Tamoxifen for Breast Cancer, Prevention User Reviews

• Nic
• August 22, 2020

"Aug22,2020 I started tamoxifen 20mg in May 2020, ended up with severe depression. He put me on Effexor RX last week 37.5mg and It was the worst. Let’s just say one day on it scared the crap out of me so I never took it again. I’m doing research on Tamoxifen and it’s side effects at 20mg, I’ve read lower doses work the same without the harmful effects, so I cut the 20mg pill in half and took it today. I am going to continue this because I want to see if it works better for me. My cancer is gone, they caught it early back last year on a mammogram. The lump was .8 mm very small, all I needed was radiation and finished that first week of May this year. My lymphnodes were clear. I will ask my cancer surgeon in Sept about reducing tamoxifen for good. I refuse the other meds they originally wanted me to take. A shot every six months along with other stuff which causes so many side effects. The lower dose is what I’m going to do, they have good reviews on either the 5mg or 10 mg"

• Mainah
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 2, 2019

"Was prescribed 5 mg/day based on the recent Italian study that showed this dosage was equally effective as 20 mg/day, with side effects similar to placebo. Happy to report zero side effects after the first month. No mood swings, not hot flashes, no night sweats. I'm 57, postmenopausal and only have had a few mild hot flashes ever, before Tamoxifen."

• Funny...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 25, 2019

"I was on Tamoxifen for 7 years after trying a newer arimatase inhibitor (arimidex) which I found very challenging. It gave me Achilles tendenitis and I quit it after a few months and changed to Tamoxifen. I never had any side effects on the tamoxifen-- none. And after 7 years my bone density in my hip increased by 9% -- a nice side benefit of Tamoxifen. Sorry to hear that so many have had problems. It was a walk in the park for me."

• tgreen
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 30, 2013

"I am taking tamoxifen for two months now. But is not easy due to so many side effects. You need a lots of encouragement from family and friends to keep going. This medicine has so many side effects. Some of the side effects are fatigue, hot flashes, short temper, sadness, dizziness, anger and many more. The other day my son and my daughter came to me to ask if I was drinking. They said that I looked so angry the night before and they were worried about me. I never drink so I told them about the medicine."

• queen...
• September 14, 2014

"I have been taking tamoxifen for less than a month. I have had fatigue, chills, shortness of breath, night sweats, blurred vision, difficulty sleeping. It seems as if I get over one side effect and here comes another. I feel like I am going crazy. I am trying to stick with it, but it keeps changing."

• Anonymous
• June 20, 2016

"I've been taking Tamoxifen for 10 months now. At first, I seemed okay. The doctor prescribed Effexor at the same time to combat any menopausal symptoms. I fell into a bad funk. SEVERE depression and not sleeping. I stopped taking the Effexor (doctor wasn't too happy) thinking that was causing some adverse effects. He put me on Trazodone 50 mg for sleep. That worked for a short period of time so they upped the dosage to 100 mg at night. However, my depression is tenfold. I'm so irritable and angry all the time. The slightest thing sets me off. I can't stand to be around people. I can't concentrate and my appetite has decreased. I've lost about 8 pounds. I just don't feel right, ever, anymore. I have to stay on this for 5 years."

• Gemini
• September 4, 2014

"I have been on it for almost 2 months. Had some night sweats but continue with fatigue, dizziness, some sadness, short temper. I am supplementing with Vit E and B6 daily. I will give it more time but not sure I will manage 5 yrs. I certainly do not wish to go on additional pills to manage side effects."

• nancy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 11, 2020

"I started on tamoxifen bc of tumor markers. I had heard negative comments but I wanted to give it a shot. First, I avoided reading the side effect pamphlet and instead asked my husband to read it. I know I’m the type of person that can sometimes talk myself into feeling a certain way. I had to tweak when I took it. If I took in the morning I noticed I would get lightheaded and nauseous about 2 pm. If I took at 5-6 pm, I would get very moody that evening. For me, it’s best if I take it right before bed. My dr said I don’t have to take it at the exact same time so I take whenever I’m heading up to bed. About the only thing I notice is a funny taste in my mouth sometimes but it’s not bad. For me, I figured that’s better than getting breast cancer and going though chemo. I’m grateful the tumor markers were caught early and that my system seems to be tolerating this treatment well. I’ve been on tamoxifen for 3 months."

