Hi Kaz,

I am so sorry to hear about the hot flushes you are having after stopping Tamoxifen.

I am 12 years older than you and I have had 2 bouts of cancer within a year of each other. The first was 8 years ago and I had a lumpectomy, followed by Tamoxifen for a year. When the second lump was discovered, I had a double mastectomy followed by Letrozole for 6 years.

I stopped taking the Tamoxifen overnight and went straight on to Letrozole. I had hot flushes when I was taking the Tamoxifen, so it was hard to say whether it was better or worse after I stopped. I went straight on to Letrozole and still have hot flushes now, even though I stopped taking the Letrozole in July, 2017.

When I was having trouble with the Tamoxifen at first, my breast care nurse advised me that some ladies found that Venlafaxine (a mild anti-depressant) sometimes helps to reduce the severity of the flushes. I only take a low dose, but I have found that it has helped.

I hope that things improve for you soon.

Please let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi jolamine, 

This is really helpful, I'll look in to this with my gp. Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. Please take care. 

Karen x 

Hi Kaz,

By all means have a chat with your GP, but you might find it more helpful to discuss this with your breast care nurse or consultant.

It was my specialist nurse who made these suggestions to me. They deal with the problems from treatment all the time, so are more up to date on what might help.

I hope that you find a solution soon.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi again, 

I'm not under the care of a breast care team these days, I was discharged years and years ago  All my care is  managed by my GP whom I have an excellent relationship with thank goodness!

Karen x 

Hi Kaz,

In that case ask your GP. I must be fortunate in that I am still being reviewed annually by my care team 10 years after diagnosis.

I hope that you can find something to help.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi there folks,

A question for any nurses or doctors out there.... I've been on Tamoxifen for a year now, and wondering how big a risk it is to come off it. Can I get some ideas on this? I'd like to go to natural methods of eliminating oestrogens that are overloading my system.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Emily

Hi Emilyjo,

Welcome to our forum.  Have you discussed this with your consultant or oncologist? They should be in the best position to help you out. You might also find it helpful to have a chat with one of our nurses about this. They are available freephone Mon - Fri, 9.00am - 5.00pm. Their number is 0808 800 4040.

Do please let us know how you get on.We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi sorry I only just found your post from last year. Having exactly the same issues as you and stopped taking it three weeks ago. Can I ask how long did it take to get fully out your system.  Thank you

Hi Carren,

I'm sorry to hear about your issues with Tamoxifen. I was under the impression from previous posts that it took about 4 weeks to get it out of your system, but I notice that Brian has mentioned that Zoladex takes about a year. There is quite a discrepancy here, so I would ask your breast care nurse this question.

Please let us know when you get an answer.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi

Just wondering if you came to a conclusion on this. I was on tamoxifen for 2 years. Then I had a recurrence last July so stopped tamoxifen whilst I had 6 rounds of chemo. Now chemo is over I am having night sweats like never before. I had a hysterectomy first time round which is now 3 yrs ago and I didn't suffer too badly then. No idea what's going on .