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Tamoxifen - hair thinning / loss

Brownbear187
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Hi all

My partner has successfully been treated for BC, where she has had a mastectomy and a round of radiotherapy. Thankfully everything has seemed to have gone to plan and she is now talking tamoxifen, and has been for approx 6/7 months. Side effects have been very minimal however in recent weeks, she has really noticed that her hair is beginning to fall and notices a lot when brushing her hair, running her hands through her hair which is now causing her a lot of distress. She has quite thick hair and she is terrified of losing her hair.

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar whilst taking tamoxifen? Did anyone lose all their hair? Has anyone had any luck using any products to reduce the effects?

My partner has been so strong throughout the process and I know we have been so fortunate not to experience any real significant side effects thus far, this has really knocked her confidence.

Any help / suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Parents
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    Hi Brownbear,

    A very warm welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear about your partner's hair loss while taking Tamoxifen.

    I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer. I took Tamoxifen for the first year, then changed to Letrozole, which I took for a further 6 and a half years. It was at after taking the Tamoxifen for about 6 months, that I first noticed hair loss. Like your partner, I had very thick hair. Loss of hair isa side-effect of both of these drugs. I used Plantur 39  and Alpecin Caffeine shampoos. I didn't find that either of these made a great difference. 

    It is now 14 years since I was first diagnosed and I still get a lot of hair loss. However, I have never lost my hair completely. It is just a little thinner than it used to be and I doubt that anyone, other than me, would notice any difference. I consider this a small price to pay for my cancer treatment.

    I am glad to hear that your partner is coping well with Tamoxifen and hasn't had any significant side-effects. I  hope that this helps to reassure her that the loss is manageable.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

  • Offline in reply to Jolamine

    Hi , I’m on Letrozole and have had quite a lot of hair shedding. I now take Biotin and a supplement that my hairdresser recommended it’s Pilfood  get it online £23.99 , but check with your doctor before taking any supplements . I also take a Vitamin B supplement . A good well balanced diet is very important too . 

  • Offline in reply to LCR

    Hi LCR ,how long had you taken Letrezole when you notice the hair loss ?  I have been on it for four months now ,my hair just growing back after chemo 

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