Welcome to the forum Margaret.

I'm glad that there was no spread although I'm sorry you've had a tough time with letrozole. Hopefully some of our members who have experience with Tamofixen will be along soon to share their experiences with you but do pop over to the good and the bad discussion as you'll find quite a lot of our regular breast cancer members chatting on there.

Fingers crossed you'll get on better with Tamofixen.

All the best, 

Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hello Margaret. I’m on tamoxifen. Happy to chat if you fewl the need 

Oh boy, feel the need! My typing skills are legendary, not. 

That's really kind rileyroo. I'm only four days in! Feeling tired but it's Been a busy time. I had really bad side effects on Leterzole. Joint pain, depression and mood swings. My joints are bad anyway but  the tablet's  made me feel eighty. Will see how I am as the days go by. How have you been on Tamoxifen and do you worry about the link with uterine cancer risk.regards Margaret

I’m the opposite way round, due to switch to an AI in September next year, not looking forward to it. 

I’ve been on tamoxifen since September 2017 and I’m going to be honest, the first six months were horrific. Within 48 hours of starting it my mood was so low I couldn’t see the point of carrying on. Some one at work suggested that I cut the tablet in half as I might cope better with it on two small doses rather than one large lump each day. She was right! When I went to Oncology to start radiotherapy I told the consultant what Imd been doing and je said if that’s the way I could manage it, he was quite happy to give me the version of the stuff that comes in 10mg tablets not the usual 20mg. His registrar was not amused but she should have been out in the fields with the rest of the herd  anyway  

i don’t get any joint pain, well no more than I did before I started with all this  and I would say I’m just about settled now. Very reluctant to switch. 

The uterine cancer thing is a non starter for me as I had a complete hysterectomy 10 years before this bandwagon started rolling.

Hi Margaret,

I just started Tamoxifen last night and will be on it for 10 years, not sure what they do to stop the cancer growing after that.  Spent today throwing up everything I eat, so that was fun.

I did read that any vomiting settles down in the first few weeks so I'm hoping mine doesn't go the whole 3 weeks given when Christmas is, I plan on enjoying my steak pie.

I didn't worry about the uterine cancer risk until your post :D

You're at close to two weeks now on Tamoxifen, how's it going now?

LJx

I have been on Tamoxifen for almost ten years and no problems.  I was offered the extra five years and thought should take it as it may make a difference, I may h ave been fortunate in that I have not noticed any problems I am due to finish it in the summer and I am hoping no side effects coming off it.  I thi nk you should tdake everything you can as long as you can tolerate it.  I had Breast cancer 2008 Grade 2 , had masectomy and radiotherapy and then on tamoxifen.  I was switched to a postmenopausal one which I couldnt take as it made me very very cross and moody daily,  but when I had an oestrodial test done it showed my periods would come back so I was not postmenopausal so I was put back on to tamoxifen as they didnt want that, I have had no periods since 2nd Chemo 2008.  I had  hot flashes, but n ot too bad for about a year or two on and off but that has been it really.  Nothing much at all.   I am now 54  and w ill have an oestrodial test which tells you if you are menopausal or not when I finish tamoxifen but at my age I hope so!  I wish you all the best xx

Hi Margaret,

I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer in the past 9 years and have been on both Tamoxifen and Letrozole. In my experience, the side-effects from both treatments were similar. I was on Tamoxifen for 1 year, but when my second cancer was diagnosed at that stage, I was  changed to Letrozole. I took that for 6 years.

We debated staying on it for 10, but my consultant advised that, as my cancer is not a very aggressive one, that this was long enough. I stopped taking Letrozole in July 2017 and now attend the breast clinic once a year for my annual check-up.

I hope that you can tolerate Tamoxifen better than  Letrozole.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx