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Life on aromasin

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Comments

  • april485
    april485 Member Posts: 1,983
    edited September 2015

    I am so very happy to hear that some of us have minimal issues with this drug. I wish it were me, but in comparison to recurrence, I will take the pain (at least today..lol) and will see how I do after my long hiatus of 3 months. My MO seems to think it might help. So far, the pain in my joints is tolerable but have only been back on since 8/24...we shall see...

    Hugs to all my "romie" sisters!

  • orknitter
    orknitter Member Posts: 65
    edited September 2015

    I have a question for all of you on exesmestane, what time of day do you take your pill? I started 2 weeks ago and am taking it at night before bed but the label says to take with food? Is there a reason for that?


  • feelingfeline
    feelingfeline Member Posts: 5,145
    edited September 2015

    mine is the same says take with or directly after food, I take it straight after breakfast as it also advises take it about the same time every day, and breakfast is the meal most likely to be at a similar time every day for me. Some pills advise "with food" for reasons such as they may be better absorbed with food, or cause less gastric irritation or SE's such as dizziness if taken with food.

  • proudtospin
    proudtospin Member Posts: 4,671
    edited September 2015

    I was a morning pill person and took it with my morning yogart

  • elainetherese
    elainetherese Member Posts: 1,635
    edited September 2015

    I take my aromasin after breakfast every day, along with some other meds. They all seem to hit at once and I have "med head" for about 10 minutes (I feel spacey). But, then I'm fine.

  • treelilac
    treelilac Member Posts: 138
    edited September 2015

    I read somewhere on the forums that mornings are better in terms of avoiding sleep disturbance. I experimented a bit and found for me the best times were as early as possible. If I took the pill after 10:30 a.m., it would definitely affect my sleep quality.

  • WaveWhisperer
    WaveWhisperer Member Posts: 557
    edited September 2015

    I also take Aromasin and a handful of other pills right after breakfast. Like Elaine, I feel a bit weird for about 10-15 minutes afterwards, but it goes away. I have another handful of pills to take at night.

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited September 2015

    I take mine in the morning after I eat something

  • claireinaz
    claireinaz Member Posts: 714
    edited September 2015

    I'm one of the weird ones that takes it at night. I found tamoxifen and arimidex would give me worse hot flashes in the day if I took it in the morning--I teach at a univ. and hate to pour sweat in front of my students when i teach--, so I just kept with my previous routine and take aromasin at night. I don't find any sleep disturbances and with the 5-HTP (Gawd, I sound like a commercial for that supplement, but it's pretty amazing stuff) I am sleeping a lot better anyway.

    Taking meds with or without food never made a difference to me, so I've ignored those directives all my life.

    Claire in AZ

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited September 2015

    Clairenaz I have a history of acid reflux so I always take my pills with food unless specifically directed not to.

  • doxie
    doxie Member Posts: 700
    edited September 2015

    I take my pills in the morning. so only life disrupts my sleep at night. I remember because I give my doxie her pain med at that time also. It's motivating to remember so I don't arrive home to an old blind dog whimpering in pain. She's not old in my avatar photo.

  • claireinaz
    claireinaz Member Posts: 714
    edited September 2015

    Iago, that makes perfect sense. Luckily I've never had that particular problem (thank goodness, because I've had plenty of others) so I take my thyroid med in the a.m. and exemestane in the evening. I'm down to two meds now. Amazing considering how many I had to take during active tx. I feel very lucky and grateful.

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited September 2015

    I take Exemestane and then 2 more for SE if counting the Prolia. All the rest are suppliments.

  • feelingfeline
    feelingfeline Member Posts: 5,145
    edited September 2015

    Doxie - hope your sweet Doxie is well. I was wondering if she was the one in the Avatar! Lucky she has you to care for her.

  • doxie
    doxie Member Posts: 700
    edited September 2015

    Thank you, feelingfeline. Besides chronic back problems typical in doxies, she has an enlarged heart and acquired sudden and complete blindness last spring. Still she manages and is loved by my two cats. And loves them back.

