Hi, I just wanted to share this glimmer of light to all hormone therapy users. After a fantastic information day hosted by BCC, they offer various tips on what to do.
The simplest and so far most effective is… take your tablet at night - not in the morning, which I’ve done for 2 years as this was the regime I thought would be easiest to remember.
But Holy Ballolly, what a difference it has made to my life and sanity to give this one a try. Taking it at bedtime has so significantly reduced the most horrendous, heart busting, stomach churning, fierce and long lasting flushes. This evening between 5pm and 10pm I had only one or two mild ones, compared to the raging torment I’ve previously suffered.
Its only been 4 days since I changed to the night dose and its improving my quality of life invaluably. So go on and give it a try… it just might help. And we all know every bit of help can make all the difference.
Thanks so much to BCC for hosting that service and making me aware of the little things that can make such a big difference.
Hi Jan,
Up late like me. I was told from the start to take my tamoxifen then and no flushes day or night, although I am on nolvadex and my supply is running out. Really kind of you to alert others and lots of luck. Hope the temperature stays cooler for you
Lily x
Hi Jan
Iv’e tried both morning and night and it didn’t make any difference still had the most horrendous hot flushes lol,they would sometimes come every 20 mins to half an hour.I was told sometimes the flushes calm down with time Iv’e been taking it for 2 years, and now get maybe 3 or 4 through the day,with a few night sweats.I was also told that some foods and drinks causes the flushes to be worse,I find with me its coffee and tea,so I buy decaffeinated. And chocolate,boo. Glad you’v found something that works for you
I tried taking them both at night and in the morning, and had horrendous hot flushes round the clock either way. I now have prescriptions for 10mg tablets (instead of 20mg) and I take one in the morning and one at night. This helps a bit. I also take clonidine, but 2 1/2 years into tamoxifen and the hot flushes have never gone away, only reduced a bit. It frustrates me so much that with all the wonders of modern medicine, they still cannot come up with a remedy for hot flushes that works for everyone, all the time. I find the monster flushes so distressing.
My GP told me to take my Tamoxifen at night or evening with food as this would prevent the nausea and possibly some of the side effects. Luckily I have not had any of the flushes yet but I am wearing the Ladycare magnet as a precaution. (I was a wimp and decided to wear the magnet in the hope I could avoid all the side effects before they started!) Now I’m not sure if the magnet has prevented the flushes or not but to those of you suffering, it might be worth a try. There have been some very good reports about the reduction in the severity and frequency of the flushes. There is a thread about it somewhere.
Hope this helps
Val x
Hi
I have taken tamoxifen at night for the past three months and have had non stop hot flushes. I hate to think what they’d be like if I took it in the morning!
Nothing I have tried, including ladycare magnet, venlafaxine, evening primrose oil, starflower oil, sage tablets, lots of exercise, etc. etc. has made the slightest bit of difference. I am hoping they may just die down of their own accord over the next few months.
I’d just like to add my vote for the Ladycare magnet, which I’ve been using for 8 weeks, it’s reduced my flushes no end.
I still take my Tx in the morning and am wondering why taking it in the evening might change SEs? Surely it’s the same drug being processed by our bodies in the same way? I was having flushes day and night so assumed if I changed to night-time I’d still get them.
Last year my onc said that if I was having problems with daytime flushes it might help to take it at night. As it is, I have more at night anyway so I continue to take it in the morning when I have breakfast.
I started tamoxifen 6 months ago and have always taken it at bedtime. My hot flushes have got worse and worse. I have some in the day but they start really going from about 5pm onwards. I don’t want to take other drugs to counteract side effects, acupuncture hasn’t worked so I may try the ladycare magnet.
Elinda x
I think the ladycare magnet works by changing the way hormones circulate in the body, or something lke that. I can’t remember exactly what I have read (can someone enlighten me?) but whatever it was, I wasn’t convinced it was safe if you are hormone positive.
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 isn’t any reliable evidence to say they are effective. If you’d 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.:
If you’d like to read Breast Cancer Care’s 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:
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:
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.
As the NICE guidelines don’t give the reasons behind the statament about not using magnets etc, can you tell me where your statement “This is not because of evidence that shows that they are dangerous- only that there isn’t any reliable evidence to say they are effective” originates?
My Onc seems to say the same whnever I ask him about various things, which I do understand, if trials haven’t taken place, but it’s very frustrating to not know either way!
Does anyone know if using a ladycare magnet changes the way hormones work?
Here is a link to an article in the Daily Mail from three years ago - basically saying they don’t know how it works, but suspect it raises levels of hormones
I’m on Tamoxifen and use the magnet and so far (after 5 weeks) I’ve had no side effects. The write up in the booklet that comes with the magnet says that it is used by women on Tamoxifen ‘without any reported adverse effects’ I’m assuming I can continue to use it without causing myself any further problems.
