How to take tamoxifen for gynecomastia in men
The drug is taken orally, where the substance is absorbed into the tissues, and its maximum concentration in the body occurs after 4-7 hours. To obtain the effect, it must be taken for at least 3-4 weeks.
Your doctor should explain how to take tamoxifen for gynecomastia, and he will also prescribe the required dosage, number of doses per day and duration of use.
General dosage guidelines include: a tamoxifen tablet should be swallowed with a small amount of water without chewing during meals. Depending on the patient’s condition, it may be prescribed once a day or twice a day.
Side effects
Tamoxifen for gynecomastia in men, if taken correctly, without intolerance to the active substance and following the dosage prescribed by the doctor, should not give any serious side effects.
Rarely, the following side effects may occur in men:
- lack of appetite, attacks of nausea and vomiting, pain in the abdominal area;
- the number of liver enzymes may increase and even lead to liver dysfunction;
- the appearance of headache, fatigue, dizziness, deformation in the cornea, impaired vision;
- individually, a rash may appear on the skin;
- with insufficient or too high levels of certain micronutrients, hypercalcemia may develop;
- increased body temperature;
- baldness of various types;
- bone pain.
If side effects occur while taking the drug, you must stop taking the drug and consult a doctor.
Tamoxifen Hexal
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adverse reactions are classified according to their frequency of development as follows: very common (≥1/10), common (≥1/100, <1/10), uncommon (≥1/1000, < 1/100), rare (≥1/10000, <1/1000) and very rare (<1/10000); frequency unknown - based on available data, it was not possible to determine the frequency of occurrence.
Blood and lymphatic system disorders
often
: transient anemia;
infrequently
: leukopenia, transient thrombocytopenia;
rarely
: agranulocytosis, neutropenia;
very rarely
: severe neutropenia, pancytopenia.
Endocrine system disorders
often
: hypercalcemia (especially in patients with bone metastases at the beginning of therapy).
Metabolic and nutritional disorders
Often
: fluid retention in the body;
often
: increase in the concentration of triglycerides in the blood plasma;
very rarely
: significant increase in plasma concentration of triglycerides (sometimes in combination with pancreatitis);
frequency unknown
: weight gain, anorexia.
Nervous
system
often:
headache, dizziness, sensory disturbances (including paresthesia and dysgeusia);
frequency unknown:
depression, confusion, photophobia, drowsiness.
Visual disorders
often:
visual impairment (only partially reversible, due to the development of cataracts, corneal changes and/or retinopathy. The risk of developing cataracts increases as the duration of tamoxifen therapy increases);
rarely:
optic neuropathy, optic neuritis (in rare cases with the development of blindness).
Vascular disorders
often:
leg cramps, transient ischemic attacks, thromboembolism, incl. thrombosis of small vessels, pulmonary embolism (the risk of thromboembolic complications increases with combination therapy with cytotoxic drugs), deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities;
infrequently:
stroke;
Disorders of the respiratory system, chest organs and
mediastinum
infrequently
: interstitial pneumonitis;
Gastrointestinal disorders
Often
: nausea;
often
: vomiting, diarrhea, constipation;
Disorders of the liver and biliary tract
often:
increased activity of “liver” transaminases, fatty liver;
infrequently:
cirrhosis of the liver;
very rarely:
cholestasis, hepatitis, jaundice, hepatocyte necrosis, liver failure (including fatal).
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Often:
skin rash (including isolated reports of erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, bullous pemphigoid);
often:
alopecia, hypersensitivity reactions (including angioedema);
rarely:
cutaneous vasculitis;
very rarely:
cutaneous lupus erythematosus;
frequency unknown:
hives
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
often:
myalgia;
Genital and breast disorders
Often:
vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, menstrual irregularities (including amenorrhea in premenopausal women);
often:
itching in the genital area, enlarged uterine fibroids, proliferative changes in the endometrium (neoplasia, hyperplasia, polyps, rarely - endometriosis);
infrequently:
endometrial cancer;
rarely:
polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine sarcoma (usually malignant mixed Müllerian tumor), vaginal polyposis, decreased libido in men, impotence in men.
Congenital, hereditary and genetic disorders
very rarely
: porphyria cutanea tarda.
General and administration site disorders
Often:
paroxysmal sensations of heat (“hot flashes”) (due to the antiestrogenic effect of tamoxifen), increased fatigue;
rarely:
ossalgia (bone pain), pain in the area of affected tissues (especially at the beginning of therapy);
frequency unknown:
increase in body temperature.
Injuries, intoxications and complications
of manipulation
are very rare:
reactivation of radiation burns.
Cautions
Tamoxifen should not be taken for gynecomastia in the following cases:
- intolerance to the active substance or any other component of the drug;
- with the possibility of developing thrombosis;
- if there is a high calcium content in the blood and for any blood diseases;
- You should absolutely not take this drug if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes;
- in the presence of any disease of the kidneys and genitourinary system;
- for some pathologies of the eye area.
