Could Tamoxifen/SERMs permanently imbalance Hormones??

Question

Hello, I'm 20 yrs old, been taking Tamoxifen citrate (Nolvadex) for gynecomastia for around 3 months at 30mg/day, and my beard, which isn't fully developed, is growing very uneven/patchy. I'm worried about possible hormonal imbalances due to the tamoxifen. Could there be a connection, and if so could it be permanent??

Please only reply if you know! thx.

Answer 1

Side effects of tamoxifen include:

blood clots (thrombosis)

endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterine lining)

abnormal growth of uterine tissue (endometriosis)

stroke

fertility issues

hair and nail thinning

Memory loss

Hair thinning may respond to the prescription medication Rogaine (chemical name: minoxidil), but taking this drug is expensive and time-consuming. In addition, it can cause side effects, such as skin rash or itchy skin. If you have heart disease, you should not take Rogaine because it has been shown increase heart rate and decrease blood pressure.

Answer 2

This is pretty complex and it's probably best to discuss this with your doctor - I presume you have an endocrinologist. Tamoxifen is an oestrogen receptor blocker (estrogen if you're American!) . Oestradiol (a type of oestrogen) is a hormone that can cause gynaecomastia if you have too much of it. It works by binding to a receptor on certain cells. Tamixofen blocks that receptor so oestrogen can't work properly. But I wonder if there are other hormonal things going on - e.g. do you have low testosterone? That would be the most likely cause of patchy beard growth. That's not related to the Tamoxifen but it could be a cause of the gynaecomastia.