Hi nelly

I was recommended to take this, same as you survery and radiotherapy but have opted to not take it as heard side effects not good, as Im not on the menopause yet.  I heard it only has a low protection, like 2 women in 100.  I stick to oat milk and eating healthy. 

Having bad side effects of radiation, itchy sore skin, did u have this? I think your doctor will help with tablets or your oncologist.  Sorry I can't help more.

Ria

Hi Ria and [@123nelly]‍ 

I just wanted to stop by and clarify some information about Tamoxifen.

Trials have shown that five years of daily tamoxifen reduces the 10-year risk of relapse from 42% to 26%. Five years of the drug almost halves the likelihood of a second tumour developing in the other breast.

There are side effects, but the benefits outweigh the risks, Five years of the drug means 80 per 1,000 fewer deaths after 10 years, compared with two per 1,000 deaths. When you consider that 42,000 people die every year from breast cancer you can see that this is a drug which has saved millions of lives.  While it is a personal choice. it's also important to be aware of the benefits. 

I hope all is going well with your radiotherapy, You may be prescribed a medication either at the start, or during, your radiation therapy to treat itchy skin. There are a number of products that are good to use, and your nurse may suggest one of these to you. Use only one at a time unless your nurse tells you to use more.

Kind regards

Hi 123Nelly

Tamoxifen is made by a number of different manufacturers. Some of the tablets may differ in their additional ingredients (for example, preservatives). This means that the colour, shape, size and sometimes taste of the tablets can differ between brands. However, this does not alter the effectiveness of the treatment. 

Some people report a change in the side effects they experience if they take tamoxifen made by a different manufacturer. This suggests that some people find tamoxifen produced by one manufacturer suits them better than another.

You may wish to discuss this with your specialist team or GP, or ask the pharmacist who dispenses your prescriptions if they can supply you with tamoxifen from the manufacturer you feel most comfortable with.  

Best of luck!

Thank you very much I'll try and work out which one is better for me x