Hormonal therapy medicines can be used to lower the risk of early-stage hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer from coming back, shrink or slow the growth of advanced-stage or metastatic hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers, and lower the risk of developing breast cancer in certain women who are at high risk. They work by lowering the amount of estrogen in the body or by blocking the effect of estrogen on breast cancer cells.
There are several hormonal therapy medicines, including, tamoxifen (Nolvadex, Soltamox), Arimidex (anastrozole), Aromasin (exemestane), and Femara (letrozole).
Hormonal therapy is usually prescribed for multiple years. Common side effects include hot flashes, joint pain, fatigue, and bone thinning.
Note: This is a safe place to share YOUR experience, not to be influenced or influence others. Please contact your doctor about any questions or concerns you may have if you are currently taking hormonal therapy.
Intro medically reviewed by: Brian Wojciechowski, M.D.
Last review date: November 22, 2020
Posted on: Mar 7, 2012 02:31AM - edited Nov 15, 2017 07:03PM by Moderators
rayofsun wrote:
Just starting aromasin after being on tamoxifen for 1.5 years. I am also on effexor so did not experience hot flashes with tamoxifen and my other side effects were mild. Am curious how others have done on Aromasin.
Thanks ray
Edited by Mods to add content from our main Breastcancer.org site on Aromasin: Benefits, Side Effects and More
Posts 61 - 90 (5,560 total)
May 25, 2012 11:48PM beau wrote:
Hi All,
I am day 4 with Arimidex and no pain compared to Arimidex so far! We will see. I also cut out most dairy, as I read here that can help with inflammation. So far so good. I hope that all of you are doing well too! Best, Beau
May 26, 2012 12:29AM lulubee wrote:
I think goat cheese is not considered dairy.
I like to pretend yogurt isn't, either. :-D
Seriously, I do not think yogurt is as big a culprit as other dairy products are.
May 26, 2012 02:10AM dogsandjogs wrote:
I have cut out all dairy products except for eggs. I really crave those. You can get vegan cheese and I really like almond milk better than cow's milk.
May 26, 2012 02:42AM lulubee wrote:
Welllll, eggs aren't dairy either... 
(Sorry, I'm an old farm girl... couldn't let it pass!)
May 26, 2012 02:45AM AnnE16 wrote:
When I went all vegan, I was told by Dr. Block that eggs are ok but not too many. I think he told me 2 a week. I basically saved them as "treats" for when we did brunch at a restaurant. I fell off the vegan wagon and I am trying to get back on it. BUt I did notice that my hair got really thin after starting Femara and once I did add back eggs into my diet...it seemed like my hair grew more or got a little thicker. It is still 50% less than the hair i used to have before chemo. And much lighter in color too! Wierd what chemo can do!
May 26, 2012 03:12AM dogsandjogs wrote:
You're right of course! Now I won't feel as guilty eating them---
May 28, 2012 03:11PM Mopsy wrote:
I tried Effexor for 5 days. Constant nausea. And insomnia like I have never experienced. I am a zombie today from lack of sleep. No more for me. Is it worth it for anyone?
May 28, 2012 05:07PM - edited May 28, 2012 05:08PM by mybee333
Effexor I felt worked well for me - I do think it cut my sex drive a touch and I have taken something to sleep for years due to fibro. However........after one year I had gained 10 lbs. and was experiencing suicidal ideation. I stopped the drug. The weight gain has stopped, although I haven't lost the 10 lbs. and I am no longer experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Well, it has been a 3 day holiday weekend. Great time for rest. No. Didn't happen. Slept poorly. I wake up after six hours, then fall asleep in a little while for a little while more. I could sleep now. Feel pretty crummy in the morning.
I am getting really concerned about my level of depression. Feels biological. I thought I was doing better a couple of mos. ago. (before Aromasin). It's sunny, it's beautiful, I'm planting flowers, painting trim, seeing my daughter and am so sad in church I need to leave the service to go and sob. What is wrong with me? Is it Aromasin? How do I know?
