Arimidex

cabbott said:

Arimidex
Nobody can tell you what the future holds. But if you read the research, some drugs are more effective than others in reducing the risk of cancer reoccurance and increasing your life span. Tamoxifen was great when it was invented and the research showed it was as effective as some pretty drastic surgery women used to go through to try to stay alive. Arimidex and the other aromatase inhibitors are twice as effective as Tamoxifen. I was on a cousin to arimidex for 5 years and finished my last pill last week. I would go back on it in a heartbeat if the research said it would increase my lifespan and reduce the risk of cancer. I had minimal side effects: hot flashes that I would have had anyhow were the worst of the effects. The drug didn't lower my LDL as well as Tamoxifen(I was on that for 3 years before the aromatase inhibitor). I learned that I needed vitamin D3 especially in the winter to protect my joints and keep them pain free. And I learned that I needed to avoid over-use injuries and exercise regularly to stay pain free. Overall, I was pain-free except when my D3 level fell.

Some folks are not able to take the aromatase inhibitors including Arimidex. They get arthritis type pain that doesn't go away until they go off the drug. These folks are not the majority though they certainly do have a recognized problem. Research is proceeding on finding out how to tell which women can't take the drug. Until then, the easiest way to find out if you can take it is just to try it out for a month or two. The side effects are nothing like chemotherapy and the main effect--a longer lifespan--is worth taking one pill a day for 5 years, at least for me. You will have to make your own decision.

The stats that I was given when I first got breast cancer is that Tamoxifen cuts your risk of a repeat cancer in half. Arimidex is twice as good as Tamoxifen. So if you have an aggressive breast cancer that reoccurs 50% of the time within two years, Tamoxifen cuts your risk to 25% of the time (or a 75% chance of making 2 years without a reoccurance) and Arimidex cuts your risk to 12.5% (or gives you a 87.5% chance of making 2 years without a reoccurance). If your chance of a repeat performance is less, then the benefit may be less spectacular, but it is still twice as good as Tamoxifen which was far better than doing nothing. We still don't have a sure cure, though we certainly need one. You have to decide what is right for you. Good luck!

CypressCynthia said:

Talk with your oncologist
I have been on arimidex for 2 years and have had few side effects: sometimes a crick in my neck. Almost any reasonable side effect beats cancer to me.

FYI, when I was first diagnosed with Stage 3A breast cancer in 1987, my prognosis was poor. The new kid on the block for my ER+ cancer was tamoxifen (similar to arimidex). Back then I took it for 7 years because no one had any idea how long to take it or even if I should take it.

It made sense to me to try a drug that kept my tumor from using my estrogen to feed itself. And tamoxifen is why I survived this long.

I had a recurrence in 2009 (bone mets) and was then put on arimidex. I have responded well to the arimidex and my doc says I will be on it until it stops working.

As to stats about whether your cancer will return without arimidex, I would have to have to have your path report and lab tests and then go through med school and an oncology rotation to interpret them...lol.

Seriously, do not underestimate or blow off your diagnosis. Fight as if your life were on the line, because it is. We have lost so many valiant warriors lately--there is no way I would recommend ignoring the recommendation of your doc.