so depressed!!

Hi Im 45 and been taking Tamoxifen for 4 years. I am convinced that different brands of the drug give different side effects although my oncologist disagreed and said it was all the same.

Certain brands made me feel very depressed and I have tried just about every brand. The one that seems to give the least side effects is Soltomox solution which is Tamoxifen in the liquid form. I think it is quite expensive but if you ask for that brand it is available on prescription. The other brand which is in tablet form and I found I had less side effectsf is Nolvadex D which is the original brand of Tamoxifen. My personal view it is the base that they put the drug in rather than the drug itself which gave me the side effects just wish it hadnt taken me so long to realise.

Hope this helps

Kind regards

Hi Sidney1

I am very interested in your comments about Tamoxifen. Can you tell me which brands caused you side effects and what sort of side effects you got. I have to change brands as mine has been discontinued and, like you I have had massively different reactions to different brands. Which brand has been the best for you? By the way, my oncologist recognises this can happen although she doesn’t know why.

unfortunately they have stopped making nolvadex d it was my choice it made me have less side effects, does anyone know of any others i’m on ATs but it makes me feel rubbish

Hi , I´m not on tamoxifen , I´m on letrozole ( femara ) Like Olisnana I´ve got to the stage where I just have to do something more about the hot flushes / night sweats , and general drenching sweats all the time .My onc does´nt dseem to think it´s a probelm , but then he would´nt , he´s not the one going through it !
I want to try to get my life as "back to normal " as I can . I know BC is going to be in it for the next 5 years but I just cannot tolerate this level of SE´s .
I can cope with the diarhoea , which is chronic and has been since day three of letrozole , the cramps in hands , feet and legs , the stiff muscles and ankles , even the urge to wee every time I flush , but the diabolical sweating , as you have said Olisnana , every hour . So debilitating .
I have been advised to try gabapentin ( neurontin ) Now I´m trying to get hold of my onc to see if he thinks that will help .
So sorry for all you younger women who are trying to hold down a job and cope with this at the same time . It´s no wonder that depression kicks in .
I think it comes from being women in control of their lives and destiny´s , and suddenly thats taken away from you . I find that quite unnerving , and yes , I´ve sat down and sobbed , and my moods are up and down . Sometimes I feel like a not very nice person .
I´m going to look up the various drugs that you´ve all mentioned here .
luvKris

I am also on Femera, but also on antidepressants. When I consulted my onc about going on happy pills he was all for it and said that he believed that they under medicate, so he understands how debilitating SE s can be.There are no prizes for doing things the hard way, and if it will help to get things under control why not. My situation is slightly different perhaps, I was diagnosed with bone mets at the same time as primary dx this May.

Hi,
Just to join in here, I have been on Tamoxifen for about a month and almost 2 weeks ago was started on Venlafaxine (37.5mg) daily as felt so low. So far I have been fine on it, feel a bit nauseous after I take it if not with food but otherwise fine and lots better in myself. See my gp again for review this week and assume she will up the dose to 75mg…am hoping that will have an effect on the hot flushes as the lower dose hasn’t so far…fingers crossed
Love to you all xx