Have any older ladies amongst you heard of Aromasin or its other name Examestane?I haven’t seen it mentioned at all on this website so would like to know a bit about it! Is it better then Tamoxifen? Are the side affects the same?
I wasn’t tolerating Tamoxifen at all well. I’ve been on it a year and a half and was suffering a lot of side affects including, severe hot flushes, night sweats, tiredness, aches and pains plus depression etc… All these symptoms have got worse since I had a total hysterectomy back in Febuary. I have felt very low lately and feel as if everything that has happened in the last year and a half has suddenly caught up with me. I am now finding it very hard to put a face on it all the time.
I was due to go on Aromasin next May but after seeing my consultant this morning and saying what a bad time I was having on Tamoxifen he’s put me on them now, but I don’t know what to expect!
I am sorry to read that you are struggling with Tamoxifen and are feeling low at the moment. I m sure you will receive support and advice from other users sharing their experience of Aromasin. In the meantime, here is the link to Breast Cancer Care’s factsheet on Aromasin.
I went straight on to Exemestane/Aromasin in June after surgery, chemo and rads. I do have severe hot flushes and very bad sweats especially at night. I also get stiff muscles and joints, but apart from those side effects I feel fairly well on these tablets. However, some people have no side effects at all so you may be one of the lucky ones.
Good luck
Anthi x
Although I don’t class myself as old, diagnosed at 44 with Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma her 2 negative ER 8/8 positive now 46, I was put on Exemestane in April this year after only being on Tamoxifen for 9 months. Highly unusual I know and like you could not find anyone else on it.
The reasons I was put on it was like you, could not tolerate constant sweats so they gave me blood tests which proved I was defo post menopausal, Also I was told that I am in a higher risk group so Exemestane gives me more protection and that if all goes well I can stay on this for another 2 years after the initial 5 year period. I must say that I still have flushes but they have deceased a lot in intensity and number. My life is much better now that when on Tamoxifen and I also feel a bit happier knowing that it gives me a better chance of BC not returning. I still have joint pain which I believe most people have on Arimidex and take ibruprofen and liquid Glucosimine, Condroitin and msn liquid ( not sure if I have spelt them right )
I can only say that this works for me and know that other people don’t find it helpful. I too have felt very down in the last year but feel this is a normal reaction for all BC sufferers and maybe not just the drugs prescribed.
All in all I am much happier on Exemestane and in the last couple of weeks feel that the cloud is starting to lift away from me. I do get more tired then before BC but then I think I have been through 6 fec chemo 20 x rads and the menopause in the last 18 months so cant really blame my body for being like this !!! I have also found it easier to lose weight on Exemestane and don’t seem to have bloated feeling like I had with Tamox.
I know this is only my personal experience but I hope this makes you feel a bit happier taking it now and hope that it improves your quality of life like it has mine.
I was 45 and pre meno at dx. After just over 2 yrs on tamoxifen I was found to be menopausal and was put on aromasin. I was expecting arimidex but onc sad that trials had shown that aromasin was best after 2 - 3 yrs of tamox.
I’ve been on them 20 months and side effects for me are joint pains in knees and ankles and aching legs and feet, which is similar to what I had with tamox.
I hope you get on ok with them.
Thanks Ladies, for your kind and reassuring words. My minds a lot easier now. I’ve heard so much about other hormone drugs such as Arimidex, nolvadex d etc but nothing about this one. Though they all seem to work in the same way. I took my first aromasin tab this morning. I always feel nervous when starting new meds, as you don’t know what to expect! I really hope that I get less side affects then on tam. The hot flushes were horrendous. Sometimes they’ve made me feel claustrophobic and I’ve had to go outside as it takes me ages to cool down again. Now the central heatings is on its a nightmare, the thermastat goes up and down like a b****y yo yo!!
I get a lot of muscle pain in my upper arms especially my left arm, nothing to do with surgery,which makes even putting a jacket etc. on, painful, and the pain goes right down my arm into my hand. Do any of you ladies suffer with this? Ive had it 4 months now, its similar to a pulled muscle! I put it down to tam.
Han, like you I am taking herbal supplements to help with joint pain. I also get stiff and aching legs and feet. I honestly feel I’ve aged 10yrs since I’ve been on the tam. Where do buy your supplements from? I am taking a Glucosamine, Bromelain and vit. D supplement from Healthspan. They are sachets which you mix up daily with a glass of water, they have a nice lemoney taste. They are very good for people who lead active lives doing gardening, sports, a physical job etc. They do seem to be helping with joint probs. but not muscles! I also take cod liver oil. I take also, Glinko biloba as my memory and concerntration have gone to pot since starting the menopause!
This website is brilliant, it make you feel that you are not alone in all this c**p that we are all going through.
Thanks Katie for the info on aromasin, which I found very helpful as I didn’t know anything at all about this drug,
This website is brilliant, it make you feel that you are not alone in all this c**p that we are all going, or gone through.
Glad you feel better about taking Exemestane now. I have been told by several pharmacists how “lucky” ( I do wish they wouldn’t use that word as I feel we all deserve any drug we should have and not to be made to feel oh so grateful ) I am to have this drug as it is very expensive and not all health authorities will give it out. Maybe that is why we cannot find many people on this.
I look out for any special offers in various places for the liquid form of glucosamine product and then buy a stash of it.
Do still walk like a 90 year old when first up in the morning but that does soon pass now.
Know exactly what you mean about central heating, I have gone from a person who constantly felt the cold and had the house like a boiler room to now pleading with everyone to turn it off !!! After cooking last years Christmas dinner I had to spend 15 minutes in the garden cooling off before sitting down at the table with the others. I have to say that this year I have told everyone that we are going out to dinner so I don’t spend it in a pool of sweat !! But like I say the flushes have improved immensely and I no longer get that claustrophobic feeling anymore.
Hi Alison, thanks for info. I will check it out. Katie the moderater sent me a link to the breast care info webpage which I found very helpful, as I didn’t know anything at all about this drug, so did feel nervous about taking it. But I feel a lot better now that I’ve had encouraging messages from other ladies who are on it,
I have joined the ‘Aromasin Club’ too!!! Had ongoing problems with Tamoxifen even when taking Megace. I have been a bit surprised to see that most of the side effects of Aromasin are the same as Tamoxifen. Does anyone know how long it will take for any side effects to be noticeable or will this be a gradual change as my body gets rid of the Tamoxifen and the Aromasin kicks in? My onc had no hesitation in prescribing it despite the expense. I was diagnosed during the Herceptin ‘crisis’ and although it was not appropriate for me, he always said that if he thought it was right for me then I would have had it and the same goes for Aromasin I suppose. Lucky me I suppose but I do feel for anyone that has struggled to get the drugs they should have as a right whatever the cost. BTW any pharmacist that even so much as hints that my drugs are expensive will get a sharp reply and possibly a letter to their employers!! I would have thought it was inappropriate for them to make any comments on anyone’s medication.
I was expecting to go onto Arimidex after 2 years on Tamoxifen and was surprised to be given Aromasin. I wondered why but apparently it was the combination thought best by my surgeon based on recent research. I’ve had no noticable side effects but i had none with Tamoxifen either so i guess i’ve been lucky.
Kelley
Hi Kelly, you are really lucky not to suffer any side affects. I didn’t tolerate Tamoxifen very well so my Onc changed me to Aromasin, but I feel just the same, but with Aromasin I have also suffered bouts of nausea and gippy tummy which apparently is one of the many side affects. But I suppose its the price we have to pay to keep the dreaded cancer at bay!