My Masectomy

[Sue-E]

Am on day 6 of Tamoxifen-have been taking it 7.am. I wake sweating every hour or two till I get up at 6.am. Am going to take today's tablet just before bed-does anyone know if this will help please?

[Ali52]

Hi there, I've been on Tamoxifen for nearly five years. It took me 7 months for my body to ' get used' to it. I started taking it in the morning like you, but switched to night just before bed and found it a lot better. I do get sweats at night. Flushes during the day and terrible cramps in feet and legs, but I am so used to all that now it's just a part of life! Good luck, hope your body acclimatises soon

[Sue-E in reply to Ali52]

Thanks Ali that's very helpful. I'm only in the 1st week and moaning already! Lol will get used to it 😁X

[Abcdefghijkl60 in reply to Sue-E]

I think we all are aloud to moan like mad 😀

[Sandradawn123]

I have been in Tamoxifen for 2 years and take it around 7 in the morning as taking it at night caused too many night sweats, I found I could cope better throughout the day with the sweats good luck and best wishes

[Sue-E in reply to Sandradawn123]

Thanks Sandra x

[Susan8574]

I take mine at bed time, and get a few hot flushes on the evening, I also take venaflaxine to combat the hot flushes , which has been a god send .

[Sue-E in reply to Susan8574]

Thanks Susan-what is venaflaxine? Is it on prescription?x

[Abcdefghijkl60 in reply to Sue-E]

Hello did you find out what venaflaxin is I'm intrested !

[Sue-E in reply to Abcdefghijkl60]

Yes it's an anti depressant sometimes helps with hot flushes according to Google!x

[Susan8574 in reply to Sue-E]

It's an antidepressant , a low dose 37.5

There Are a few that are listened , but gps never tell u about them, makes a massive difference

[Nixh]

Hi Sue, I found the sweats and hot flushes worse in the first couple of weeks, am about 6 weeks down the line and take my tablet about 9pm now as that seems the most manageable for me. I get a few sweats in the night but they aren't as many or as intense and can cope a bit better with them 😊

I moved my taking time forward an hour or two until I found what worked for me. Some people have half in the morning and half at night haven't tried that though...

Good luck try to think about what good it's doing.

Every hot flush is a force field lol!

Nix X

[Sue-E]

Think I will copy you Nix-I know its doing its job just don't think I will handle work well on very little sleep,my job with racehorses is very physical,early start and late finish! I will be so grumpy! Lol X

[Nixh in reply to Sue-E]

Poor you, it does get better, I'm still tired, but think its the whole bc thing rather than just the tamoxifen sleep depravation, the more exercise I do the better I am though, so just keep going and maybe it'll even out. 10 mins just shutting my eyes mid afternoon works as a freshener too x

[Abcdefghijkl60 in reply to Sue-E]

Hi sue I used to be late to bed ! When starting tomoxfin , bed early ,wake so many times flushes I have a cleaning bussiness very physical !the summer want to not work as get so hot ! 😔

[nikonBlue]

hi Sue,

Oh how I can relate!! I'm 3 and a bit months in with Tamoxifen and am sorry to say that for me the 'power surges' are relentless. 24/7. So much so that when I saw my oncologist last week, she is putting me on something to combat the flushes, which as you'll know leave me totally exhausted. Not to mention having to change clothes sometime 3 times a day ...there's now washing on EVERY day!!!

Sorry, I can't give you glad tidings. I'd hoped it would settle down but....

I take my tablet at teatime half way through eating as I feel it will prevent having any more 'tummy' issues as I did at the beginning.

It's been suggested to me that I 'half' the tablet and take have with breakfast and the other half at teatime so as not to bombard the body with the dose all at once. Am going to ask my doc if it's ok to do that and maybe, just maybe that will help!

Take care and I really hope that for you, it settles down. Guess I've just been unlucky that the side effects are brutal.

