Life on aromasin
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Professor 50
Your MO is full of sh*t. Normal menopausal women have a decent amount of estrodial floating about although much less than the estrogen prior to menopause. . Estrogens are the female "feel good" hormone. AI's completely depletes all the estrogen. There is none, zippo, zap, nada. That is not normal menopause and thus the reaction can not be normal.
I went into menopause about 47. After a year of being not so uncomfortable, I started HRT. I know what menopause feels like and I know what optimum hormone levels feels like.
AI feels like a special kind of misery.
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Wow, making you take it for TEN years? Mine's never been changed from five years and I've specifically asked. Two years left to go.
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I ended mine at 5 years but I was really early stage. I asked my MO about a year till the end and she said only 5, gads but glad for that
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I found I "returned to myself" after I stopped tamoxifen.
When I first brought up the problems of slow (mentally and physically) with the MO, she said it's natural aging. My PCP on the other hand said, well, estrogen to women is like testosterone to men, of course you'll feel slow without it. I stopped taking after almost 3 years. I know it's supposed to only block the receptors in breast but I don't think current science knows every aspect of how brain works yet. Since we patients can never be our own control study in the same time frame as we go with treatment, the doctors can always dispute our claims and argue the cause of symptoms is something else. We can never know if the chemo causes "more" mental fog than "just" the stress-induced mental fog from learning the cancer diagnosis in the same person. So the doctors stop listening.I just received Lupron injection yesterday. I was sitting in front of the desk 2 hrs later and suddenly felt a little bit the sensation of eye-watering and queasy. When I stood up and turned, I felt a tiny bit unstable. I could definitely tell the "onset" of something. But the sensations were very subtle. If I were driving, I probably wouldn't notice. Next, onto the Aromasin.
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Professor, I agree with Raider GIrl: Your MO is WRONG!! I went through natural menopause at 49, long before I had BC. I NEVER had any joint and bone issues with natural menopause, only when I started Arimidex and Aromasin
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I heard that Aromasin is less taxing on your joints and bones than the other AIs, but I get pretty bad joint pain. Has anyone switched to one of the others and if so, were they any better?
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I think it depends on your chemical make-up leslienva. I have not heard that any of them are "better" but I was told the same thing as you about exemestane...that it is the "least" troublesome for people. Could not prove it by me although I have not taken any of the other drugs. I was a hot mess on that drug. I am on a "holiday" per my MO and a nice long 3 months as she knew I was truly suffering and she felt that I have enough protection to get through that amount of time after taking it for two years.
As for this being "menopause" whoever said that should take the drug for a year or two and then come back and say that. This is NOT normal menopause. I was in menopause for almost 9 years when I began this drug and NO WAY. Raider Girl is right. We have some estrogen despite being done with our periods. To say it is all menopause is ridiculous. All of these women did not make this stuff up!
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Leslienva I've made the switch over a year ago after being on Anastrozole for 3 years. I was ready to quit AIs but I'm doing much much better physically on Exemestane.
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I made the switch a bit over 6 mos on an AI...first two being Arimidex and then Femara. An example of how each of us are different, Aromasin is the best of them for me. Don't get me wrong, it's not entirely great but it's about as good as it's going to get.
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Anyone have nausua as a side effect of Aromasin?
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bc101,
Aromasin made me feel slightly nauseous when I first started taking it. But, when I switched from taking it at night to taking it in the morning, I made sure to eat breakfast first and then do my meds. Taking aromasin after eating got rid of the nausea. Good luck!
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Hi Gals:)
I get occasional nausea, but as Elaine says have a breakfast first and it's not so bad.
I had really, really awful pain(agony) in my wrists, hands and arms 3 months in. Went after 5 -6 months.
Now at 10 months in I am really stiff and hobbling around like you see very elderly people do, or when someone has broken something! And it hurts. My achilles tendons are swollen and painful. It eases after walking around a while, fortunately.
Sorry, I'm feeling pretty down about things at the moment! Neck, shoulders and back hurt and click. Someone please tell me it's just our friend aromasin and not bl**y c***r again! Good grief, this is joint pain?
Or "normal" menopause, of course..
Hope you all are doing ok, and life is good
x x
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I get some nausea/reflux from time to time. So I added some Tagamet to my med regimen.
Martha
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I found Gaviscon really helps with reflux. My gastroenterology recommended it.
