In: Nursing
diagnosis code for problem
The patient returned to her oncologist’s office for further evaluation of her severe hot flashes that were thought to be due to her prescribed tamoxifen for her history of breast cancer in remission. The patient had been seen in the office three days ago when the drug was discontinued and received a follow-up visit today to address her continuing side effect from the drug.
Tamoxifen is the most-prescribed selective estrogen receptor modulator. Women and men diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive, early-stage breast cancer after surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer recurring and if diagnosed with advanced-stage or metastatic hormone-receptor-positive disease.
It also reduce breast cancer risk in women who haven't been diagnosed but are at higher than average risk for the disease but it won't work on hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer.
Side effects of tamoxifen are -
Tamoxifen's selective estrogen activation effects can cause some serious side effects like blood clots, stroke, and endometrial cancer.
The most common side effects of tamoxifen are:
increased tumor or bone pain
hot flashes
nausea
fatigue
mood swings
depression
headache
hair thinning
constipation
dry skin
loss of libido
Hot flashes or night sweats from taking tamoxifen can be troubling women who experienced hot flashes and night sweats while taking hormonal therapy medicine were less likely to have the breast cancer come back again .So in this case too patients severe hot flashes is due to discontinuation of drug as a side effect.