Very rarely, if side effects are severe, you may have to stop taking the drug and a different hormonal drug may be prescribed. Side effects are more common in pre-menopausal women who may develop menopausal side effects as a result of a reduced level of oestrogen. The commonest side effects, apart from nausea, are hot flushes and sweats, particularly at night. Sometimes the flushes will gradually lessen over the first few months but some women continue to have them for as long as they take tamoxifen. There are a number of ways to help reduce or control hot flushes and sweats.
Some women find it helpful to avoid or cut down on tea, coffee, nicotine and alcohol.
Evening primrose oil has been reported to be helpful in reducing sweats but it does not work for all women and it is very expensive. If you find your own therapist make sure he or she is properly qualified and registered. Recent research suggests that progesterone may be very helpful in controlling this unpleasant side effect. If you are having very troublesome hot flushes do not hesitate to discuss some of these treatments with your doctor. Although nausea is quite common initially it usually wears off after a few weeks.