Hi there ...

I took tamoxifen for two years , till I had no quality of life.... and the joint pain became unbearable... I was told tamoxifen only gives us 3 to 5% more chance of not getting cancer back ... so I thought it was a no brainer, and my pain went back to my normal arthritis pain I had before tamoxifen which I could cope with ...

Everyone has to decide if that is worth the side effects... and I know some are lucky enough to not get any symptoms from it ... personally, I've never looked back ... and know if cancer comes back, it could do that even on tamoxifen... so it's for everyone to decide what is right for them ... but from threads on here, think they should look at the for and against taking something that can give so many , those side effects .. but whatever you decide, don't look back with regret... make your choice and stìck with it .. good luck .. Chrissie....

Hi

i have been on tamoxifen for 15 months and have had back pain over the last 4-6 weekS that has felt like a period pain

is this similar to your experience? 
thank you

lucy x 

Hi Lucy,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am sorry to hear that you are suffering from these symptoms too. I don't know whether or not you noticed that this is an old thread, so you may not get a reply. It might be worth starting a new thread called "Joint Pain with Tamoxifen" or something similar. More people are likely to reply if you do this. I only took Tamoxifen for 1 year, before I developed a second cancer. I then took Letrozole for six and a half years - this was even harder on my joints and I ended up having both knees replaced.. My fingers are now all very knobbly, bent and sore. I stopped taking Letrozole in 2017, but the damage to my joints continues and I now have severe back pain to add to the mix. It is hard to say whether this deterioration was due to the natural ageing process, or whether it was due to taking these tablets.

Have you spoken to your breast care nurse? Perhaps they can suggest something less destructive.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx