Drug name: Tamoxifen

Other names used:

• Nolvadex®
• Soltamox®
• Tamone®

Active Ingredients:

• Tamoxifen

Therapeutic effects of Tamoxifen: Tamoxifen is classified under the group of medications called antiestrogens. It restrains the normal functioning of estrogen or the female hormone found in the breast. This arrests the development of some breast cancer tumors that require estrogen to grow.

Indications: Tamoxifen is administered to treat the following:

• Breast cancer that has extend to other parts of body in both men and women
• Breast cancer in women with previous experience of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatment
• This medicine is also used to decrease the risk of occurrence of more serious breast cancer in women who had ductal carcinoma in situ and had undergone surgery and radiation therapy
• To reduce the risk of breast cancer, that may occur due to age, personal and family history

Precautions and Restrictions: It is not advisable to use Tamoxifen if you are allergic to this medicine or its ingredients.

Prior to using this medicine talk to a doctor if you have any of the below mentioned conditions:

• Any kind of liver disorder
• Hypertriglyceridemia
• If you previously had blood clot or stroke
• If you previously had cataract
• If you are undergoing radiation therapy or chemotherapy

If you have the above mentioned conditions then stop using this medicine or ask your doctor for a dosage change.

Tamoxifen intake may increase your risk of developing fatal medical conditions such as uterine cancer, stroke, and blood clot in the lung. To know more about the health specific risks of this medication, please consult your doctor.

This medication is classified by the FDA under pregnancy category D. As such, Tamoxifen can post dangerous effects to an unborn baby. Do not use this drug without your doctor's consent if you are pregnant. Also tell your doctor if you became pregnant during treatment.

Use a non-hormonal form of birth control such as a condom, a diaphragm or a spermicide while under treatment with this medication. Continue to do so until 2 months after your treatment ends. To date, it is unconfirmed if Tamoxifen passes through the milk of a lactating mother. This medicine's possible effect on a nursed baby is also not yet determined. This medication is also said to slow down the production of breast milk. Do not consume this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Side effects of Tamoxifen tablets: Use of Tamoxifen tablets may lead to certain complications that are wholly or partly unintended. The side effects mentioned below are only a distant possibility and there are no prior proven records to show that these side effects will affect all users of this medicine.

Contact a doctor or emergency medical help provider if you have the following allergic reactions: swelling of the face, throat, lips, hands, and lower legs, breathing difficulty, hives, etc.

If you experience the below mentioned side effects then stop using this medicine and visit your doctor at once:

• Jaundice, dark stool and urine, poor appetite or appetite loss, mild fever, abdominal pain, and nausea
• Lumps in breasts
• Easy bleeding and bruising of the skin, pale skin
• Symptoms that resemble flu, body pain, cold, fever
• Pelvic pain or pressure on the pelvic area
• Irregular menstrual periods
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Swelling or pain in the legs
• Coughing blood, breathlessness, or pain in the chest
• Problem seeing, speaking, or balancing, confusion and sudden headache
• Weakness and numbness, more so in one side of the body

If you experience any of the following reactions, you can continue using this medicine but you should inform your doctor about your condition:

• Hair thinning
• Dizziness, cephalalgia
• Decreased libido, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm
• Sore throat, coughing
• Urge to vomit
• Decrease in body weight
• Weakness, depression
• Dryness or itching in vagina
• Swelling in both hands and feet
• Changes in skin
• Pain in the bones or joints
• Hot flushes, tingling sensation under the skin

These are just some of the side effects and this is by no means an exhaustive list of adverse effects caused due to use of Tamoxifen. For more information kindly consult your physician, pharmacist, or see the full details presented with Tamoxifen.

Interactions: Prior to using Tamoxifen tablets it's very important to consult a doctor and apprise him of the treatment or medication you are currently under and also get a prescription from your doctor before starting any new drug. This is to make sure that the combination of the two drugs is safe. Tamoxifen may interact with the following medicines:

• Anticoagulants such as Coumadin, warfarin
• Anastrozole such as Arimidex
• Bromocriptine such as Parlodel
• Aminoglutethimide such as Cytadren
• Rifampin (Rimactane, Rifamate, Rifater, Rifadin)
• Letrozole such as Femara

Additional Information: Medicines such as Tamoxifen should not be used without prior approval of a trained physician and don't share these drugs with anybody else. Tamoxifen tablets are made for specific conditions and it's not advisable to use for other purposes. Keep medicinal drugs out of the reach of children.