can anyone help me please , i am only on day 8 of tamoxifen and as of yesterday feel like i have the worst pmt ever, i cant stop crying and snapping the heads off those around me ,nausea too but got some anti sickness off gp which seem to be kicking it, why do i feel like this ? will it last 5 years cus i`m not coping with it very well , no energy to do anything , i was peri mmenopause and still having the odd period about twice a year , (48) ,can anyone advise please, i feel like i am going mad !
hi trish
when i stsrted the tamoxifen I felt really naseated and dizzy-it was really awful .3 months down the line I am a lot better and whilat still having low moods [breast cancer generally makes you feel like that anyway I think]
speak again to BCN as mine advised a tamoxifen holiday of two weeks and said it wouldnt harm me-did that and it did help
best wishes
Dianex
Hi Trish,
I started tamoxifen in February and apart from the first week or two when I had a few ādizzyā spells (although that might just be me being NORMAL!)and the regular hot sweats during the night times Iāve been fine.
I havenāt had a period since I started Chemo in July 2010 and that didnāt change once treatment was over. I am also 48.
I take Cod Liver Oil capsule daily to ward off the aching bones and have been as active as before BC, infact in recent weeks Iāve probably been more active than I could ever have imagined! (another thread another time).
Iām sure things will settle down for you. It certainly wonāt continue for the five years. Perhaps you could have a chat with your GP? It could be something as simple as maybe changing the brand of Tamoxifen as I know of about three different ones and have read some women are better on one make rarther than another.
Karen
thank you for your replies ladies , i spoke to my bcn yesterday and explained how i was feeling , she has advised me to get blood tests done ( booked for tomorrow ) to see what my hormone levels are . it may be that i can change the tamoxifen , im not holding out much hope as i was still having couple periods a year , but the good news is today i feel soooooooo much better , my mood has definitly lifted and the tears and snapping have stopped , the nurse said first 3 weeks are the hardest so im almost half way there and look forward to feeling a little like my old self again xxxxx
Hi Ladies,
I am due to start Tamoxifen after surgery in Sept and have been dreading it after reading everyones complaints about the SE, I have gone into early menopause from the chemo, so after quite a lot of research found someone mentioned this magnet thing you can buy from Boots for about 20 pounds, which sounds like quite a lot but it really really worked for getting rid of the hot flushes and I would recommend it to anyone else who is getting the unbearable hot flushes, the magnet sits just on the top of your pants and is called āLadycareā packaged in purple case, as with the SE this magnet might not work for everyone but it worked for me and 20 pounds is not a lot of money in the whole scheme of things especially if it works.
Sarahlousie xxx
Hi sarahlouise,
am not sure where but i have heard that some Oncs say no to these, am not sure why or if thats correct so check 1st also just wanted to say that i am on Tamoxifen & so far so good no seās at all so some people are ok on them, am guessing its a bit like chemo in so far as no way of knowing who will suffer & who wont until you are on it.
Hoping you are lucky with seās too.
Sarah.xxx
Hi All,
There was a discussion on the forums last August about the ladycare magnet. The BCC Nursing Team posted the following information at that time:
We just thought it might be helpful to chip into the discussion here. The 2009 guidelines issued by NICE (National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence) do not recommend the use of magnets to help with menopausal symptoms after breast cancer. This is not because of evidence that shows that they are dangerous- only that there isnāt any reliable evidence to say they are effective. If youād like to have a look at the guidance, I include a link to this below. The reference to the magnetic devices is on page 16.:
nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG80QuickRefGuide.pdf
If youād like to read Breast Cancer Careās booklet about things that can be tried to help with menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, I also include a direct link to this below:
breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/ ā¦ _BCC18.pdf
We also run information sessions about menopausal symptoms that are held at various locations throughout the UK so I include a final link to the section of our website where these are discussed:
breastcancercare.org.uk/server.php? ā¦ 1c1cec069a
If you would like to discuss any of this further you are welcome to phone our helpline and speak with one of our nurses or trained helpliners - the freephone number is 0808 800 6000 Monday - Friday 9am-5pm Saturday 9am -2pm.
Kind regards
Nursing Team
I hope this is helpful
Best wishes
Janet
BCC Facilitator
Hi BCC and 021210,
Thanks for your comments and thankyou BCC for the links very interesting but like you said its not that the magnet is dangerous. My BCN had not even heard about the magnet so I informed her and she was going to look into it, I will check with my Onc about the magnet but it works for me so I am not gonna stop it unless it is life threatening and lets face it Iāve been through chemo and a vast array of drugs since I got BC so cant really see what harm a small magnet will do to my body.
Sarahlousiexxx
My Onc reiterated what Janet said above, i.e. thereās no evidence either way as to whether itās harmful or not.