Is Tamoxifen liver toxic or not?

[aux513s]

I've been doing a little research on anti-estrogen medications as well as testosterone replacement therapy. Since my gynecomastia is of a relatively recent onset (less than two years) and I know it's been caused by primary hypogonadism, I think that hormone therapy could really help me.

On the thread "important information for gynecomastia"
it was said by someone that the anti-estrogen drug tamoxifen was "highly liver toxic". However, I came across a breast cancer site with detailed info on Tamoxifen. It lists the side effects into categories of dangerous, minor, and rare/unproven:

http://www.breastcancer.org/tre_sys_tamox_sideEff.html

Liver cancer is listed in the rare/unproven category and it has this to say:

"Studies conducted so far show that tamoxifen does not increase your chance of getting liver cancer. Liver cancer has been associated with high doses of tamoxifen in rats, but Dr. Walter Troll, an early investigator of tamoxifen (and the husband of a woman who has had breast cancer), says you can get liver cancer from this medication only if you are a rat. In other words, this effect may be specific to the biology of rats—even laboratory mice do not get liver cancer from tamoxifen."

So is this right? Does anyone have any evidence that points to the contrary?

[vaio]

See your Doctor and get a refferal to see an  Endocrinologist. Explain to him the problem. Don't buy prescriptions illegally over the net and experiment.

[theweeninjaguy]

tamoxifen (nolvadex) is mildly liver toxic but no more so than a shot of whiskey or a couple of beers every day.

if you're worried you can take 1500mg of milkthistle or 1000mg of NAC every day while on it but personally i don't bother.

and also going to see a specialist is an excellent idea in an ideal world but we don't live in an ideal world. nolvadex has very few side effects and fewer drug interactions. there are a few cases where you should not take nolvadex ie if your pregnant (remember it's a breast cancer drug) but from experience and the experience of the many people i know who take this i can honestly say the side effects are not really noticable at doses lower than 100mg ed. and there's no need at all for you to be takign such a dose.

i'll not advise further on this as i'm waiting for simon to reply to my email - i don't want to break any board rules by giving advice re prescription meds over the board but i have reversed gyno and many people i know have reversed gyno thru self medication. and not just steroid related gyno but the soft gyno common during puberty that you can still have when your 30 odd!

ninja

[Spleen]

See an endocrinologist.

[theweeninjaguy]

See an endocrinologist.

think this may have been what i said!

ninja

[jc71]

see an endocrinologist.

[aux513s]

Bump.