Hi y'all,
I am set to start on Tamoxifen on November 11 when I start my rads.   Survived the chemo thing alreay......
Question: I had a hysterectomy in 99 and am post-menopausal.  The onc still wants me on tamoxifen and I can't get any straight answers......will I still have the tamoxifen s/e?   Obviously won't have any spotting, etc.... but do you think I will still have hot flashes, etc? 
Does anyone have any experience in this?
 
Thanks for helping!
 
Hugs!
 
Julie

Julie
dx 5/27/09 ,lumpectomy and snb 6/30/09
SN - , clear margins!
IDC, Grade 3 , Stage 1
Estrogen & Progesterone + ,HER2/neu -
Oncotype score 48
TC chemo begins 8/14 - 4 rounds 3 weeks apart 
35 RADS and 5 years of hormones.....

Julie,
I didn't have a hyst but was almost  through menopause when I started on tamoxifen.  I got hot flashes anyway....didn't have any with menopause.  Also got a few joint aches.  After 2 years on tamox  I have recently switched to Arimidex, one of the AI's.  Is there a reason you aren't going straight to an AI?  Some of the women have shots to shut down their ovaries so they can take the AI's.  Although the AI's can have the simular se's as the tamoxifen.

Here's hoping all of the se's avoid you!

Hope and strength,
Julie S :-)

Bothell, WA
dx 5/07 IDC
lumpectomy 6/14/07 1.5cm
er/pr + Nodes negative
finished rads 9/13
Tamoxfen 9/07- 8/09
Arimidex 8/09-

I thought I would go straight to A/I also. The onc said the A/I can take away bone mass but Tamoxifen builds it up so he wants to build it up first?  Or maybe it's the other way around.... I have to aske when I go in next week.   It doesn't make sense to me to do the tamoxifen since I am already post-menopausal - at least it doesn't make sense to me.    I really don't look forward to doing the hot flashes again..... ugh!   I will know more next week.  But he makes it seem like it's not an option to go straight to A/I.
 
Julie

Julie
dx 5/27/09 ,lumpectomy and snb 6/30/09
SN - , clear margins!
IDC, Grade 3 , Stage 1
Estrogen & Progesterone + ,HER2/neu -
Oncotype score 48
TC chemo begins 8/14 - 4 rounds 3 weeks apart 
35 RADS and 5 years of hormones.....

Julie,
I do know that the AI's do deplete our bones, and maybe that is why my onco wanted me to do the tamox for 2 years first as well.
One good thing about the tamox is it is MUCH less expensive than the AI's.  My tamox was $24 for 90 days at Target.  I wished I would have called around sooner as I had been paying 36$ at Costco.

The AI's are in the $300 range for 1 month. UGH! My onco gave me several sample packs so I haven't had to buy any as of yet.
The AI's also have their side effects......yep, hot flashes!

Let us know how you do!
Hope and strength,
Julie S :-)

Bothell, WA
dx 5/07 IDC
lumpectomy 6/14/07 1.5cm
er/pr + Nodes negative
finished rads 9/13
Tamoxfen 9/07- 8/09
Arimidex 8/09-

Hi Julie,
I had a hysterectomy and tried the AI's but couldn't handle them so my onc put me on Tamox.  I had hot flashes much worse on the AI's, I still have many flashes on Tamox but no other side effects.  I actually feel great!! 

Rene'~OH
dx 10/06 @ 40 yrs old
stage IIIa/grade3, 7/10nodes+
er/pr+,her2+
a/cx4,taxolx4,herceptin
mast/hyst 3/07
33rads 6/07 Aromasin 1 yr switched to Tamox.
Bilateral Tram-flap 4/08 Revision-left 7/08
Revision 5/09 left & right(different surgeon)
Revision 8/09 right & bellybutton redone
cp:RenePetrovich

Hey Tamoxifen Women,
I've been on Tamoxifen for a month now. The hot flashes are bad, double now since I've been off Premarin since I was diagnosed in Feb. 2009.
After I take the Tam. I feel very cold, as if I have the flu, very tired, and my temp is low. Anyone else experiencing these symptoms?
gay

dx 02/09 @ 55 yrs old
stage IIb; 2/6 nodes positive; 3.5 cm tumor
Taxotere & Cytoxin 4 rounds
Radiation 6 weeks
Mastectomy - right breast
Lobular Invasive Carcinoma
Reconstrution by the end of '09 I hope!

I had a hyster in '01 and been on Tam. for 1 month. Yep, you'll get hot flashes, plenty of them!!

Julie,
I went through menopause at 47 and was on HRT for a year and a half, which I unfortunately had to quit with the breast cancer.  Menopause 'regular' had been annoying, but when I started the Femora AI, WOW!
I slept an aggregate of 1-2 hours a night.  I wound up going back and forth between cotton blankets/sheets on bed and chaise lounge all night just to give each a chance to dry off so I could be somewhere dry before I got it wet again.  I drank tons of ice water all night.  The GOOD  news is it only lasted a couple of weeks and then it went to normal annoying menopause with the occasional hot flash where you throw the sheets off, go back to sleep and wake up cold:-) 
 
I'm also wondering why you didn't go straight to AI if you're definitely done with menopause.  When my oncologist was satisfied that I wasn't going through menopause, but was done, straight to AI.
 
Karin
dx 5/09, invasive lobular stage 2, b/l mastectomies 6/3/09, snb - but positive for isolated tumor cells.  ER/PR +, Oncotype 19, so chemo won't work. 

Oops, forgot to mention.  If hot flashes really bad and continuous as mine were first couple of weeks, my Mom bought me a big portable fan.  It helps a lot!  Good Luck,
Karin

Hi Julie,
I've been on tam for about a year and ironically the month I started was the last month I got my period.  Don't know if it's coincidental.  I see my onc monday and will officially have bee without my period for one year so I wonder if we'll discuss the switch.  I still have my ovaries and uterus and the tamox is wreaking havoc with my gyn organs.
As far as hot flashes, they started a few weeks after initially starting the tamox and have been virtually non stop ever since. So I'm not sure weather I should attribute the hfs to the drug or to naturally occuring meno.  Anyway,  dressing in layers and alwys having something to fan yourself with is critical to not losing your mind.
Good luck and stay cool!
Sharon

age 51@ dx, wife and mom of 3, PA
dx ilc/dcis excisional biopsy 5/30/08
r segmental mast (partial) snb 6/4
node neg stage1 gr ll
er+/pr- Her2 - Oncotype Dx 11
stereotactic bx Lb 7/14/08 neg
R mast 9/22/08 w DIEP
tamox 10/08