I have been taking tamoxifen for 2 weeks and i am already experiencing night sweats and very bad mood swings, is this normal and will these side effects lessen or get worse, because I am feeling really really low at the moment :(
What you are experiencing is pretty normal for some one starting with this drug, [@Jbains] and [@Chriss] have both experienced as well as I.
I had my dose changed from one tablet a day two but half the dose in each and found that I could cope better with that. It’s a year since I started taking these things and I’m just getting past the night sweats altho the mood swings are still there, I’m a moody cow tho at the best of times so I can’t blame everything on Tamoxifen!
Your not on your own lass ... I'm usually so layed back, I'm horizontal. . The first month, I was crying and angry and spoiled my wonderfull son's birthday .. over things that I'd usually take with a pinch of salt .. thought I was gonna cry forever .. and as someone who'd gone through hysterectomy with no emotional feelings, I was really confused .. it was rilleyroo who told me she'd had problems, and a few others along the way on here ..
I just got some mild anti depressant ... dulsilupin ... and took two a day, for couple of weeks, and touch wood, it all evened out, and been o.k since... that was about 8 months ago .. so good luck .. just warn everyone, if you act funny, it's not you it's the tamoxifen ... ; )) x
These are some of the many side-effects of Tamoxifen. I took Tamoxifen for the first year after my lumpectomy and then changed to Letrozole the following year when I had a second bout and had a double mastectomy. Both medicaments caused similar problems.
My breast care nurse suggested that in her experience, a mild antidepressant called Venlofaxine, had helped some of her patients to cope with the night sweats. The mood swings are common too. These were helped with the Venlafaxine too. I do still get night sweats now some 8 years into my diagnosis, but they are not nearly as excessive as they were initially.
You will probably find that you get used to these side-effects with time. Have a word with your care team and see what they suggest.
Hi Suers. Sorry to hear you're feeling this way. This little pill that's keeping that bas**** cancer at bay also wreaks havoc inside us. I have been on it for 19 months and it's pushing me thru the menopause. Initially I had aches, sweats, dizziness and mood swings galore but it started to ease after a few months. I was also taking it at 2:30 in the afternoon and when I switched to 7pm the side effects eased slightly after awhile.
Hang in there. This whole process is very overwhelming and one needs to deal with one thing one day at a time. My no one day was the same initially and now my no 2 weeks is the same so that's progress! I've also had side effects from treatment so it's been tough but remember - every single person reacts differently. I found that by exercising it helped with alot of symptoms and still does. Getting out for a long brisk walk outdoors helps with the mood.
You've been thru alot so go with the flow and deal with the feelings as they come. We are all on here to support you and you can be free to say anything. We've all been up and down so many times that there isn't a rollercoaster in this world that compares!
Take it easy. Eat well, listen to your body and do things you enjoy no matter how small. It all helps. It's just finding what does. It will improve - just give it a chance. You got this!
Hi I have just switched from letrozole to tamoxifen as I was getting terrible joint pain and mood swings . From reading stuff on here I realise that both tablets have similar side effects. Also have been reading that Tamoxifen can possibly give you womb cancer. Pretty scared at the moment!!!
Welcome to the Tamoxifen fan club. I’ve been on it fifteen months and I’m just about normal again whatever normal is.
All the things you are going theo at the moment are fairly normal. My mood was so low I had a word with the Consultant as I’d found I could control that to some extent by splitting the dose in half ie two tablets of 10mg per day not one of 20mg. Other people have found that changing the time of day they take it or changing brands can help as well. Hang on, it’s early days but if you really are struggling, talk to you care team, it’s what they are there for
I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer in the past 8 years. I switched the other way around, from Tamoxifen to Letrozole and have found that the side-effects to both of these drugs are pretty similar. I sincerely hope that you find the Tamoxifen better.
I was on letrozole after a few months I stopped taking it the joint pains were unbelievable even the soles of my feet hurt. Quality over quantity I said. Well I’m now on tamoxifen which is better apart from the tiredness night sweats and weight gain.
