I’m just wondering if there is anyone who’s taking Aromasin whose migraines have increased since starting that medication.
I’ve had severe migraine since my teens (63 now) and started taking Aromasin at the beginning of September this year. I’m getting a bad migraine every day which wakes me up in the early hours of the morning. I’ve tried taking it every other day and the migraine follows the same pattern. If i take it at a different time I just get a migraine at a different time.
I’ve taken a daily migraine preventative tablet for years and have rizatriptan if I get an attack but obviously the preventative can’t compete with the Aromasin and I’m not supposed to take the rizatriptan every day although they do take it off.
I spoke to my BCN today who says that they haven’t had anyone with the same problem. I’ve made an appt to see my GP tomorrow in the hope that he may be able to help.
If there is anyone in a similar situation who has found something which stops the migraine please could you let me know.
Hi Jan,
You poor thing. Migraines arejust so debiliating arn’t they. I was getting terrible ones on Arimidex (I think it was arimidex)and my onc switched me to Aromasin but although the megraines became less frequent (still one or two a month) the other SE ( stiffness and aches and pains) were getting me down so my onc has put me back on Tamoxifen. Only time will tell if this was the right thing to do. If you speak with your onc perhaps they can come up with an alternative to Aromasin.
Good luck
cheers
Caroline
I was switched on to Exemestane 2 months ago. I haven’t suffered from migraines but have had more headaches than normal. I used to take them at night but started to have anxiety attacks (not something I have ever had before)and not sleeping at all. In the end I hadn’t slept for nearly 3 weeks so I started taking the tablet in the morning. The anxiety stopped and I now sleep fitfully,but wake several times during the night. I have never been a brilliant sleeper so can cope as long as I get some sleep,but am wondering if the headaches are tiredness related.
I haven’t been to the doctor as yet… I’m not sure what the alternative would be,but with 2 years still to go I may have to give him a visit yet.
I hope you get some answers.
Thank you for your replies. I’m seeing my GP at 10am this morning. I’ll see what he suggests and let you know.
I think that if there’s nothing the GP can suggest then I will have to speak to the onc as you suggest Caroline. The only suggestion from the BCN was to stop taking anything at all (bit scary.
good luck with answers from GP hope he can find something to help, i have not suffered with migraine s but def get more headaches than ever, still have problems on my chest but keeping undercontol now.
i do not want to stop taking it as it appears to keep everything away.
I must be very lucky as the migraines that I have suffered from since my late teens stopped during chemo and have never returned! I still take a preventative, Sodium valproate but have reduced the dosage to one a day instead of two and at some point, will reduce it further. I am reducing the dosage very gradually as I don’t want to risk the migraines returning as I always used to have several every week. I very occasionally now get a migraine type headache, but they are very mild in comparison, and pain killers get rid of them, whereas only Imigran worked in the past.
I used to take Arimidex but changed to Aromasin about a year ago and I really don’t seem to get any side effects from it in comparison to Arimidex.
Good luck Jan. I really do sympathise as I know myself how debilitating it is to have migraines all the time.
I went to see the GP this morning and he has upped my everyday preventative tablet and see how I go. I have to see him again just before Christmas.
I’ve stopped taking Aromasin at present because I’m going away tomorrow and I don’t want to have to come back after a day because of migraine. That’s what happened last month when I had a break. He said that it doesn’t matter if I don’t take them for a few days.
I told him what the BCN had said about not taking anything and he said that really isn’t an option and there will be a solution to the problem we just have to find it.
Anne - I went on trials for Imigran in 1992 when it was administered by injection, you had to inject yourself!!! It was such an amazing thing to have something which would get rid of migraines. The injections work in 20 minutes. I now take the 3rd generation Triptan drug called Rizatriptan.
Thank you all for your kind comments. It really lifted me this morning when I read them.
I wondered how you were doing with your chest. It sounds as if there’s been an improvement and that you are not worrying about it as much now. I’m so pleased that you are feeling better.
I want to stay on Aromasin as well if I can. I know that it’s very good.
AnneG, I’m so glad you have fewer SEs on Aromasin. I stopped taking Arimidex four months ago, because I couldn’t stand feeling like an 85 year old at just 54. I saw the onc yesterday, half expecting him to just discharge me, but somehow he managed to persuade me to try Aromasin instead. When I got home and read the leaflet inside the packet I nearly threw them away - the first very common SE was difficulty in sleeping. I’ve have only just started getting enough sleep in the last few weeks after about 18 months very poor sleep. I feel so much better that I’m very reluctant indeed. Anyway, I decided not to think about it and just take it and see what happens. Hopefully, I’ll feel the same about them as you.