Asprin

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Hi ladies

just a quick one can you take asprin when you are on Tamox ???

i have read that if you take 2 Asprins aweek it reduces the risk of reoccurance ??? Any feed back would be great

sal

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Yes you can take asprin with tamox. However asprin does not suit everyone (people with asthma or stomach probs) so always check with gp or onc first. The asprin these studies refer to are 75mg low dose ones. My onc advised me to take one every other day to prevent blood clots from tamox and also because it is an anti cancer drug. Discuss with your onc is your best bet.

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Just be careful, because on the Tamoxifen leaflet it says that anti-coagulants may interfere with it. Also, the recent study published regarding aspirin and reduced risk of bc recurrence is a bit iffy; wasn’t a randomised controlled trial, just a prospective questionnaire, so definitely speak to your doctor before taking it.

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I have made an appointment to see my GP next week and I have sent the link to the report to him, so that he can read it beforehand, in case he hasn’t actually seen it. I know I won’t be the only patient who wants to discuss it with him.

I am on Letrozole and not Tamoxifen. The leaflet doesn’t state any problems with other drugs.

Carol - I do find it odd that you say the Tamoxifen leaflet warns against anti-coagulants, when doctors are prescribing them to avoid blood clots due to taking Tamoxifen.

Ann x

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Hi ladies very interesting I have just started on arimidex and I asked my doc about asprin as it was on this forum recently he said to ask my onc! oh well I am seeing him again this week to have yet another drain so will let you know.love Linda xxx

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I think the tamox leaflet refers to anti coagulants in high strength such as warfarin. Dont think a 75mg 3 times a week is a high enough dose to affect the tamox.

Is a bit like if you are er+ you shouldnt have soya, but its in the Adcal they prescribe , but again its a small dose so its ok.

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My Mum was prescribed Warfarin whilst on Tamoxifen, as she had previously had DVT. Due to her age(76) and the fact that the bc had already spread to her bones before diagnosis, they did not remove the tumour, but ‘managed’ it. Did the Warfarin interfere with the Tamoxifen? I am not sure. It worked for a couple of years and then she was changed to Arimidex, which again worked for a while. If she hadn’t been on Warfarin, maybe she would have had a blood clot. Swings and roundabouts.

As Lolly says, the aspirin will be low dose. I am going to see my GP this week to discuss aspirin with him. Maybe he should ask my oncologist, as I don’t have another appointment with her until October. I had one on the day the report came out but didn’t see it until I got home. Shame.

Ann x

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I asked my surgeon and my onc about this week. They both said a low dose (75mg) would not cause any harm, but I will be having AC & Taxol chemo, so it might be different for other chemo regimes.

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Hi Ann, just adding a comment as like your Mum I too was diagnosed with both bc and bone mets, 7 years ago, when my hip spontaneously fractured. I was 44. Whilst waiting a few days for my hip replacement I too developed a blood clot, to the lung and had 6 months of Warfarin alongside my first treatment, Tamoxifen.
Tamoxifen worked well for me. It sounds as though, at that time, it was effective for your Mum too as compared to other’s experience with this drug who are also stage 4 I thought I’d had a good run with it having no detectable active cancer for 18 months. Many of us diagnosed stage 4 from the very beginning still have our primary tumours. I then went onto Arimidex which worked for nearly 3 years.
Belinda…x

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Thanks ladies for your points and views… i will have a chat with my onc about it as we are all different.

sal x

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Belinda - At the time, we were happy that the Tamoxifen was working for my Mum and it never entered our heads that Warfarin would stop it working. I personally don’t think it did. It stopped her tumour growing and maybe shrank it a bit.

I only made the comment because Carol was saying that the Tamoxifen leaflet warns against anti-coagulants and that many doctors are prescribing them because Tamoxifen may cause blood clots. Catch 22!

Ann x

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Hi Ann, after coming off Warfarin I must admit I had the occasional night time cramps whilst on Tamoxifen and would sometimes worry about another DVT. I’d had no symptoms at all when a routine scan on diagnosis picked up the clot to the lung.
Catch 22 sums it up nicely!..x