Femara vs arimidex side effects

Common Questions and Answers about Femara vs arimidex side effects

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Avatar n tn Of course you can stop Femara if the side effects become too much to deal with. I have stopped Arimidex after three days, Femara after 28 days, and now Aromasin (?) after only three days as well. (And I did not take this lightly, believe me!) But you have to try something before you can make a decision the stop?
Avatar n tn Well, for me Arimidex was so very horrible, I barely lasted three days on it. I was in an almost catatonic state of depression two hours after I took the first dose, and then got just about every other bad side effect soon after. Femara, in comparison, relative to the other, was not so bad at all and I lasted almost thirty days. But not every woman has the same problems, or any at all. Many though do have some problems.
Avatar n tn t any osteoporous Femara causes swelling and bone pain I switch to Arimidex after being off Femara for 2 weeks and am not having the pain. Please look in to Femara side effects and possible changeing to another drug. I even was in physical therapy for two months because I thought it was me but no it was the drug..
Avatar n tn Please inform me of side effects of Arimidex. Also confirm whether clinical tests proved that arimidex really prevent cancer from returning. Recently I had a lumpectomy. The cancer was confined to the lump in my breast and did not spread to the limph nodes. I had a serie of 30 radiation treatments. My bone density is deteriorating, thus I would like to know whether I have to take osteobond 70mg weekly. Will arimidex contribute to loss of bone density? Thank you very much. Susan.
503702 tn?1276176714 I tried Femara for 3 months and couldn't handle the side effects. So stiff I couldn't get up out of a chair without help, etc. I switched to Aromasin, the newest of the aromatase inhibitors. Still bad side effects. My chiropractor suggested having my estrogen blood levels tested, and trying an experiment. Take Aromasin every other day for a few months, and see if it lowers my blood estrogen level enough. My blood estrogen level (estradiol) is now a *negative* 20!
Avatar n tn It is of course her decision re whether lowering the risk in her case is worth enduring the side effects. If she does choose to take an AI and the side effects of Arimidex are intolerable, she could see if she would do better on a different one. However, in at least one recent study, Arimidex came out ahead of the others in preventing recurrence. Best wishes to both you and your wife...
Avatar f tn After 5 treatments (5 weeks), I am about 65% bettter, and decided to remain off Femara for another 2 weeks until I am 100% so I will know the true effects of Arimidex after I start it. I asked my Acupuncturist if she had a herb I could take if I cannot tolerate Arimidex or Aromasin; she said there is something, so I am hopeful there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Novartis indicated that side effects usually resolve after 30 days which is not the case for me.
Avatar m tn You might discuss this with your Oncologist .... usually most side effects of Chemo will disappear after the drug has been discontinued. You should keep in mind however that you MUST weigh the side effects against the positive effect of taking the drug. Often you can be switched to another drug with similar benefits and lessen the side effects. All the drugs in this class can produce the same untoward effects but not all persons will experience all of them OR to the same degree.
1030058 tn?1252253572 I have now nearly completed 5 years of Arimidex, My Oncologist ir recommending that in October I change to Femara secondary to a clinical trial which has concluded that I am at some risk of the cancer still recurring. I am unsure about this as the side effects of the arimidex hot flashes, weight gain etc causing me to be on a high dose of Effexor are quite debilitating at times. What are my risks if I choose to just stop the Arimidex and not continue with a change to Femara...
Avatar f tn I saw a Professor of Endocrinology in Feb 2008, referred by my bc surgeon, as this guy has an academic interest in side effects of Arimidex. He suggested I continue with Arimidex and Fosamax to prevent further bone loss, but I cannot stand the pain and disturbance to my sleep. Does anyone have any experience of stopping Arimidex and getting a different med that does not have the side effect of bone pain?
Avatar n tn Hi there, Thank you for writing to us here, though I am sorry that you are struggling with side effects from the result of breast cancer medication. I am also a breast cancer survivor, however as I am triple negative, the hormonal drugs are not effective for me so unfortunately I cant speak from experience. However, that doesn't mean that I cant find out some interesting information for you in relation to libido and Arimidex.
Avatar n tn So I took Femara for one more year.The side effects were much less aggravating,but it still caused fatigue, arthritis,indigestion,muscle pain and weight gain. Finally my Surgeon told me to stop the drug and I did. In total I was taking these drugs for 4 years.I had absolutely no withdrawal side effects,quite the contrary ,I started to feel much better just a few weeks later.I felt like a new person again.
962875 tn?1314210036 As many of you know or have experienced, the AIs ( Arimidex, Femara, Aromasin), which are used to treat hormone-receptor positve breast cancer, often produce joint or muscle pain as a side effect. For about 20% of women, the side effects are so severe that they stop taking their medicine, which increases the risk that their breast cancer will recur.
Avatar n tn Hi, I first started taking Arimidex for 3 years,then changed to Femara due to pain and aches in my bones and muscles.The side effects were much less aggravating with Femara,but it still caused fatigue,indigestion,muscle pain and weight gain. Finally my Surgeon told me to discontinue the drug and I did. In total I was taking these drugs for 4 years.I had absolutely no bad withdrawal symptoms,but quite the contrary,I started to feel much better just a few weeks later.
Avatar f tn the data for ovarian cancer is not so clear. There definitely are side effects to femara! Tamoxifen usually gives the least side effects but Arimidex may be OK as well. For women with BRCA1 mutation, there is good information to suggest that a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy is the best risk reducing intervention. You should meet with a breast oncologist to discuss the pros and cons of this. best wishes to you!
Avatar n tn Im 7 years out, stage 1. Im 5 mos. into Femara and starting to feel some unwanted side effects and wondering what to do. I would love to be "drug" free and go on. Do you feel I should continue? Any information would be great. I will be discussing it with my physician shortly. Thanx.
Avatar n tn the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX include hot flashes, joint symptoms, weakness, mood changes, pain, sore throat, nausea and vomiting, depression, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, swelling of arms/legs, and headache. Fractures (including fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist) occurred more frequently with ARIMIDEX than with tamoxifen (10% vs 7%). As for the burning...I,personally,have never been able to use anything but Ivory. Allergies.
Avatar f tn Hi there. Shortness of breath is not a listed common (and even uncommon) side effects of femara and similar drugs. Femara's side effects most commonly involve the bones and the bone mineralization process with more tendency towards osteoporosis and sometimes fractures. I suggest that you inform your doctor about this, as this may be due to anxiety, lung, or heart problem (which can be a side effect of previous treatment like chemotherapy or radiation therapy). Regards and God bless.
Avatar f tn Hi, Even with a total hysterectomy,the body will still produce some estrogen which is effectively blocked with an aromatase inhibitor (such as arimidex,Femara etc). In one study, aromatase inhibitors were found to offer greater benefit than tamoxifen in Post- menopausal women.Tamoxifen blocks the estrogen especially to the breast tissue. This is an important distinction because aromatase inhibitors cannot be used in Pre- menopausal women.
Avatar n tn , does cause a lot of side effects including hot flashes,but the benefits must always be weighed against the possible risks.I am sure if your wife discusses her problem with her Oncologist something could be done to alleviate her discomfort without stopping the medication.Also a different drug,such as Femara could be more tolerable?I really don't know,but in my case I found that Femara was less problematic.
Avatar f tn Eventually a few months later I get to an actual fertility specialist. He put me on femara 2.5mg twice a day. I had no side effects from femara, whereas with clomid the side effects were terrible (moody, hot flashes, sore boobs, etc) femara was wonderful compared to clomid! my first cycle on femara I did not ovulate, but on my second round of femara i used hcg injection and got pregnant that way. good luck!!