  • songbird68
    songbird68 Member Posts: 127
    edited September 2015

    Hi ORknitter, I take my aromasin in the morning after breakfast. I started out taking it in the evening because that was what worked for the tamoxifen. But, I had se's that disrupted my sleep so swapped to mornings - mostly problem free now thankfully!:)

    Hope you're ok

    xx

  • feelingfeline
    feelingfeline Member Posts: 5,145
    edited September 2015

    Hi Songbird we are near neighbours! And I was also Left MX and DX at 44, and did tamoxifen followed by switch to Aromasin (exemestane) - sheesh we're practically twins! Loopy

    I was trying to get the bit about doing tamox for 3 years, then Aromasin since last month into my profile, so that it would come out in my "signature. Instead I have a mess that looks like I was doing tamox and aromasin simultaneously since 2012 - yeah I know. I know - that would be double the fun, but that's not actually what happened. Do you remember how did you manage to get your profile to accept two lots of hormonal therapy? What am I doing wrong??

  • feelingfeline
    feelingfeline Member Posts: 5,145
    edited September 2015

    Hi Ladies the mods are making a slideshow of BC sisters from all over - head over if you would like to take part, or even just if you would like to see some BC sisters from all sorts of places!

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/135/topic/834934?page=1#post_4494722


  • songbird68
    songbird68 Member Posts: 127
    edited September 2015

    Hi feelingfeline! Just happens I love cats too! yep, twins:)

    Go to your my profile, click on mytreatments. Under that is Add a new treatment. I think that is what I did - imagine the fun taking tamox and aromasin together - eek!

    x x

  • feelingfeline
    feelingfeline Member Posts: 5,145
    edited September 2015

    Thanks will try that! Nerdy

  • songbird68
    songbird68 Member Posts: 127
    edited September 2015

    feelingfeline - just realised my avatar pic is me and my dog, who loves cats too(he won't admit to being scared of them, although they totally rule him!) You can see how big he is, but he thinks he's smaller than a cat. He still tries to get on my lap, awww:)

    x x

  • feelingfeline
    feelingfeline Member Posts: 5,145
    edited September 2015

    ThumbsUpNerdy lovely avatar

  • feelingfeline
    feelingfeline Member Posts: 5,145
    edited September 2015

    Thanks Songbird - got my treatment signature sorted out to more accurately reflect the situation!

  • songbird68
    songbird68 Member Posts: 127
    edited September 2015

    Hi Feelingfeline glad to help - your treatment sig looks good - no more hardcore aromasin+tam ;)

    x x

  • claireinaz
    claireinaz Member Posts: 714
    edited September 2015

    Hi, just got back from my 6 month check up with my oncologist. Luckily all was well. Yay. BIG YAY. I did ask her if research had been released yet about taking AI for 10 years vs. 5, and she said she expected it around Oct of this year; however, she did tell me that she believes it will prove women who are higher risk for recurrence (see my status below) will need to be on something for ten, not five years.

    I'm resigned to taking some kind of AI for another 7 years, then. In the great scheme of everything, it's a small price to pay to be here and healthy.

    Claire in AZ

  • feelingfeline
    feelingfeline Member Posts: 5,145
    edited September 2015

    Keep well Claire Nerdy

  • Amor
    Amor Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2015

    Surgery 22/3/14 Right breast lumpectomy - IDC, 4.5cm, 8 nodes removed ER+

    Chemo and radiation.

    Hormone blockers (tamoxifen)

    i've been on tamoxifen for 14 months now, i am exhausted to the point that i feel i cannot function anymore, ANY ADVICE?


  • Lily55
    Lily55 Member Posts: 1,748
    edited September 2015

    Has anyone changed from Aromasin to Arimidex and had less side effects? I did letrozole, terrible joint pain making it impossible to get out of a chair unaided at times, took a break then did Aromasin for 20 months, but could not sleep properly on it and had so much stiffness and feeling utterly ancient amongst other issues I have now been put on TAmoxifen.....but I am post menopausal and had lobular cáncer whcih responds better to AI´s...........I too want to live and not just struggle even to survive as my fatigue on Aromasin in the end was constant and relentless despite exercise and diet and doing all the things you are supposed to do.......

  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 11,653
    edited September 2015

    Thanks for the info Claire. I see my MO at the end of October. Hope she has numbers for me. She considers me high risk due to tumor size.

  • moderators
    moderators Posts: 8,743
    edited September 2015

    Amor welcome to BCO, and sorry for what you too are experiencing.

    Check out our section on Managing Fatigue.

    Thinking of you all,

    The Mods