The listed points are just the tip of the iceberg. Before taking any medicine that affects the hormonal system, it is necessary to undergo a medical examination, on the basis of which one could draw a conclusion about the need and possibility of taking this medicine.
I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that it is necessary to understand with which drugs tamoxifen can be taken in parallel, since improper combined use can lead to both the malfunction of both drugs and the development of pathologies with long-term use. For example, tamoxifen in combination with anastrazole reduces the effect of anastrazole, and in combination with busulfanam the risk of toxic manifestations of both drugs significantly increases. That is why it is necessary to coordinate the use of several medications with a qualified specialist who knows everything
Tamoxifen Hexal tab 20mg N30 (Salyutas)
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adverse reactions are classified according to their frequency of development as follows: very common (≥1/10), common (≥1/100, <1/10), uncommon (≥1/1000, < 1/100), rare (≥1/10000, <1/1000) and very rare (<1/10000); frequency unknown - based on available data, it was not possible to determine the frequency of occurrence.
Blood and lymphatic system disorders
often
: transient anemia;
infrequently
: leukopenia, transient thrombocytopenia;
rarely
: agranulocytosis, neutropenia;
very rarely
: severe neutropenia, pancytopenia.
Endocrine system disorders
often
: hypercalcemia (especially in patients with bone metastases at the beginning of therapy).
Metabolic and nutritional disorders
Often
: fluid retention in the body;
often
: increase in the concentration of triglycerides in the blood plasma;
very rarely
: significant increase in plasma concentration of triglycerides (sometimes in combination with pancreatitis);
frequency unknown
: weight gain, anorexia.
Nervous system
often:
headache, dizziness, sensory disturbances (including paresthesia and dysgeusia);
frequency unknown:
depression, confusion, photophobia, drowsiness.
Visual disorders
often:
visual impairment (only partially reversible, due to the development of cataracts, corneal changes and/or retinopathy. The risk of developing cataracts increases as the duration of tamoxifen therapy increases);
rarely:
optic neuropathy, optic neuritis (in rare cases with the development of blindness).
Vascular disorders
often:
leg cramps, transient ischemic attacks, thromboembolism, incl. thrombosis of small vessels, pulmonary embolism (the risk of thromboembolic complications increases with combination therapy with cytotoxic drugs), deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities;
infrequently:
stroke;
Disorders of the respiratory system, chest organs and
mediastinum
infrequently
: interstitial pneumonitis;
Gastrointestinal disorders
Often
: nausea;
often
: vomiting, diarrhea, constipation;
Disorders of the liver and biliary tract
often:
increased activity of “liver” transaminases, fatty liver;
infrequently:
cirrhosis of the liver;
very rarely:
cholestasis, hepatitis, jaundice, hepatocyte necrosis, liver failure (including fatal).
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Often:
skin rash (including isolated reports of erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, bullous pemphigoid);
often:
alopecia, hypersensitivity reactions (including angioedema);
rarely:
cutaneous vasculitis;
very rarely:
cutaneous lupus erythematosus;
frequency unknown:
hives
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
often:
myalgia;
Genital and breast disorders
Often:
vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, menstrual irregularities (including amenorrhea in premenopausal women);
often:
itching in the genital area, enlarged uterine fibroids, proliferative changes in the endometrium (neoplasia, hyperplasia, polyps, rarely - endometriosis);
infrequently:
endometrial cancer;
rarely:
polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine sarcoma (usually malignant mixed Müllerian tumor), vaginal polyposis, decreased libido in men, impotence in men.
Congenital, hereditary and genetic disorders
very rarely
: porphyria cutanea tarda.
General and administration site disorders
Often:
paroxysmal sensations of heat (“hot flashes”) (due to the antiestrogenic effect of tamoxifen), increased fatigue;
rarely:
ossalgia (bone pain), pain in the area of affected tissues (especially at the beginning of therapy);
frequency unknown:
increase in body temperature.
Injuries, intoxications and complications of manipulations
are very rare: reactivation of radiation burns.
Specialist consultation
To get a positive effect from taking tamoxifen for gynecomastia in men, it is better to consult an endocrinologist who will work with the patient individually, will be able to collect anamnesis, help determine the dosage, explain which drugs can be combined with and which cannot, and information received from a specialist will be much more useful than reviews of the drug on the Internet and from friends.
I, Romanov Georgy Nikitich, provide paid online consultation services. More than twenty years ago I received a higher medical education and became a practicing endocrinologist. Today I am a candidate of medical sciences, I see patients in my clinic and conduct consultations online. Over the years of work, I have gained enormous experience and helped many of my patients return to normal life.
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