Hi I am just about to start and take tamoxifen,before I go and get my tablets I want to know about all the different brands some are good and some not so good. I would like to hear from people who are taking a certain brand and are having no side effects? is it possible for the chemist to get the brand which you would like to try. I have been researching tamoxifen on the net and it really does seem that finding the brand which suits you can make all the difference.
Suziex
Hi Suzie,
I think there are three main brands… UK Generics, Wockhardt and APS; as well as this it can be obtained in liquid form, which some people have as they are allergic to ingredients in the tablets.
In terms of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ they are all equally ‘good’ medically. The difference is what binding agents they use, and this can vary. Whichever brand you get will be medically ‘sound’ so don’t worry about that side of things.
Side effects wise, it is very individual, some people have none, others have loads. Some people find one brand suits them better, others find another. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing until you try them which side effects, if any, you will get.
Some people do have a specific brand each time, and I think your GP can specify this on your prescription.
I can only suggest you start taking it and see how you get on. If you have serious side effects then speak to your GP or your BCN. Most people find that side effects settle down fairly quickly and/or they get used to them.
Hope it goes well for you and your find the information you need to reassure you.
Whilst I get quite a lot of side effects, I’d far rather have them than risk the cancer returning… it’s one of those balancing acts where different people make different calls.
Hi Suzie
I’ve been on 20mg of the APS brand since 30th November. For the first 4 weeks or so, I noticed very few side effects. Some joint stiffness (but this could have been down to the TAX which I had just finished). I have hot flushes, probably around 10 during the day and 5 or 6 at night. This may sound like a lot but it’s about what I was having before I started HRT. I have metastatic BC and am hoping that I can get a bit of a run on hormones before I go back onto chemo.
As RevCat says, I think you just have to try one and see.
Laurie x
How many days or weeks will it take if I am going to notice any side affects?
Suzie
Hi Suzie,
I’m not sure there’s a straight forward answer to that one. For me, the hot flushes (which I’d had during chemo) just continued and got more intense, though soon settled into a pattern. The joint stiffness did not begin for several months, and I first noticed it after I injured one thumb/wrist through over use. We are all different, and there are no definitive answers I’m afraid. I do know a lot of people find their se’s settle and even disappear within a few months.
Suzie, taking any form of medication is an individual thing. Some people can take paracetamol with no problems and others have rahes etc. All medication gives an enormous list of side effects that " could" occur. These drugs are only produced after lots of rigorous medical trials. The Benifits very much outweigh the side effects for the large majority of people. Tamoxifen or nolvadex is now generic and the brands that are produced have the same active ingredient . It is just the binding agents that may differ slightly. It might surprise you to find you have very few problems but if they really don’t suit you other drugs may be suggested.
I hope you will be symptom free. Some people have a few headaches and a bit of nausea at first but this soon wears off. Hot flushes are perhaps more frequent…When I take my Femara and feel stiff or have a flush I just think it is doing what it should. Removing oestrogen from my body or in the case of Tamoxifen blocking the oestrogen receptors and STARVING any stray cancer cells.
Cackles
Hi Suzie
I started on Tamoxifen last August and although I had quite bad hot flushes for the first couple of months they are now much better, most nights they dont wake me any more, they are less frequent and much less severe. I do get aches in my joints and my legs get stiff - the docs say this is because I need to loose weight and nothing to do with Tamoxifen but I weighed the same before they started and did not have the aches then.
I also get quite pre-menstrual now but I dont know how much of this is to do with the tamoxifen as I came straight off the pill pretty much and only a couple of weeks break. It may just be this is how it is for me, I was living in hope that my periods would stop as the pill I was on also did this but unfortunately this isnt the case, my oncologist said I was at the age where they could have stopped or not. 
Overall my experience is the side effects have got much more manageable over only a few months.
Anne
Thank you all for your comments I will keep in touch and let you know as time goes on.
Suziex