I started writing this post in July of this year and forgot to finish it. Here you go:
I have previously written a post about tamoxifen. At that time, the consideration was aromatase inhibitor vs. tamoxifen and what is right for me. Per my oncologist, tamoxifen is the better choice at this time due to its bone and heart protective properties as compared to an aromatase inhibitor. The plan is for 2-3 years of tamoxifen then a switch to an aromatase inhibitor for 7-8 to complete the 10 years of treatment.
I have recently learned of certain supplements, medications, and food that should not be taken with tamoxifen and figured I would share. I was not told of these by my care team.
Supplements:
Fast forward to now, being off of tamoxifen. I wrote in my last post that I would explain the mechanism of action. Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). Due to this, tamoxifen acts as an anti-estrogen in breast tissue, blocking estrogen receptors to stop tumor growth, but acts as an estrogen-like substance in other tissues. This selective estrogen receptor modulator effect means it can improve bone density and lower cholesterol, but also increase the risk of uterine cancer and contribute to menopausal-like symptoms. This matters because I have a distant history of estrogen induced aural migraines. The hypothesis is that the tamoxifen may have recreated the environment for an aural migraine to resurface. Only time will tell.
All this to say, always speak up if you're feeling something that is off. There are options to get treatment or change treatment depending on what is causing the symptom. Don't just live with it or chalk it up to having cancer.
No comments:
Post a Comment