Life on aromasin
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I had a terrible time with Femara. It was like I was 90 years old. Aromasin is better but I take other drugs to combat side effects including neurontin and Celebrex. I do have lymphedema and fibromyalgia. I find it helps to stay off sugar, dairy and processed foods and I do much better when I exercise regularly. Just trying to get through 5 years on it..
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hi everyone,
lots of great information. just a little more background, as far as my pre-existing issues, prior to the cancer.
i have dealt with fibromyalgia for better than 20 yrs, same for carpal tunnel. i also have sciatica, os and ra, 2 types of spinal stenosis and numbing tingling in my hands and feet. currently i take cymbalta, meloxicam and ultram. they pretty much manage my pain if i'm not working full time.
i also supplement with tumeric, chondroitin, glucosomine, msn, and, grape seed extract, vit b, c and d, also a bone supplement.
i tried the arimidex, then the femara, and now the aromasin. the aromasin is the lesser evil of the 3 meds. the arimidex and femara also attacked ALL of my joints, in addition to bad headaches, vision problems and of course the fatigue issues.
i do get out for walks, but they are extremely painful and then exhausting. i am looking into a form of yoga for stretching and toning, but still taking into account all of my physical issues, as far as range of motion, weight bearing, etc.
its tough to find the right balance. would appreciate any ideas, suggestions, etc.
thank you
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lookin4relief-that is a lot you have going on! I really hope you get some answers.
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hi ginger48, yea, a lot going on...... to say the least. for a long time. the aromasin is like the icing on the cake i DIDN'T order.
needless to say, i'm tired. i'd love to find another option to replace the aromasin, the rest, i've learned to live with, unfortunately.
or fortunately, depending on how you look at it. not that i want another person out there to be like me, in this much pain, but maybe someone has some solid suggestions with dealing with a similar situation.
thanks to all.
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Has anyone experienced weight gain on aromasin and if so, what have you done to combat that? I am 35, on lupron shots monthly, have been on Aromasin for over 4 months. I feel like I am slowly gaining weight and have been training for a half marathon so I have definitely been active. No major diet changes.
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ashlib- just tonight my family listened kindly while I complained about the ten pounds I've gained since treatment. I'm not one to hold onto weight and have been pretty stable except for pregnancies of course. I'm not sure what else you've experienced besides hormone therapy but bc treatment doesn't do the body good (except to get rid of cancer cells of course!)0
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Ashlib up to age 45 I was one of those eat anything I like and stay slim, naturally fast metabolism people. I gained weight on tamoxifen (spare tyre) and have certainly not shed any on aromasin. It is a fairly common SE unfortunately.
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After my first year + on Femara I started gaining weight inexorably. I also developed crushing fatigue and then joint pain, at which point I was switched to exemestane. I've finally shed a little bit of the weight but the joint pain's become unreal and the fatigue seems to plateau and then worsen. I'm going back on Femara in hopes that the joint pain will lessen but will be watching the other issues like a hawk.
I exercise a LOT, do strength training and Pilates & yoga. I've found that using resistance bands seems easier on my joints now than free weights - the trick is to get really good bands that provide enough resistance to actually work the muscles. But I haven't really found anything specific that eases the pain or that moderates the weight gain. It all feels pretty random.
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Hi! Just staring Exemestane (Aromisin). Finished Neo Adj TCHP chemo and my MO started me on Lextrozole (Femara). I had only been on that for a month and a half when my MO changed me. My side effects were headaches, insomnia, anxiety and joint pain.
It seems no matter what they put us on, they all have horrible side effects. I guess our bodies all handle them differently. But after reading on this thread and the info on the Med sheet, it doesn't really seem all that hopeful that it will be any better on this one.
I am also just starting to grow back some hair (8 wks PFC). Between the Herceptin and the AI, I am worried how they will affect my hair growth. That's another thing that causes me anxiety!!
Healing from ALND surgery now (18 days out and still have drain!) and should be starting Rads in April.
Healing thoughts go out to all of you!
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I never thought I'd get rid of my drain from ALND, either, HopefulYogi. Of course, I didn't realize that being so active would encourage flow.... I've been on Aromasin for two years now, with just hot flashes as the major side effect. Hope it works out better for you than Femara!
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Hi Hopeful- I am much better on aromasin than I was on femara. Good luck
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ginger- are you coming up on your 5 year mark of hormone therapy
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No. I have one more year. I took a break from Femara (I had a really hard time on that drug)and it took a while for me to agree to try aromasin.
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does anyone else get hot flashes only when you miss your dose of exemestane? My SE's are very minimal on this drug which is night and day from anastrozole but I find if I forgot to take my pill the next day I have hot flashes.
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I generally get my hot flashes every evening about an hour after taking my dose. I'm not sure I've noticed when I have forgotten a dose.
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Getting hot flashes randomly but round the clock. Though it's been this way since I started Lupron so it could be that?' Only been on Aromasin since 2/15/17.
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I tend to get my hot flashes in the evening. I end up sleeping with the ceiling fan on! I don't THINK I've ever missed a pill, but I'm sure I have at some point.
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Greetings! I am new to this thread and have read back a few pages to get some info. I started Aromasin today. Ha been on Letrozole for about a year - with the usual side effects - stiffness, achey joints, hot flashes and hair thinning. Very recently my hair began to shed significantly - ensuing depression, of course (strictly hair related) My MO took me off Letrozole for two weeks and now I am moving to Aromasin. I'm hoping to get some re-growth and that Aromasin won't make be a bald woman (been there, done that). Can you tell me your experience in the hair category? My impression from the posts I read is that many of you did OK on this drug and managed the side effects reasonably. I can deal with the aches and stiffness, but NOT MY HAIR! Does this seem shallow?
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Welcome Shelly, I don't think that's vain or shallow to want your hair to remain on your head. I haven't seen any hair loss on exemestane and really don't have any SE's.
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Shelly,
My hair was thin and mousy brown before chemo and Aromasin, and it's thin and mousy brown now. I don't think Aromasin has anything to do with it. Best wishes! Hope Aromasin is kind to you.
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My hair is growing back like crazy while on Aromasin.
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Thanks for sharing your experiences. It's so helpful. Best to all of you. Have a great weekend
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Took my last exemestane pill today. End of the five years. Done now with treatment. I thought April Fools Day was an appropriate day to stop. I am a fool to not continue? My MO thought I should stop. Only time will tell.
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Congratulations Doxie
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Doxie, congratulations on getting here! Best to you as you live free
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Well, here it is! The answer to our prayers! Hand yoga! You're welcome.
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Thank you, Falconer. I'll report back in a while and let you know if I feel any different off the drug. That I'm curious about.
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Love this!
Better living through yoga. That's my motto!0 -
I have a question about Aromasin and memory loss. Last month I switched from Tamoxifen to Aromasin. I had very few side effects with Tamoxifen. I did have pretty significant "chemo brain", which was most obvious in loss of recall of names. This got much better over time -- I would say I got back to 95% of my pre-chemo name memory baseline. This week, I'm once again experiencing a "blank" when I try to recall the names of co-workers and acquaintances. Did anyone else experience this when starting on Aromasin? Did it get better with time?
Thank you all for being here. I always appreciate BCO boards, and am glad this one is here for me when I need it.
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Well done Doxie.
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