Just recovering from surgery, now have to face radiotherapy in a months time. Have been given tamoxofen yesterday. Not sure about its side effects, as i already suffer with depression. Any ideas…
Hello sallyh45
Welcome to the forums.
Whilst waiting for replies maybe you would like to talk things through with a member of our helpline staff who are there to offer emotional support as well as practical information. The free phone number is 0808 800 600 and the lines are open Monday to Friday 9.00 to 5.00 and Saturday 10.00 to 2.00.
best wishes
June, moderator
Hi Sallyh45
Sorry you have to join us, but this is a great place for advice and support.
If you haven’t done so already, if you try the ‘going through treatment’ and then ‘hormone therapy’ link you will find lots of threads about tamoxifen - though mostly they are from people who are having some sort of side effects.
Lots and lots of women will take Tamoxifen with no bother at all, many will have some short term side effects (usually hot flushes and/or aches and pains) and a few will get long term , severe or multiple side effects. All of these can be managed, sometimes simply by trying a different brand of the drug (there are three main brands in the UK, the active bit is the same but the recipes for the binding vary a bit) or by taking other medications in low doses.
Make sure that you GP checks any interactions with Tamoxifen and anti-depressants as there are one or two you shouldn’t take … having said that some are prescribed at low doses for flushes, so there are plenty if you happen to need one.
The best I can suggest is to try to keep an open mind, take the Tamoxifen and see how you go. If you feel unwell in any way, speak to your BCN or GP who will be able to help you.
best wishes for your radiotherapy, hope it goes smoothly for you (no reason why not).
Thank you so much for your kind words and advise. Its a difficult time for anyone to go through this.
Thank you June, i’ll have a look on the other threads.