Aromasin...question for my mother-in-law

Gabe N Abby Mom

As many of you know my mother-in-law is also a survivor, she went through treatment about the same time I was. Her doc has recently started her on aromasin, and she is having a very hard time with the side effects. Joint pain in her hips is the most bothersome. She asked me to talk with all of you wonderful ladies on her behalf.

So if you can share...what are your side effects with aromasin? and how are you managing them?

Just so you know, she will be discussing the side effects with her doc too. Thank you in advance for all your help.

Hugs,

Linda

kame

4 years on Aromasin
I have been on Aromasin for 4 years and it has been very manageable. The only thing I noticed is that I had just a little stiffness in my hands first thing in the morning, now I don't notice that anymore. Your mother-in-law should talk to the doctor about it and they can try another similar drug.

Karen

Katz77

Well, mmmm I had been on
Well, mmmm I had been on femara for around 8 months. I went to see the NP at the cancer center for something and the issue of my hands came up. The hurt so bad, they even woke me up at night. She suggested aromasin. I was insucure cause I have been on Femara all this time and had a positive, meaning negative PET scan. I went ahead and switched and symptoms decreased. Only the index finger seems to hurt the same. I'm still wondering about switching. Feel the femara is what has kept me stable. So I requested femara and sure enough hands are starting back up. I think the aromasin is better for my joints. My onc had told me femara attacks small joints. I see him Mon., and will be asking the same thing you're wondering. Has your mom had any tests on on her bones? Don't think I helped answer your question. Def would ask MO. Katz

cabbott

Things to discuss
Talk to the oncologist about checking out this pain in a reasonably short amount of time so you can help her out. Things to check might include checking her D3 level. When it is low these aromatase inhibitors tend to cause a lot of inflamation. Other people genetically are predisposed to have joint pain with these drugs and just can't take them. In my case, I was clinically low on D3 and the prescription D3 cleared up symptoms in 2 days. I had been limping around for way over a year....don't let her suffer that long. Everyone with cancer often worries that every little pain is cancer coming back. That needs to be checked out,but just because you have cancer doesn't mean you can't have arthritis or lyme disease or something else that causes joint problems. With patience the doctor should be able to help her figure out what it is and what can help her get back to a less painful life ASAP.

CypressCynthia

Check vitamin d level
Linda, I am on another aromatase inhibitor, but all can have joint pain as a side effect. I have really been recommending all women with breast cancer, but especially those on an aromatase inhibitor (aromasin, arimidex or femara) have a vitamin d level checked (a 25-hydroxy vitamin d test is the most accurate). Low vitamin d levels have been associated with more joint pain. In fact, my level was quite low in spite of me taking lots of vitamin d and living where there is lots of sun. My sister (the physician) kept urging me to check it, but being a stubborn knucklehead, I kept insisting that she was seeing vitamin d issues because she lives in gloomy Seattle.

Well, she was right and I ended up seeing an endocrinologist and we now have my levels in the acceptable range and I have much less joint pain. Just so you know, there are studies looking at whether a low vitamin d level increases cancer risk in general and that is why I urge everyone to have your level checked.

Do not, I repeat, do not just assume you can take more vitamin d. High levels are not good for us either. Some links below for you from breastcancer.org, NIH and NCI:

Vitamin D Reduces Joint Pain

25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Test

Vitamin D and Cancer Prevention: Strengths and Limits of the Evidence