Tamoxifen and Depression: What Users Say

• Nic...
• August 22, 2020

For Breast Cancer, Prevention "Aug 22, 2020. I started tamoxifen 20mg in May 2020. I 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 its 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 last year on a mammogram. The lump was 0.8mm, very small. All I needed was radiation and finished that the first week of May this year. My lymph nodes were clear. I will ask my cancer surgeon in September 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 10mg."

• tgr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 30, 2013

For Breast Cancer, Prevention "I am taking tamoxifen for two months now. But it's not easy due to so many side effects. You need a lot 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."

• Sil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 21, 2015

For Breast Cancer "I have male breast cancer. I do find it uncomfortable to only read about ladies' issues, but understandable. I have found that I feel depressed and have mood swings for sure. Upset tummy is common, so try to keep hydrated. I seem to get lethargic and tired around 3-5 pm, but I take my medication just before bed, 10-11 pm. I may consider changing this. Given the alternatives and worrying how my family would cope without me as the breadwinner makes the decision to continue to take it an easy one. I am not going to give in to it. I'm 59 and lost my brother to it aged 39. I played my first 70-minute game of tennis today in 14 months and really found it made a difference. So maybe keeping fit is one way of fighting back."

• tlc...
• September 1, 2010

For Breast Cancer "Though this medicine may give you a chance at living longer, the mood swings are massive. I feel depressed and have no energy. I am always nauseous. Everything hurts. My sex drive is basically gone, and my periods are slight if not altogether absent. I have shrunk inside a bit, so now sex is painful. I have hot flashes that keep me awake at night and make me very unhappy during the day."

• tlc...
• September 1, 2010

For Breast Cancer "Though this medicine may give you a chance at living longer, the mood swings are massive. I feel depressed and have no energy. I am always nauseous. Everything hurts. My sex drive is basically gone, and my periods are slight if not altogether absent. I have shrunk inside a bit, so now sex is painful. I have hot flashes that keep me awake at night and make me very unhappy during the day."

• Anonymous
• June 20, 2016

For Breast Cancer, Prevention "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."

• Mon...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 15, 2018

For Breast Cancer "For those of you who only had menopausal side effects - hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, dry skin - great. I had all that plus anxiety attacks, depression, headaches that made migraines seem like a walk in the park, hair loss, muscle aches and cramps, fatigue that made it difficult to just walk to the bathroom, blurred vision (I had already had cataracts removed). The list goes on and on, but to compound it, when I told my doctors, they said, 'Oh, tamoxifen doesn't cause that.' I gave them the list of side effects with the ones I had marked, and it was thrown in the wastebasket in front of me. Now that I have quit taking it, the side effects come and go. They can and do return over and over again about every two to three months and last two to three months. My doctors told me none of this, so if you are contemplating taking it, do the research first. I wish I had."

• Gem...
• September 4, 2014

For Breast Cancer, Prevention "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."

• pin...
• January 16, 2017

For Breast Cancer "I was on tamoxifen for 5 years. It drove me into severe depression. I was delusional to the point of being in a psychiatric hospital for 1 year. No doctor at the time could find out why I was as I was! I had water retention, weight gain of 25 kilos, fluid on my lungs, which caused coughing to the point I felt I was suffocating, insomnia, joint pain, nausea, and hot flushes. And to crown it all, skin disorders, of which the rash and sores made me look like I had HIV. Bicarbonate of soda, lemons, and ginger have improved my health!"

• cma...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 30, 2013

For Breast Cancer, Prevention "I have been on Tamoxifen for a year now. In the beginning, I was very depressed, had night sweats, hot flashes, and severe sweating. My doctor gave me Paxil for the hot flashes and depression. It has helped with my depression, but it's 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."

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

For Breast Cancer, Prevention "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 assured me the Effexor and Black Cohosh 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."

• Mar...
• September 15, 2015

For Breast Cancer "Was for 5 years, increased to 10 years, I'm in year 7. Had 3 lumpectomies within a 3-month span, had chemo, radiation, plus 1 year of Herceptin for ductal carcinoma in situ T2 HER2+. I am alive and plan on staying that way. After much research and talking to doctors, the conclusion is that chemo and tamoxifen seem to have precipitated other chronic illnesses: chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, osteopenia, clinical depression, gastroenteritis, worsened IBS, and PTSD. My legs, lower back, and fingers are usually swollen and usually in pain. I wanted off the tamoxifen due to the weakness in my legs and fatigue. No other was as effective in inhibiting estrogen. I still lose my hair, gained 130 lbs, I'm in a wheelchair. I'm alive. 3 years to go."

• Jmh...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 26, 2023

For Breast Cancer "I started tamoxifen one year ago. For the first four months, I had not one side effect, but then I slowly started getting side effects. I was severely depressed, angry, and agitated, had hair loss, sweats, chills, insomnia, tiredness, aches and pains in my ankles and knees, pins and needles, and cramps, and the worst is the UTI, but when you have tested, it’s negative. I just get the side effects of UTIs, so can’t have any medicine as there is no infection, hmmm. It’s easy to take. I’m on 20 mg daily for 10 years as I’ve had invasive lobular breast cancer and had some lymph nodes removed as well. The only good thing with this drug is I haven’t had a period in five months or any period cramps. I’m 52 years old and was not menopausal, but I’ve found different brands give different side effects, and trying to get the brand you prefer is much harder than people think. This is a potent drug that is doing at the minute what it’s supposed to do, so I will carry on taking it."

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

For Breast Cancer, Prevention "Taking tamoxifen for 6 years, the first 5 years had little side effect, but now I have fatigue and depression. But thank God my mammogram is clear."