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songbird, sounds like classic exemestane body pain to me but then again, you and I have it pretty bad. I am feeling better since I am on a break and now the only thing that hurts like heck still are my knees but I also feel a little less like myself than I used to but perhaps that is due to *gasp* old age for realz...LOL
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Thanks April
It's not realz old age til we say it is!
x x
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I feel almost back to me again after 6 weeks off EXemestane, my skin is glowing and spot free, my joints are no longer stiff, and I feel a lot more positive emotionally, which i put down to not feeling as old, dried out and decrepid..........these drugs give us a menopàuse times 200....don´t remember who said that but it is a medical person......I am now seriously considering not going back on...........but will not decide yet as still on my holiday, one I gave myself as male oncologists have no clue,,,,,its not life, its fast aged existence
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I found this article while researching side effects of AIs. It suggests that those with joint pain actually have a lower recurrence rate than those who don't have joint pain. What gets me is that obviously the medical profession knows that women are having painful side effects, yet it doesn't look like they're doing much to help us out.
http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/03/06/annonc.mdt037.full
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so I've been off aromasin for almost three weeks. My MO wants to switch me to femera. Not quite sure how I feel about this. Ice been on aromasin since February and the knee, ankle, foot and arm pain and swelling became to much for me.
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Kellogg, who knows, I would try it and see how it goes, best wishes
I started on femara, switched to aromasin as I thought some leg pain was from the femara. It later turned out to be from my statin so when I changed that, all was cool
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thanks proudtospin. I'm going to try it and see what happens!
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Kellog, you have everything to gain from the meds!
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leslienva, that was a good article. Thanks for sharing. It really does show that doctors know how much joint pain is associated with AI's and that some of us truly suffer. Of course, I am overweight and so this adds to my joint pain, particularly my knees so am not surprised by that either and the fact that I already had a right knee issue that is now a lot worse is not a surprise either.
I am on an MO sanctioned break from exemestane and I cannot believe how much better I feel. It is a long break (3 months) cause she really wanted to sort out what is from old age/menopause and normal arthritis (which runs in my family with the women on my Mom's side big time) and what is AI induced arthralgia. I know now that most is definitely AI related for sure as my upper body stuff (arms, wrists etc.) are a whole lot better since I stopped taking it. My knee is the same on one side but markedly better on the "good" side. Ugh...we shall see if I go back to this after the 3 months is up. Not sure if I can bring myself to take this drug again but I was >95% ER+ so am worried that if I don't, my other breast is at risk.
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I was on Arimidex for several months before having a severe allergic reaction to it. I am now on month 2 of Aromasin and starting to feel the joint pain. My MO did not do a bone density test. Should I ask for one? I am in my early 40's.
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Arya,
I would, if for nothing else to establish a baseline. I got a dexascan a few months after starting Aromasin and it showed that I already have osteopenia. My MO upped the amount of calcium I should take daily.
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AryaS I did and got one before chemo. I was 49, have a family history and very small framed. I'm like the damn poster girl for it. I was found to be osteopenic. 2 years into AI I am just over the border into osteoperosis.
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Exactly what ElaineThere said. I am also showing osteopenia on my baseline after only a few months on aromasin. At least get a baseline so they can monitor you.
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years ago I tested positive for osteopenia, my doc put me on Fosamax and I stayed on it for about 5 years, then ended on my own.
when I started the AL, I had a DEXA done that showed that the Fosamax had done its deed and all was good
I then made sure I did tons of weight bearing exercises and managed to hold my bone density to the same for the 5 years on the AL
all cool now
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Had DEXA done pior to AL. At one year another DEXA showed a 10% loss grr. So now Zometa infusions every 6 months. Taking a aromasin vacation right now. Wrist pain makes it hard to even write my name...ugh. Still push to walk, dance, lift weights, and pound those bones. Hoping to complete 5 yrs...supplements&prunes&exercise.
Baseline and monitoring is imperative!
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I've only been on Aromasin about 6 weeks. Things were going well, almost no side effects at all and then this week it's really hit me, mouth pain, joint pain, depression. Same side effects I had on Arimidex. Should I expect it to get better or get worse? I can not imagine spending the next 5-10 years feeling like this.
Edited to add: This is my third try at hormonal therapy. I spent 8 months on Tamoxifen and it gave me a huge ovarian cyst and a uterine polyp. I had my ovaries out. Then spent 5 months on Arimidex which ended when I had a severe allergic reaction. I know with the severity of my diagnosis that this hormonal therapy is my best chance. I just am amazed at how hard they are on my body.
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