Tamoxifen for breast cancer

About tamoxifen

Treatment options for breast cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments is used. Tamoxifen is a hormone treatment.

Some breast cancers need the female hormone oestrogen to grow. The cells of these cancers have receptors on their surface that oestrogen can attach to and are called 'hormone receptor-positive' cancers. Tamoxifen works by blocking the receptors and this prevents oestrogen from reaching cancer cells, stopping them from growing.

Before taking tamoxifen

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking tamoxifen it is important that your doctor or pharmacist knows:

• If you have unusual or irregular menstrual periods.

• If you have ever had a stroke, a blood clot in your lungs, or deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

• Wenn Sie schwanger sind oder stillen.

• If you have porphyria, a rare inherited blood disorder.

• If you are taking any other medicines. This includes any medicines you are taking which are available to buy without a prescription, as well as herbal and complementary medicines. It is also particularly important that you tell your doctor if you are taking a hormonal contraceptive ('the pill' or 'mini-pill') or hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

• Wenn Sie schon einmal eine allergische Reaktion auf ein Arzneimittel hatten.

How to take tamoxifen

• Before starting this treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. The leaflet will give you more information about tamoxifen and a full list of side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take one 20 mg tablet of tamoxifen each day, exactly as your doctor tells you to. Your dose will also be on the label of the pack to remind you.

• You may take tamoxifen at whatever time of day you find easiest to remember, but try to take your doses at the same time each day. This will help you avoid missing any doses. You can take tamoxifen before, during or after meals.

• Wenn Sie die Einnahme einer Dosis vergessen haben, nehmen Sie sie ein, sobald Sie sich daran erinnern. Wenn Sie sich erst am nächsten Tag daran erinnern, lassen Sie die vergessene Dosis aus. Nehmen Sie nicht zwei Dosen zusammen ein, um eine vergessene Dosis auszugleichen.

Das Beste aus Ihrer Behandlung herausholen

• Versuchen Sie, Ihre regelmäßigen Termine bei Ihrem Arzt oder in der Klinik wahrzunehmen. So kann Ihr Arzt Ihre Fortschritte überprüfen. Möglicherweise müssen Sie von Zeit zu Zeit eine Blutuntersuchung durchführen lassen.

• If you are having an operation, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking tamoxifen. This is because you may need to stop taking tamoxifen for a while before the operation.

• You must not get pregnant whilst you are on tamoxifen. Make sure you have discussed with your doctor which types of contraception are suitable for you and your partner, if this is relevant for you.

• Wenn Sie Medikamente kaufen, fragen Sie Ihren Apotheker, ob sie mit Ihren anderen Medikamenten eingenommen werden können.

Can tamoxifen cause problems?

Neben ihren nützlichen Wirkungen können die meisten Arzneimittel auch unerwünschte Nebenwirkungen haben, die jedoch nicht bei jedem auftreten. Diese bessern sich in der Regel, wenn sich Ihr Körper an das neue Arzneimittel gewöhnt hat. Sprechen Sie jedoch mit Ihrem Arzt oder Apotheker, wenn eine der folgenden Nebenwirkungen weiterhin auftritt oder lästig wird.

Important: your doctor will have discussed with you the possibility of less common side-effects. You must let your doctor know straightaway if you develop any of the following:

• Pain or swelling in your lower leg, or any sudden breathlessness. Taking tamoxifen can increase the risk of you developing a blood clot in a leg vein (also known as a DVT), or in your lungs (also known as pulmonary embolism, or PE).

• Any swelling of your face or throat, breathing difficulties, or a severe rash. These may be signs of an allergic-type reaction.

• Irregular or unusual vaginal bleeding or discharge, or pain in your lower tummy (abdomen). Your doctor will want to check to see if there are any changes in the lining of your womb that could cause concern.

If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to this medicine, discuss them with your doctor or pharmacist.

How to store tamoxifen

• Bewahren Sie alle Arzneimittel außerhalb der Reichweite und Sichtweite von Kindern auf.

• An einem kühlen, trockenen Ort aufbewahren, vor direkter Hitze und Licht schützen.

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