May 28, 2012 05:40PM proudtospin wrote:
I have been on the junk now for 3 + years, counting days till I can stop
reading all the postings here, believing now that my balance and the depression has a cause but not sure how that makes me feel, eager to have my next onco appt which is not till Aug
May 28, 2012 05:43PM camillegal wrote:
Mybee oh u'r experiencin alot- U'r depression (to me) sounds more than just bad days--maybe u should call u'r Dr. and explain this--zi know it miht mean adding another drug to the already big supply but maybe u needit for a while. I think everything we have taken into our bodies and continue taking taking has to be doing somerhing to us. I knlo we're all different but there are not many that feel that good, whether physically or mentally we are still messed up and sometimes people think well u've been thru the worst so feel good now. If u are taking something aready for depression maybe u need somerhing else--please seek this out--it will be well worth it. Let us know.
May 28, 2012 05:51PM - edited May 28, 2012 05:54PM by mybee333
I am always hesitant with the anti-depressants because of weight gain and that 'flat' feeling. Also - I know I have been through a lot and don't want to 'mask' it, would like to work through it. But it may be necessary to have a trial..........Thank you for the help sisters.
btw - had a hysterectomy 3 years ago - so yes, estrogen is pretty low. Too low.....
May 28, 2012 06:44PM apple wrote:
i hope you are doing well rayofsun.
Aromasin sounds like a planet
May 28, 2012 06:51PM beau wrote:
Hi Camil,
I had trouble sleeping too when I took it at night. Ended up taking a sleeping pill 2 nights running after being up for 2 plus hours. I keep a few on hand, but rarely need them. Now I take the aromasin around noontime, after lunch, which works well for me so far.
I do notice a little mental fog, but no more than on Arimidex so far. Exercise and a cup of coffee seem key to get me going - otherwise, I feel like I am in a stupor all day. Sometimes, I think about trying an anti-depressant, but usually these days come and go so I am hanging in there and trying to track what makes it better/worse. I wouldn't hesitate to take something if I felf down for an extended period. I do take an anti-anxiety med, Diazapam, at night - it helps me sleep, unwind and acts as a muscle relaxer. (I have 3 herniated disks in my neck that have gotten worse since taking arimidex - better so far on aromasin.).
Best to All,
Beau
May 28, 2012 11:18PM lulubee wrote:
Planet Aromasin... yep!
Mybee, I started Lexapro a month ago for hot flashes and depression. I was crying in church every Sunday, too! Something about the hymns and the prayers just opened up the floodgates for me, which was a good thing in terms of catharsis... but then it had gotten to the point where I couldn't stop crying once I started. That's when I knew enough was enough. It is really helping me, with both the hot flashes and my state of mind. Lexapro is one of the 'cleanest' of the AD's, meaning its side effect profile is lower than many other AD's. My weight has been steadily climbing ever since I went on anti-hormonals and had an oophorectomy a year and a half ago, but since starting Lexapro I've actually *finally* lost 2 or 3 pounds. So who knows? I felt better within a week of starting it, and now, a month later, I actually feel like the sun is shining and I am becoming myself again.
I would encourage you to find a doctor who will help you try some other AD's. Effexor is notoriously hard on some people, and it is known for weight gain.
Feel better! You need to LIVE.
May 29, 2012 12:08AM mybee333 wrote:
lulubee - With our monikers we could be sisters :) Thank you for the suggestion. I will bring it up with my MO or someone.....This crying in church is starting to be embarassing already. This Sunday I left and sat in another room so I could just let it out. The music minister, who I know, came to talk with me. Sometimes I'm just a ball of emotion but enough already!! I'd like to be happy now. And in my head..........I know I have lots to truly be happy for!
I am glad you are feeling so much better. Becoming yourself again is a good place to be :)
May 29, 2012 02:06AM dogsandjogs wrote:
Mybee, I think it is the Aromasin. I had such terrible depression on Aromasin and it was because of that and other bad side effects that I stopped taking it. It is one of the SE's.
May 29, 2012 02:16AM mybee333 wrote:
You know, I was out in the sun today for hours, gardening, doing yard work, then went on a bike ride. I have to say I feel better. And true depression I think, might make me unproductive and unmotivated. And I do accomplish things almost every day. I love my life in some ways. I think it is the Aromasin, and I think it is grief. I figure grief over a loss - I've had several major ones over the last year, takes about two years. It's a new season and that brings back last years memories. :(
I do love life. Hope you all are in a good place this lovely evening. Ciao.
