Nolvadex

Who is Nolvadex for ?

Your doctor has ordered the drug tamoxifen to help treat your illness. It is used to treat breast cancer. This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tamoxifen also is used to treat mastalgia and for decreasing the size and pain of gynecomastia (swelling and tenderness of the breast). Tamoxifen also may be useful in pancreatic, endometrial, and hepatocellular cancer. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.

Tamoxifen is an anti-estrogen that works by blocking estrogen in breast tissue. While estrogen may not actually cause breast cancer, it can stimulate some types of cancer growth. In these estrogen-dependent cancers, blocking estrogen may cause cancer cells to stop growing.

When should I be careful taking Nolvadex ?

Before taking tamoxifen,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to tamoxifen or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially anticoagulants ("blood thinners") such as warfarin (Coumadin), aspirin, and vitamins.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had liver disease or high levels of cholesterol.
• you should know that tamoxifen may interfere with the normal menstrual cycle (period) in women and may stop sperm production in men. However, you should not assume that you cannot get pregnant or that you cannot get someone else pregnant. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should tell their doctors before they begin taking this drug. You should not plan to have children while receiving chemotherapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. Tamoxifen may harm the fetus.
• tamoxifen has been associated with the development of endometrial changes such as hyperplasia, polyps, and endometrial cancer and with the development of uterine cancer. Talk with your doctor about the potential risk of developing a new cancer.

Side Effects

Although side effects from tamoxifen are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• "hot flashes" or sudden sweating
• vaginal discharge
• menstrual irregularities
• nausea and vomiting
• rashes or skin irritation
• leg cramps, bone pain, and pain at the tumor site
• swelling of the hands, feet, or lower legs
• fatigue
• dizziness
• headache
• thinning of hair
• loss of sexual desire or ability

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

• abnormal vaginal bleeding
• persistent pain or reddening around the tumor site
• blurred vision or problems seeing
• pelvic pain or pressure
• extreme weakness and sleepiness
• mental confusion
• pain and swelling of the legs
• shortness of breath