Blue x

[Sue-E in reply to nikonBlue]

Poor you! This has helped put my discomfort into perspective! Thanks for your post😊X

[Artemis-angel]

I took tamoxifen for nearly 5 years, I used to take mine about 6pm in the evening.

I did get night sweats but I found this the best time to take the tablet.

I also found symptoms tend to come and go so perserve if you can

[blue_sky1]

Tamoxifen definitely does have these side effects and although they were worse to begin with, for me, they have never gone away. I find light daily exercise very helpful, keep the alcohol intake on the low side and try not to load up on the stress (easier said than done I know).

[Mell]

Hi Sue I started tamoxifen mid December 2015 and have always taken it between 9-10pm. I was ok for about a month then started waking at 2am sweating but also it was just as I was finishing my radio so the heat would come out at night like sunburn does. It didn't happen every night perhaps 3-4 times a week but now seems to have settled - I hope! But what I did do was swop my duvet for a 4.5 summer duvet and still sleep in just knickers and a vest tee (even when it's freezing outside) and this seems to work for me. Good luck let us know how it goes x

[Sue-E in reply to Mell]

Thanks Mell am doing same as you duvet/no jamas &window open.x

[Abcdefghijkl60]

Hello I'm going to be honest ! Tryed that, it diddnt work for me , may do for you though ,i have done five years on it have got used to the sweats , not saying I enjoy them ! Good luck ....Kate

[Sue-E in reply to Abcdefghijkl60]

Honesty is good! Thanks x

[Eileen2014]

Hi I take mine at 9pm the hot flushes calm down over time. I find some things trigger them like the obvious coffee. But a year on it can still wake up in a puddle of sweat. It helps if I avoid a hot drink before bed. It gets easier

[Sue-E in reply to Eileen2014]

Oops-every time I wake up I have a cup of tea!😕

[nikonBlue]

Lordy ladies......just not fair is it?

I counted how many 'power surges' I had in a 24hr period.......and it was 31!! Yes from 5am till around 9pm. I never get more than about 3hrs sleep at any one time as they actually wake me up and on goes the fan. I too sleep in a vest tshirt n pants and thankfully am alone (a poor man would freeze with the fan on most of the night )

I'd hoped for some kind of 'getting used to it' but it's worse now than when i started. Oddly enough, the oncologist I saw last week has suggested taking me OFF ...which sent me into a bit of a panic i must say as i've always been told i'd be on it for 10 years! No wonder we are all stressed eh?

Am now off to photograph a new baby (my great-grandaughter)!!

now thats the most positive thing ever!!

Blue x

[Mac99]

Hi, I am like you, early on, only started 10 days ago. I take it at 9 every night. I am constantly freezing unless I am having hot flushes or night sweats which are frequent. I also have had a couple of nights of severe pelvic pain around ovaries. I am also like a teenager with mood swings and tearfulness which again is not like me. Think I might end up taking venaflexin for the flushed if it does not settle down

[Sue-E in reply to Mac99]

That sounds horrible-were you this way from start of Tamoxifen or has it got worse during the 10 days? X

[Jayne1964]

Hi I have been taking it for the last 13 months and tried every way which, so now I take it first thing in a morn so I don't forget it, I still get hot flushes and joint pain. anti depressants have been offered to me but I am just going to keep trying without them,

[Sue-E in reply to Jayne1964]

Yes Jayne-will try do without antidepressants if I can,you're doing well,13mths of it,well done you!x

[Hidden]

I've been taking tamoxifen since start of year.I was advised to take them at night and so far only having few flashes but getting bad leg cramps

[Mac99]

Was having the flushes and sweats since chemo, has worsened, and hoping that it will settle down over the next few weeks. Sailed through chemo, surgery and radio so think this will be my biggest challenge. Hip pain today, hopefully unrelated.

[Sabrina4]

I Always took my Tamoxifen at night. It worked better for me. Now I'm on Arimidex and doing the same. Drink lots of water and walk daily. That has helped me with side effects.