How long before side-effects kick in?

Good evening all!

 

I know this is probably a ‘how long is a piece of string’ type question but was just interested if it was days or weeks before people noticed anything.  I started tamoxifen on Thursday last week and get the sneaking suspicion that my joint pains have increased - I have scleroderma so it may just be that flaring up - time will tell I am sure.

 

I hear a lot about the weight gain issues and wondered when you noticed it - weeks or days?  Mind you I have just eaten the remains of a tub of ice cream - I had to make room in my freezer for the portions of lasagne I cooked today.  :catwink: xx

Hello all
I don’t take tamoxifen at the moment but letrozole …I took tamoxifen for 2 years and can’t remember having many side effects apart from hot flushes .
The thing to remember is that thousands of women take it without any problem …it’s only when there is something that it gets posted here !!
So try the mind over matter attitude and you might just be surprised how well you tolerate that tiny pill you take daily !!!
Xx

Hi Ali

When the SEs start seems to vary from person to person, and some people don’t get any at all. I’ve been on Anastrozole since February and all good so far. Also weight gain is not inevitable if you eat sensibly, though I have noticed that if I fall off the healthy eating waggon I can put 2lb on overnight, so it is a case of watching the calories from  the word go and maybe eating  a little less than you would have done before the hormones. I’ve actually lost weight over the past 6 months of the tablet, by eating more healthily - haven’t eliminated the pizza and chips and the wine, (and ice cream!) but they are certainly more of a rarity, and veggies and fruit feature daily. If you are able to do exercise like walking regularly that should also help to avoid or reduce SEs with the joints. Good luck - you might be one of those that doesn’t get any problem at all. xxx

Hi Ali

I suspect you’ll get lots of different answers,  and lots of different side effects. The only side effect I’ve had on tamoxifen has been emotional swings, which kicked in within a few days. But I’ve been taking it almost a year now, and have mostly been completely fine. And the emotional swings may have been due to all the various stresses like having radiotherapy and so on.

One thing I will say. On here, it’s common to hear loads of women talking about side effects. But I know several women in real life who’ve been taking tamoxifen for years without any side effects. I guess maybe people who don’t have problems and are happily getting on with their lives are less likely to be posting on these boards. So don’t assume you’ll have problems, lots of women don’t. 

Anyway, I hope you get on okay with the tamoxifen, good luck with it!

AliMcK

 

I love your reasoning for eating the ice cream :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

 

I have been taking tamoxifen for 10 months now, I started having a lovely hot flush about an hour after I took it almost immediately, I know in the early weeks I did become rather sensitive and could have cried even if someone said something nice to me, but on the whole I feel ok on it.  I have occasional night cramps and some slight joint pains, but to be honest nothing that I can not cope with, so far I have only put a couple of kilo back on from when I was first diagnosed almost a year ago.   i have been very lucky though

 

Helena xx

Hi Ali,
Weight gain is not inevitable, neither are all or any side effects. Just see how you go.
I’ve even in it for over a year now with nothing significant & as I have made a concious effort to increase my activity levels, I now feel fitter than I was before diagnosis.
Wishing you well with it all.
ann x

Ali, just realised I have repeated myself to you, from the other thread! x