I am really struggling with hot flushes, getting them every 40 minutes even during the night. Does anyone have any information I've now been on it 6 monrhs
Hi Teri ...... welcome to the forum. I too had this problem on Tamoxifen and my consultant gave me a tip which worked. He said that many find that it is the additives in the medication that cause the flushes as opposed to the drug itself. All manufacturers use different additives.
He suggested that I had a word with my chemist and asked that when he gave me medication he sourced a couple of months supply from several different manufacturers and see if the flushes were less on some brands. My very understanding chemist did this for me and it was amazing how side-effects varied on different manufacturers products. I found one brand that gave me minimal hot flushes and stuck to it.
Sometimes the chemists buy in the cheapest brands available at the time and these may not suit you.
It worked for me and hopefully will help you too. However, I also believe there is a mild anti-depressant which can be prescribed that helps with hot flushes if they persist. Good luck x
I was also having problems with Tomxifen which I was on for about 6 months or more and my oncologist changed me to Anastrozole and that was ok for a long time, the hot flushes decreased but I then got bone pains in the hand wrist which is extremely painful as I have to wear a sleeve on my left arm as I have lymphedema in the arm and wrist. My doc has now changed me to Exemestane which I have only been taking for less than 2 weeks so it is too early to tell. I think everybody is different and it is trial and error.
I have been on Tamoxifen for about 2 years. For the first couple of months I had aches and pains, and terrible hot flushes, keeping me awake at night. I was exhausted the next morning, when I had to get up for work. I told the doctor who prescribed a very low anti-depressant, which worked a treat!
I was also told that different manufactured drugs could cause different reactions. I had a word with the pharmasist, and she said that she would try and keep me on the one that I thinks suits me. I believe Tamoxifen is a very effective drug, so I will continue to take for 3 more years.
If you have any further questions, please post on this site, and I am sure the kind people on here will try and help.
I was on tamoxifen and at the start the hot flushes were quute extreme but they did settle to less severe and less frequently if that is any consolation.
Exemestane a side effect is joint pain. But that may not be the case for you. I found it didnt affect my joints but my muscles are stiff and i lost a lot of my strength. That didnt kick in until about 6 mths in. Also made me very irritable. Maybe that might have happened anyway because of my age 58. I suppose i will never know.
Hi, ive also been on tamoxifen for 6 months now, my hot flushes were also very frequent, even at night so invested in something called a 'chillow' it goes inside your pillow case and keeps you head cool at night. I could cope with the day flushes but i hadnt had a decent sleep for about 3 months which is why i bought one. The chillow worked for me for about a month and then i decided that i couldnt go on like this so the nurses at my chemo suite gave me Amiltryptaline to take at night. It works as its got a sedative in it so im my case, i still wake up a few times in the night due to hot flushes but i go straight back to sleep again! Hope this helps
