i am now 50)i personly have found my attacks have become less since my diagnosis, i take tamoxifen and it is the hot flushes that can bring on my anxiety. i work in an office and had to have a doctors letter so i could have a fan on my desk! I think over time we all have our coping strategies that help us along the way, i also take a beta blocker which i find helpful x
Thanks Spam, you helped me there . I’ve had GAD for some time , it’s a major pain in the …start Tamoxifen next week. I’ve read Estrogen has been implicated in panic attacks so I’m half hoping the tamoxifen will help…?
I use St john’s Wort right now - it realy helps to keep away the darker side of GAD , but I still panic daily.
( I manage with breathing excersices particularily ,and all the other healthy living stuff.)But you can’t take it with Tamoxifen … oh dear…Cancer is like the School Bully …
Your advice is key -life events pile up,we can all only take so much,insist your GP gets you CBT with a proper Psychologist (Cognitive Behavoral Therapy) .Look on-line .There’s loads of great support and help . (Don’t buy stuff from the Anxiety Vultures!!!)- Anxiety is best managed with CBT,information , giving your-self TIME to adjust, what ever the cause .