Aromasin

Hi Tara,
I was on Tamoxifen and Arimidex about 5 months ago right after I finished Radiation. Both were intolerable for me. I have been on Femara (at 9 months recovery... and it's not bad so far. Only been a week. I get some joint pain occasionally but not bad. I wrote last week asking questions if anyone knew about the Femara. Someone said she also couldn't tolerate the Femara and was trying Aromasin? I think? It could have been Arimidex. If it really bothers you ask to try something different. We are all so different as to our side effects it's unreal.
I'm still getting over my leg and bone pain, which from what I've learned on this website is from the Taxotere. But, I had all 3 TAC at once. So pretty heavy duty chemo. Anyway, PLEASE tell him about your pain. We've gone through enough.
Kathy R

Hi Again Tara,
I have now been on the Femara now a week. On the Arimidex and the Tamoxifen I had side effects within 3 days and had to quite it. As we all know, we all react differently to these drugs.
However, I am having GREAT luck with the Femara. An occasional hot flash, a little nausea but aches and pains in my joints is practically nothing. I am still having the side effects from the TAC with my legs and it's not any worse at all with the Femara. I was so paranoid, but right now am glad the side effects are so minimal compared to the Arimidex and Tamoxifen.
I have the "Sample" bottles with a 30 day supply for a few months...(just to be sure) and I have to call my insurance company to see if it's covered. Since some of these new drugs are costing around $60.00 or more! I don't think I can afford that for 5 years!
Anyway, Femara is wonderful in my book compared with the aches and awful side effects I had with the others. Check with your Onc. and see if they have Samples available. They should since buying a prescription is a waste of money if the drug debilitates you.
((HUGS)) & Hang in There!
Kathy R.

krkath said:

Hi Again Tara,
I have now been on the Femara now a week. On the Arimidex and the Tamoxifen I had side effects within 3 days and had to quite it. As we all know, we all react differently to these drugs.
However, I am having GREAT luck with the Femara. An occasional hot flash, a little nausea but aches and pains in my joints is practically nothing. I am still having the side effects from the TAC with my legs and it's not any worse at all with the Femara. I was so paranoid, but right now am glad the side effects are so minimal compared to the Arimidex and Tamoxifen.
I have the "Sample" bottles with a 30 day supply for a few months...(just to be sure) and I have to call my insurance company to see if it's covered. Since some of these new drugs are costing around $60.00 or more! I don't think I can afford that for 5 years!
Anyway, Femara is wonderful in my book compared with the aches and awful side effects I had with the others. Check with your Onc. and see if they have Samples available. They should since buying a prescription is a waste of money if the drug debilitates you.
((HUGS)) & Hang in There!
Kathy R.

I have been on Femara since late Dec 05. I have more side effects with Femara than during any of my Chemo treatments from July to December! Primary problem for me is JOINT PAIN - big time. Two things have helped me significantly - exercise and a very strong glucosamine supplement that I take daily. The supplement is one that is made for horses...worked so well on my mare that I thought I'd try it myself. My doctor went over the ingredients and has no problem with it the ingredients or the doseage. If anyone is curious to try it is called RecoveryEQ - they have a website that you'll find by doing a search with that name. I take 1-1.5 teaspoons in orange juice along with my ProGreens every morning. Absolutely convinced that it cuts my joint pain by 75%. I have gone off of it for two weeks to see how much difference it made - I'm on it for good now. Hope this may be helpful - don't forget the exercise part too. If you're like me it hurts to move - but ya gotta move...go for a 20 minute walk everyday. You'll feel MUCH better!

I'm just headed in that direction, last chemo yesterday. But before my onc will put me on anything, she is going to order a complete body bone density scan. See if I also need Fosomax. I have light density bones already....take calcium sups, but may not be enough she says.
Could some of this be from calcium drop? I get pain in joints when I forget to take my calcium supplements.
Hugs,
Kathi

Susan956 said:

I have been on Arimidex for about 3 months. I haven't noticed any significant joint pain. But because I have had problems with my knee for years(been rebuilt twice) I have been on Celebrex for about 4 years. So I wonder if that may be giving me some protection against joint pain. I also excersise regularly. I learned with my knee pain that it was always better when I exercised regularly... Seems odd.. but the exercise does help. Don't know if something like Celebrex will help but it may be worth at least asking.

I was reading the comments here, since I too had joint pain while taking Arimidex (since Sept. 05). I was about ready to switch, in December, to avoid the side effects, but my oncologist suggested I continue until my next visit. I then had knee swelling in January, unrelated to the meds, I think. Anyway, the osteopath gave me a steroid shot, told me to excercise on a stationary bike, and to cut back on the ibuprophen (which was 800 mg twice or three times a day). Well, I listened, started using the bike, totally cut out the ibruprophen, and now I have no joint pain that I have had from the Arimidex! It had to be the exercise, which is only 20-30 minutes every other day. (The only other thing that I had changed was to take 50,000 iu of Vit D once a week, after a blood test and at the direction of my endocrynologist. I do not know if the Vitamin D had any effect on the pain). I am now a firm believer in this exercise, plus I have added walking as much as possible. It's amazing how exercising alleviated my pain, instead of increasing it! Susan956 has a great point! If you can do exercise, try it. It certainly helped me.