May 29, 2012 01:49PM ginger_mea wrote:
mybee - I started on Arimidex, and there were se's but the worst of it was depression/anxiety, which I NEVER had before. I told my MOC and she said stop the pills for 4 weeks, which I did. I also sought out a good therapist. I had so much cancer around me last year in my family and loss of my dad, not to mention my own diagnosis, that when all active treatment was said and done (so to speak, still on A.I.'s) I thought I will never be able to move on. Cancer consumed me, I thought about it ALL the time. The therapy (which I am still going to) has helped me so much and the break from the Arimidex. The MOC put me back on but switched to the aromisin and I have to say I am so much better now mentally (still have other se's). Not sure if it was the switch of meds, the therapist, or both. My therapist also did this thing to me called EMDR, which is a machine that you put on head phones, and hold these little things in your hands, and a vibration & sound goes back and forth from side to side, while you discuss the trauma you had (mine being the diagnosis) and it desensitizes you to it. So although I didn't forget it, I am no longer consumed and able to live!
I wish you JOY in your heart and spirit again. Ginger
May 29, 2012 02:06PM mybee333 wrote:
Ginger - You know as I lay in bed trying to sleep last night, I was thinking I really do like the Aromasin. I think the depression is situational, my weight is stable and I think I am building muscle and I feel okay physically. Achey, but doable. If I could just SLEEP. I woke up at least 4 times last night. Really woke up. As in woke up, walked around. read, checked on my flowers (due to a thunderstorm), etc. Now I'm falling asleep at the computer. I hope my MO has some ideas for this. I see her next week. This happened after my hysterectomy too, until I went on ERT. It is the reason I was prescribed Estrogen replacement.
I am so sorry to hear that you were consumed about the cancer. I think of it too, of course daily, but it doesn't consume me. It's weird but I think of it as just one of those things, a mystery that we cannot know the reason for. Like when my baby brother was killed in a car accident. Totally incomprehensible but real, nonetheless. But the former boyfriend - cannot stop thinking about him, replaying old conversations, weird interactions, lies, just stuff. It's not a broken heart; I think it's just intrusive thoughts/PTSD. I hate it!! I'd like to do that EMDR for him. I will try to look into it.
I started to feel some creativity return to my life yesterday and that was cool. I cooked some soup from scratch (yes, it was 92 degrees :) ) and have plans to bake cookies tonight, really healthy, good ones like I used to make when I was an almost full-time homemaker. Loved planting. Would like to do more of that kind of thing. So.....the reason I am posting this is to suggest it to others. I was so tired yesterday, but I pushed myself outside and gradually....my creativity returned! So, I guess if you show up to the dance floor your feet will follow!! Have a great day everyone and thanks so much Ginger.
May 29, 2012 07:23PM ginger_mea wrote:
mybee - nice to hear back from you, another thing in common, my younger brother was killed in a car accident too! It was 35 years ago, he was 16. Things like that, and this, you think you will never get over but time heals I guess...
I tried to do gardening on Sat., did a little then I couldn't, I got really upset and said to my husband, I can't even take care of my own yard anymore! Of course he was sympathetic and he did most of the work. I get to feeling sick in the sun and bending down and up pulling weeds etc... I feel sick to my stomach, light-headed, tingling fingers and short of breath. It gets discouraging but I guess this is life for now, pills, or post chemo stuff not sure. Just moving on doing what I can, when I can.
Have a great day as well. Ginger
May 30, 2012 01:37AM mybee333 wrote:
At least you went out there. You could have easily stayed on the chair, couch, etc. Good for you. I am sorry you feel so badly at times? How long ago was your chemo? I'm hoping you just need to build up some endurance. It is so frustrating not to be able to do what we used to do but it is not our fault. We do the best we can and then..........it is good enough. It is our best ........for now.
I am so sorry to hear of your brother. It is a devastating loss. Mine was 11 years younger than I - died in 1991. Feels so long ago but of course I remember him so clearly.............so much has happened since then.
I am off for a bike ride my friends - in the sunset.
