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What problems have you had with Tamoxifen?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Jan 25, 2023 | Replies (67)Comment receiving replies
In a sense, tamoxifen has a positive effect on bones by not having the negative effect on them of total depletion of estrogen from the body. So estrogen remains available to perform the myriad roles it has throughout our lives. It just can't fuel estrogen-positive cancers because the drug prevents cancer cells' ability to access the cancer at the receptor level. They're both serious medications but, in a sense, the SERMs seem a more elegant approach by depriving only cancer cells, but not the rest of the body, of a key hormone. It's great that it works for you. It has saved thousands of lives so far, including two friends of mine.
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I took tamoxifen for 5 months because I liked the way SERMS attach to BC estrogen receptors rather than eliminate most all estrogen (I believe the ovaries still produce some) and that it is better for the bones and heart than the AIs. However I had immediate side effects that concerned me, especially pelvic pressure and terrible leg cramps. Finally I found I couldn't take the drug, even at a lower than 20mg dosage, due to worries about endometrial thickening and DVT, which are very serious. While I have just begun the drug, I am currently finding anastrozole easier to take. We all have to pick our poison according to what we can best tolerate. At least there is a variety to try.