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Bicalutamide 150mg problems

User
Posted 07 Sep 2026 at 04:31

I've been on 150mg Bicalutamide for about 5 months. I have sore breasts and very unpleasant  dizziness. My oncologist doubted the dizziness and told me to drink more water. I've been told the dose can't be reduced, I've been offered  Zoladex injections instead. I'm due for radiotherapy around November and I've been told I can't have HIFU or the new 5-blasts method. I was told I could have radiotherapy at my local hospital but I suddenly got a message telling me to report to a central London hospital in two months. I suppose I can hold on but the dizziness is making everyday life difficult. I go out less and don't enjoy company as I used to. I can't easily access the oncologist. Communication seems haphazard. Do I just have to grit my teeth and wait?

User
Posted 07 Sep 2026 at 08:49

I did 150mg of Bicalutamide for six months and got the sore nipples. A don't recall any dizziness with the meds. Have you changed anything else in your daily routine.


Thanks Chris.


 

User
Posted 07 Sep 2026 at 08:56
No other change. I think different individuals respond differently. I was put out that the oncology consultant dismissed my report of dizziness. When I later saw a GP she told me to stop the Amlodipine I've taken for 25 years and I did but the dizziness has remained. My pulse is on the low side.
User
Posted 07 Sep 2026 at 09:44

Hello, Frustrated.


Welcome to the forum.


I'm not medically trained, but I've just done some internet research, and apparently dizziness is a well recognised side effect of Bicalutamide.


While the drug does not directly flush water out of the body like a diuretic, it frequently causes hot flushes and heavy sweating. This fluid loss from excessive sweating can rapidly lead to dehydration if you are not drinking enough water. Dehydration, in turn, causes your blood pressure to drop, which drastically intensifies dizziness and feeling lightheaded. Apparently it can, more rarely, also affect your red blood cell count, causing anemia leading to dizziness.


Best of luck, I hope that you manage to get things sorted.👍

Edited by member 07 Sep 2026 at 10:04  | Reason: Additional text

User
Posted 07 Sep 2026 at 10:47

If you are on Bicalutamide for more than 2 months, you should have been offered low dose Tamoxifen to take with it, 1 or 2 x 20mg/week. (You'll probably need to start on the higher dose for a month, since it should have been started with the Bicalutamide and takes time to build up to the working level. When starting out, you may find the tablets only give relief for a short time, and snapping them to take smaller doses more frequently might help with this, but that will resolve when you've built up the working dose in your system.) This prevents the breast gland pain (mastodynia) and growth (gynecomastia). It can reverse recent breast gland growth, but not anything long-standing.


(This does not apply to taking bicalutamide with injections or Relugolix.)


There are some medical conditions where you can't take it, e.g. history of DVT. Get your GP to check liver function after you've been on Tamoxifen for 3 months to make sure your liver is coping with it.


Breast gland pain and growth can happen on other hormone therapy medications too, but it's rarer, and in those cases, Tamoxifen is only provided if/when it happens. However, it's pretty inevitable when taking Bicalutamide alone, and I would say it should be prescribed with the Bicalutamide, but I know it often isn't.


Tamoxifen will not help with breast fat growth (which is painless), only breast gland growth (which is often painful).


Dizziness is a side effect of Bicalutamide, but not a common one. You could ask to switch to Relugolix or one of the hormone therapy injections, but having already got the breast gland pain, you will probably need the Tamoxifen anyway. If switching to injections, you should overlap with the Bicalutamide for a couple of weeks (not necessary if switching to Relugolix).

User
Posted 12 Sep 2026 at 12:34

I was on bicalutamide 150 mg for 2 years. I was on daily tamoxifen and I had no problem with my breasts. Its an off label use and most consultants don't offer it

User
Posted 13 Sep 2026 at 10:38

I also suffered with breast pain while on Bicalutamide. My Oncologist prescribed Tamoxifen and while it didn’t stop any growth, it stopped the pain very quickly.

 
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