May 30, 2012 02:37AM LindaLou53 wrote:
I am starting my 7th year on Aromasin and other than a little joint stiffness and thin hair, I no longer have any major SE's. My first 6 months on it were uneventful. Then from about 6 months to 12 months I had acute joint pain, mostly in my hands along with carpal tunnel and trigger fingers. I was still having occasional hot flashes but had been put into full chemopause in 2000 with my first BC dx so the flashes this time around were much milder.
After completing my first year on Aromasin the acute joint pain became mostly just stiffness. Carpal tunnel and trigger fingers went away on their own. The thinning hair seems to have stabilized over the years but is probably the SE that is most bothersome to me. My hair was always baby fine to begin with so now the thin spots are more noticeable. But the good news is I don't have any real discomfort at all related to the Aromasin.
I take it every night right before bed and no issues with GI upset. I did have some weight gain during chemo and for a couple years later, but managed to drop all the gained weight and more in 2010 and have kept it off while still on Aromasin. I was on Tamoxifen, Femara and Arimidex with my first dx and Aromasin has definitely been the easiest of all of them. Not sure how long my onc will keep me on it but given my diagnosis and being almost 7 years NED, I'm in no hurry to come off of it!
May 30, 2012 01:39PM ginger_mea wrote:
mybee - finished chemo last August, and Herceptin this past April, I was lucky I made a full year of the herceptin and my heart stayed strong!
yesterday I had a good day, was able to do some pilate's after work, then my DH and I took a nice bike ride, today, suffering.. it seems to be the pattern I will have a good day and try to get back on the exercise wagon, and then a down day or two.. my shoulder (bc side) kills me its always tight and pained, down to the wrist/hand, especially after a day where I try to exercise, and believe me I do not push it, I just keep trying to stretch it and strengthen it. Of course I am right handed (same side) so doing this short unmanageable thick wavy hair in the morning is excercise in itself!
have a wonderful day all Ginger
May 31, 2012 12:13AM ginger_mea wrote:
question, anyone experience high liver functions on their blood work-up since on the A.I.?
Ginger
May 31, 2012 03:39AM mybee333 wrote:
Ginger - your dx is so simiilar to mine. What was your oncotype score? It is interesting how tx's can be so different.
I am glad your heart stayed strong. Heart 'stuff' is always a concern of mine due to family history.
What I have found through the years with my fibromyalgia that if I go strong one day, I am weak the next. It is not like years ago. I have learned, I guess, to go with the ebb and flo. My MX is on my rt. side as well; so is my most severe arthritis (also a new prob.) Ahhhhhh - such is life. :) I slept last night a little better. Would have liked to sleep in. The night sweats are improving - no longer soaking the night clothes and bedding. Thisis good. Perhaps I am adjusting to my friend Aromasin.......we shall see. I am trying now to bike ride 1/2 hr. daily. Will build up as the summer wears on.
Ciao.
May 31, 2012 06:02AM - edited May 31, 2012 01:52PM by mybee333
I feel I am adjusting somewhat too.
May 31, 2012 11:09AM camillegal wrote:
Kayb I've used the roll on too for the same reason and it does give some relief, and walking around with Bengay is just wrong--the smell==u'd think by now they'd change it. LOL
May 31, 2012 01:26PM ginger_mea wrote:
mybee - what is oncotype score? not sure what that means? Ginger
May 31, 2012 01:57PM mybee333 wrote:
It's a test that can be done to look at the specific make-up of the tumor. The results can be a guiding force in treatment decisions; a higher score indicates a greater chance of recurrence, hence a greater benefit from chemo. Mine was lower , so my doc. told me the potential side effects of chemo would not be worth the very small benefit, for me. Perhaps it was becuz you were triple positive that a decision was made to go forward with chemo.? I don't know much about the HER2+ aspect of the dx...............
May 31, 2012 05:11PM ginger_mea wrote:
mybee, well I'm not sure I remember and my reports are all home (I'm at work), I do remember that the onc said the tumor was right on the line to have chemo, but I think that was the size she was talking about.. So I guess I don't know it's so long ago, I do have everything in my file at home though. LOL... It was tripple positive to the 3rd degree I do remember that. According to them, reoccurance was high if I didn't do the Herceptin and everything else including this... Ginger