tamoxifen and I are NOT the best of friends

Okay, minor suckage for the day - tamoxifen and I are just NOT the best of friends. I’ve bailed on it again, and now, 5 days later, I’m beginning to feel SOOO much better!

Happy Birthday Blog!

I almost missed it, April 3rd a year ago this blog was born.
Three tidbits of news:
Remember that retreat in the Caribbean that I applied for? Looks like it might be a go,

Drugs not to take with tamoxifen: CYP2D6 inhibitors

For quick reference, here is my lay understanding of the list of drugs not to take with tamoxifen, thanks to http://medicine.iupui.edu/flockhart/table.htm.
CYP2D6 inhibitors:
Strong inhibitors:
bupropion (antidepressant, Wellbutrin, Zyban, Budeprion and Buproban)
fluoxetine (SSRI, Prozac)
paroxetine (antidepressant, Seroxat, Paxil)

Three months post-chemo & all’s right in the world

Just got back from my 3-month medical oncology checkup. My onc. was surprisingly accepting of the fact that I decided to take a short tamoxifen break while I’m finishing up rads. I was afraid he’d be mad, but he wasn’t at all. Whew. Not only that, he offered to do the [...]

tamoxifen holiday

I actually feel quite insane given what I rationally know to be helpful about tamoxifen (it increases my survival chances as much as chemo), but I seem to be deciding not to take it. A temporary drug holiday, until I’m recovered from rads. I’ve been beyond tired, what with a cold, rads fatigue [...]

Wellbutrin & tamoxifen DON’T mix, revisited

I first started taking wellbutrin in mid-2006, because I had overwhelming fatigue. Go figure, I had cancer. (A fact which we wouldn’t discover until 8 months later, but enough about that. For now.) I told my HMO at the time that I wasn’t depressed, I just felt very tired. [...]

Metabolizing tamoxifen

What an interesting time we live in. Turns out that there are specific genes that affect enzymes that metabolize drugs. And some drugs inhibit the enzymes. This is important for women taking tamoxifen, because if it’s not metabolized well then it has less protective value. For me, tamoxifen is supposed to increase [...]