tamoxifen aches and pains

Hi ladies

I have been on tamoxifen for 18 months but just recently have been getting lots of aches and pains, knees, wrists and today my fingers have been painful, also have aches and twinges and tingling under breast and round surgery scars. I am taking a strong dose of evening primrose oil which helped with the breast pain but then forgot to take it for a while and aches and pains started again in breast. Have read on site that quite alot of ladies have joint pain but do you have it around the breast too Had clear mammogram a month ago so know everythings ok re cancer. but when he asked how the breast pain was I told him it was fine which it was then. but its always the way after your check ups you start to get a problem. Any ladies experienced this,

look forward to hearing from you

sarah41

I have been on Tamoxifen for nearly 4 months now since my mastectomy and found that I have gone through nausea, fluid retention and now joint ache. My ankles really ache and I like to walk a lot but find that I can only do it every other day now as my ankles stiffen up.
I have found that you need to keep moving and not sit still too much.

I also have pain around my scar area and it is usually when I have carried something like a bucket of water or heavy shopping. I have to rest the arm the next day.

Have a look at the times when it happens and see if there is anything you can do differently. Check it out with the GP who may be able to give you something like an anti inflammatory to keep you moving. There are natural remedies and fruit and veg and perhaps the GP could get you going until you work out your own remedy.

Good luck - I think its just that we have to find a way around it to move forward. xxx

Hi Sarah

Can i ask if you get aches and pains in joints just when moving around?

Ive been on tamox 18 months and sometimes get hip pain, but its usually when sitting still.

p.s. think breast/scar pain is normal if you had rads.

hi everyone It was a relief to hear others have the same symptoms as myself. You think it’s only you going through these things.
I too get aching knee and ankle joints which are worse first thing in the morning when I get out of bed and when I have sat for a while.
I also get pain in my remaining breast which I can only describe as a pins and needles sensation to an almost burning feeling. I have had a mammogram a couple of months ago which came back clear ,a big relief. So it must be one of the side effects of tamoxifen. I am going for more check ups in October ,and I think I will have to ask more questions just to settle my mind.

hi lolly

They are just come and go but are quite frequent this week hence coming on here. fingers seem to be more painful when on computer, i do feel quite stiff when I have been sitting for a while

I have only been on tamoxifen for a month but already got a lot of aches and pains. I am absolutely paranoid that this is mets ! I have it mainly in hips and legs. Sitting down too long makes it bad but also stood up too long and walking too much. I have taken painkillers but no good. I cannot tolerate ibuprofen, volterol etc as affects my stomach. It is really getting me down. I am speaking to my GP later today about it just to put my mind at rest.

sarah - is your breast pain in the “good” or op boob/area? I’ve been on tamoxifen for 9 wks now and have lately noticed more tenderness/general lumpiness like when I was due a period but not as severe as that and wondered if anyone else had it??? mary x

the aches and pains are more frequent in my “bad” breast- well under the breast and round the side but do get twinges in good breast. I went to the Drs yesterday and saw a locum who had to look everything up in a book. said that aches and pains are not a side effect of tamoxifen- I beg to differ after reading all the comments on here. Im having a blood test on Friday to rule out arthritis - great - came away quite disheartened, so phoned the breastcare nurse who said the symptons are normal and suggested I have a bra fitting as my bra does leave a mark under breasts and could be wearing the wrong size and after rads could still be tender. she also suggested taking ibruprophen for a couple of weeks, so we will see how it goes- as I said I only had a mammogram a month ago that was fine and am at a low risk of secondaries as no lymph node involvement and grade 2 small lump. I think I seem to notice every pain I get espically around the breasts as that was how I found my lump originally.