• baske...
• August 10, 2015

"I have been on Tamoxifen for 4 1/2 years I have insomnia mood swings and other small side effects. I can't wait till my 5 years is up I stayed on this pill because I want my risk of cancer to be low. My family has been very kind and patient with me. The worst side effect is cramping throughout my body."

• gentl...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 27, 2020

"I was diagnosed with pre-cancer tumor markers in my right back in January 2020. I was referred to an oncologist even though they were pre-cancer and he put me on Tamoxifen. I had heard horror stories about this drug so I was hesitant. But I've been on it for almost 6 months and I'm fine. I did have issues early on. If I took it in the morning I would often have dizzy spells in the afternoon. I even tried in the evening and the dizzy spells would still happen. But my doctor said I could take it anytime of the day so I started to take it before bed. If I wake up at night to use the bathroom I will sometimes have a little dizziness. I also will sometimes have a tinny taste in my mouth but I keep a bag of crackers by the bed and just pop one to get that taste out. But for me, I would rather have these small issues than the issues with chemotherapy if I were to get cancer. One day at a time!"

• cmanuel
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 30, 2013

"I have been on Tamoxifen for a year now, in the beginning I was very depressed, night sweats and hot flashes and severe sweating, my doctor gave me Paxil for the hot flashes and depression. It has helped with my depression but still hot hot hot!! I keep thinking I want to get off of it because it makes me yawn A LOT whether i'm tired or not but my mood is so much better i'm afraid i will start feeling bad again,"

• Quilt...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 13, 2014

"I have taken Tamoxifen for 5 years. Side effects are severe sweating and depression. I have been taking Effexor XR longer than I have been on Tamoxifen. My Oncologist increased the Effexor dosage from 75 mg to 150 mg per day. She assure me the Effexor and Black Cohoosh would STOP the sweating...NOT. SWEATING INCREASED AND I AM MORE DEPRESSED THAN EVER. I had a sonogram last month that revealed a very small fibroid and fluid in my uterus. Got an appointment with GYN next week to see how she wants to handle the uterus problem. "

• Tina
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 15, 2023

"I was on Tamoxifen for 3 months and I had a lot of side effects that were not good. In the 3 months that I was on it, I gained 30 lbs, was moody, had hot flashes, brain fog, severe constipation and had a hard time sleeping."

• Darcy
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 30, 2022

"I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in March of 2021. I had a right breast mastectomy with implant. I was put on 20mg of Tamoxifen in July. By September I had so many reactions that I could not do daily activities. I was so tired that I would fall asleep if I sat down. I started having migraine headaches which I never had. I requested to cut my dose in half. My symptoms were better and I could deal with them. I still had leg swelling, joint pain and fatigue. Daily exercise helped with this. My doctor and I agree that my body was probably overloaded. I am fortunate that my risk is low. My advice is do your research and discuss your concerns with your doctor. As of March, 2022 I am trying another estrogen blocker. If I have severe symptoms I will go back on 10mg of Tamoxifen."

• Roxanne...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 21, 2022

"I took 25 MG a day for stage 1 breast cancer. I felt exhausted most the time. I didn't know it was messing with my hormones and giving me osteoporosis, I stepped up on the sidewalk and my leg broke in two places, the breaks left me with a drop foot, that happened 7 years ago, and I only took tamoxifen for 5 months, never took it again, and I'm cancer free without it."

• D Lea...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 30, 2013

"I have take tamoxifen for 6 months now, few side effects but bearable on this, very happy with them."

• BDR
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 12, 2023

"Taking tamoxifen for 6 years, the first 5 years has little side effect, but now I have fatigue and depression. But thank God my mammogram is cleared."