Tamoxifen brands UK list? trying to find one that suits me!

Hi Jackie,

I will be interested in the answers to your thread.  I am off this afternoon to my GP to get my first tamoxifen - only 10 years to go!  I am just not sure how much leeway you get with GPs/pharmacists.  I really don't want lectured at or patronised that 'they're all the same'.  I'd read from an old thread that Teva is better but probably best for ladies who are on it, especially if they have also tried others, to confirm. 

Cheers,

Linda xx

Hi Linda

Yes I've done a fair bit of Googling and Teva is definitely the one Id like to try. I phoned my pharmacist earlier and they said they cant order specific brands, it's just listed as Tamoxifen and they get what they get! I shall be asking a few other local pharmacies if they can get Teva and if so, I shall ask for my prescription to be directed to them. As you say we are on this for 10yrs I cant cope with this, I have crawled through today at work, my brain is struggling to recover as it is! I hope your GP can prescribe the Teva let me know how you get on with it :-)

J

Hi Jackie,

That is really frustrating that your chemist said that.  I would definitely try some other pharmacies.  My GP was happy to put 'TEVA brand requested' on the prescription and the pharmacy will order it in for me.  It wasn't the brand they had on their shelf but she phoned the supplier there and then and they will have it in tomorrow.  They couldn't have been nicer about it.  Practice really seems to differ on this.  I deliberately chose the smaller chemist in my town as my impression of the other pharmacist is that he is a bit patronising and I could just see him arguing the toss! 

I've been getting continued joint pain, especially in hips, since my last chemo in April.  It was so bad that the oncologist sent me for an x-ray to put my mind at rest, which thankfully came back clear.  I know it wasn't logical and she said it's more likely that it's a menopausal thing as the chemo plunges you into menopause.  I've started taking fish oils which I think are helping but the last thing I need is tamoxifen making it worse.  I already think the Herceptin, which I have another 10 months of, is making me creaky. 

I wasn't in a hurry to fill out my tamoxifen prescription as it's been interesting to see what the pure Herceptin SE are, and I can now hopefully separate out the two. 

Good luck with the other chemists!

Linda xx

Hello all,

I have only had TEVA so far. It was the one they dispensed first time and the pharmacist said she'd heard different brands were suitable for different people so she said shed get whatever i wanted. And so far shes been true to her word. I write on the online repeat TEVA requested. It sometimes takes a bit linger if they don't have it in but thats it. Think I'm quite lucky with my little village pharmacy.

SEs have been minimal and some have gone after 4 months - fatigue (getting better), dryness (gone), hip flexor pain (gone as long as I make sure I stretch daily). I am currently debating if its giving me hair loss but i have very thick hair so not noticeable.

Good luck everyone with you're tamoxifen journeys!

Hi All 

I'm new to Tamoxifen too so very interested in this post, I have had a couple of weeks on RelonChem which seemed (I am putting it down to this anyway) to give me an urgency in the bladder department ..... not a route I want to go down!  Now off the tabs whilst having Radiotherapy (last one tomorrow! woo hoo!!) and things seem to have settled a little - has anyone else had this effect?

I've just picked up a new prescription of Mylan (Tamoxifen) so will have to see how it goes with these.  Anyone tried them?

I've not long finished chemo (April - EC-T x 8) so it's difficult to know if the achy bones are still chemo related or from the Tamoxifen.

Best wishes 

Aaarrgghh!!  Jac - don't say hair loss!  My hair is still really AWOL after the chemo which finished early April.  I think it's a combination of me just having shy follicles and perhaps a bit of Herceptin SE. 

When you say 'dryness', where do you mean?  I've got very dry eyes still. 

L xx

Bigbird3 - do you have to stop the tamoxifen when on RT? Nobody's mentioned that. 

Thanks,

Linda x

Hi Aspen 

I was told to come off it a week before RT by Oncologist, just had my end of RT meeting today and advised to go back on Tamoxifen one week post end of RT.

xx

I started tamoxifen about 2 weeks before rads and carried on all way through as advised by my oncologist!

another location variation perhaps!

Sorry Aspen 

dryness was down below shall we say ;-). To be honest wasn’t too much of an issue and did get better after about 6weeks.