The interaction that takes place between two different medications is not always conducive to effective treatment because when medications are able to interact, it means that the effectiveness of the active medication treating the condition may be compromised. This article ponders the different features of Tamoxifen especially the moderate and strong inhibitors as well as the non-inhibitors as well as the benefits. Read on to familiarize yourself with the other features of Tamoxifen.
The strong and moderate inhibitors
All inhibitors, both strong and moderate have the capacity to inhibit CyP2D6 and are therefore able to hamper the effectiveness of tamoxifen in treating breast cancer or other conditions.
These are categorized below as Strong Inhibitors and “Moderate Inhibitors and shouldn’t be taken with tamoxifen.
However, there are also inhibitors which don’t block the activities of the CYP2D6 enzyme and will not therefore interfere with the effectiveness of the tamoxifen drug treatment and can therefore be taken in combination with tamoxifen without sullying its efficacy.
The list given below is by no means exhaustive and is subject to alterations over time.
If you are suffering from breast cancer, you should make it a point of having this list with you always as a reference point.
You should also ask your doctor about whether the medications you are now taking or which have been recommended for you to take are good partners for tamoxifen.
Strong Inhibitors
| Generic Names | Brand Names |
| Bupropion | Wellbutrin |
| Fluoxdtine | Prozac |
| Paroxetine | Paxil |
| Quinidine | Cardioquin |
| Thioridazine | Mellaril |
| Perphenazine | Tilafon |
| Pimozide | Orap |
| Clomiprimine | Anafranil |
| Ticdlopidine | Ticlid |
| Terbinafine | Kanusuk |
| Cinacalcet | Sensipar |
Moderate Inhibitors
| Generic Names | Brand Names |
| Duloxetine | Cymbalta |
| Sertraline | Zoloft |
| Diphenhydramine | Benadryl |
| Amiodarone | Cordarone |
| Trazodone | Desyrel |
| Cimetidine | Tagamet |
| Chlorpromazine | Thorazine |
SSRIs and SNRIs Non-inhibitors
| Generic Names | Brand Names |
| Venlavaxine | Effexor |
| Citalopram | Celexa |
| Escitalopram | Lexapro |
Tamoxifen Side Effects
If you are seriously thinking about taking tamoxifen for treating your breast cancer, you should also take time to ponder and get acquainted with its side effects.
The reason is that triggering Tamoxifen’s selective estrogen may some serious side effects which you may not even know yet and they can turn out to be more serious than you think.
For this reason it would be wise to know and ponder them so you can be in a position to either handle them or avoid been affected by them.
These side effects can include serious blood clots, stroke and also endometrial cancer. So if you and your doctor are thinking of including tamoxifen in your treatment regimen, you should let your doctor know if you smoke or that you have a history of blood clots or heart attack.
If you experience any one of the symptoms listed below and you are also taking tamoxifen, you should promptly call your doctor and let him know about your problem:
- strange abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge
- tenseness of pressure or pain in the pelvic region
- dizziness
- vision changes
- issues in speaking or comprehending
- numbness, weakness, or tingling in your leg, face, or arm
- difficulty when breathing
- chest pain
- tenderness or swelling in the leg
- sudden and severe headache
More common tamoxifen side effects
- absence of sex drive
- dry skin
- constipation
- hair loss
- hot flashes
- nausea
- mood changes
- fatigue
- depression
- Increase in bone pain
- headache
You may experience hot flashes and heavy sweating at night due to taking tamoxifen that may be bothersome to you.
However, a studypoints out that women who have experienced hot flashes and attacks of night sweats while taking hormonal therapy medication are less likely to have a recurrence of breast cancer.
A cause for concern has been a report from some women taking tamoxifen they’ve encountered memory issues while using the medication.
There’s no concrete scientific proof to affirm the report, but the problem is being put under a trial study in an ongoing Cognition in the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (Co-STAR) for studying the impacts of tamoxifen and raloxifene on and raloxifene on memory and thinking abilities.
For how long should you be taking tamoxifen?
The following approaches have been suitably recommended by the American Society of Clinical Oncology for patients suffering from breast cancer to follow the following recommendations:
- women who have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and are in their premenopausal stage should take tamoxifen over a 5 year period and the first phase of their hormonal treatment.
At the end of this first 5 year period of hormonal therapy, the next phase of the hormonal therapy for the second 5 years (to make up a total of 10 years of hormonal therapy), should be finalized by the woman’s menopausal condition:
- women in their postmenopausal stage may take an additional 5 years of tamoxifen or change to an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years.
- Women in their premenopausal stage should take another 5 years of tamoxifen
- women recently diagnosed in the postmenopausal stage have several options open to them:
- they could take another 10 years of tamoxifen
- take an aromatase inhibitor or 5 years as there’s insufficient medical evidence to support them taking an aromatase inhibitor for 10 years
- they could take tamoxifen for 5 years, and then change over to an aromatase inhibitor for an extra 5 years (to make up a total of 10 years of hormonal treatment)
- they could take tamoxifen for 2 to 3 years, and then change over to an aromatase inhibitor for another 5 years (to make up a total of 7 to 8 years of hormonal treatment)
- women in their postmenopausal stage who started taking aromatase inhibitor but failed to complete 5 years of therapy may switch to tamoxifen to complete 5 years of hormonal treatment.
- Postmenopausal women who started to take tamoxifen but failed to complete 5 years of treatment can change to an aromatase base inhibitor and take it for another 5 years (to make up a the total of 7 to 8 years of hormonal treatment.
Takeaway
When you decide to take tamoxifen as their drug medication for treating the breast cancer you’re suffering from, it’s not only critically important that you do so with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the medication you are taking, but that you are also conversant with the type of medications that can interact with the tamoxifen drug medication so that you can take it with confidence to heal your condition. We hope this article has helped you in this direction.