I tried first tamoxifen made me tired and nausous then I tried Femara, the pain was so great in my joints and muscle went off it I am now on Arimidex and 5 months into it it seems ok. I have gone off it once before one of my races because of pain. Arimidex is in the same family as femara only a little gentler..As my doctor said he doesn't know if it will help and it is not chemo but I am 16 months past chemo and have been on an estrogen blocker the whole time.
I couldn't take tamoxifen am know now am on arimidex. although at times i feel stiff it is better than tamoxifne and for get about femarar i felt 200 years old. i am estrogen positive which is why I am on arimidex It sometimes makes me achey and sometimes my stomach bothers me but i go off for a couble of days and then back on it.
Anyone taking Arimidex or has taken it in the past. I am looking for feedback if it helped lower the ca 125???
My CA 125 is rising from 93 to 156 and now in the 230's... however nothing has changed on my pet scan and no
measurable disease... I am seeing my onc on Monday...and he had recommended to try if i want Arimidex.
I have other options like trying different chemo's... but then we are just treating the number... I wanted to give this
a try.... what do you think...
arimidex or femara, has this common side effect of diminishing bone mineral density that may cause your pain. I believe that femara may cause the same symptoms. A plausible brilliant solution is to take these drugs together with bone protective agents such as fosamax, though the effect of pain lowering may not be immediate.
I am taking Aromasin,( the generic ) after being taken off Arimidex because of severe side effects. Soon after I had to have cataract surgery, and after 2 months of perfect vision, I had to have laser surgery in the same eye due to deteriorating vision. It's been over a year since my cataract surgery and my vision is getting worse in both eyes and I am experiencing severe pain at times after waking up.
t used Femara yet. I started on Arimidex and after 6 months had to switch to Aromasin because with Arimidex moving my thumbs became extremely painful and it was moving into my elbow and then my hip. Things improved dramatically, then after a year on Aromasin my hips started aching and I dreaded getting out of bed and standing up. I am convinced it is due to the Aromasin. I'm just 53 so that seemed ridiculous.
I also had my ovaries removed in Jan09 so it is hard to tell if the Arimidex causes the hot flushes or the surgical menopause. No depression or mood swings. All these things are more inconvenient than anything else. Whatever your doctor prescribes just try and if you find it intolerable, tell the doctor and try another. Anything that can prevent a recurrence is worth it. Good luck.
Another blogger asked the question about the wisdom of taking an aromatase inhibitor with little or no breast tissue remaining. There are studies of mortality and cancer reoccurence after using these drugs, but her oncologist could site no specific results of women who had bilateral mastectomies. Do you know of such a study?
Additionally, there are many side affects of these aromatase inhibitors.
The side effects are the pits, but I take meds and acupuncture, ultrasound, etc for them. Aromasin is the latest in the Tamoxifen/Arimidex family. It's supposed to reduce estrogen by nearly 95%.
I haven't grown facial hair or anything, but I've stopped asking for directions when I'm lost. Just kidding!
Best of luck to you.
Many studies have shown that there is sufficient evidence to support that Arimidex or other similar drugs, reduce significantly the risk of recurrence as well as cancer in the opposite breast, especially if you had an aggressive type of breast cancer.Unfortunately,this medication which is a "necessary evil", does cause a lot of side effects,but the benefits must always be weighed against the possible risks.
I have been diagnosed with HER 2 and estrogen positive breast cancer and been treated with chemotherapy and Herceptin. My oncologist has recommended a five-year treatment of Femara; however, I have high blood pressure (norvasc), osteopena (sp) and high cholesteral (pravachol). I really don't want to take fossamax or any more drugs than necessary, but also do not want a recurrence of breast cancer.
Hi Everyone, After 3 months of Femara I suddenly developed carpel tunnel syndrome. My entire right arm became numb in the middle of the night; I thought I was having a stroke or heart attack. I called Novartis & they sent me the requested 9 pages of info about musculoskeletal side effects, the most common being carpel tunnel & trigger finger. I saw a hand specialist who provided hand braces and said I would eventually need the surgery.
Hi - after I finished chemo and starting rads in 2003 I was prescribed tamoxifen, took it for 2 months and my Oncologist changed me to Arimidex (one of the aromatose inhibitors) which I think has a 50% better prognosis for non recurrence than the old "gold standard" tamoxifen. I was thrilled, as it had just come on to the market here in England.
However, 4 yrs down the line, I stopped it 4 weeks ago, due to severe bone pain (hips, hands and feet) and the pain has gone!
9 Can you tell when you are getting a recurrance. I have been on arimidex and lately have felt nausaus lately. went off the arimidex today since that is often a side effect but if this doesn't go away can this be a sign of a recurrance. otherwise i feel fine and i see my doctor in four weeks. I always hate the time coming up to an exam. I know it can all be in your head. any ideas out there.
If her cancer is estrogen receptor positive as well as being slow growing, then the hormone therapies like Femara, Aromasin, Arimidex, etc. seem to be the best choice at the moment. Those are drugs that were primarily given to post chemo breast cancer patients since breast cancer is usually estrogen related.
I am also taking Aromasin for bc. Stopped alendronate (I am osteopenic due to 30 yrs of prednisolone and Arimidex) in case this caused the oesophagitis. Would appreciate your advice.
When I say that I tried Arimidex, Tamoxifin, and Femera..... Arimidex made my joints so stiff and sore that I couldn't even walk without extreme pain. So I was put on Tamoxifin and within 3 months my WBC dropped to 1.3 which is one of the rare side effects. At that time I was changed to Femera, shortly after that I had vaginal bleeding so they did a D/C and 2 weeks later I started bleeding again.
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