After being on tamoxifen for 3 years with no major side effects, i was changed to exemestane last september. The past month ive been getting the most terrible finger joint pain. I cant squeeze any bottles or use my thumbs. Now, the past week i am waking in the night with carpal tunnel symptoms.
Has anyone experienced this? Did you stick with it or return to tamox?
Hi Lolly,
so sorry to read you have this horrid side effect which evidently has been shown to affect something like 3% of woman taking aromasin/exemestane (I can find the link for you if you like scientifc papers!). I have similar issues but am on Tamoxifen (<1% evidently) so can’t answer your question directly. The research papers suggest that most people just put up with the effects, though a few do revert to Tamoxifen. For me it’s a no-brainer as I’d rather have sore thumbs/wrists than risk the reurn of my cancer; but we are all different. Sorry if this is telling you how to suck eggs.
Hopefully you will get a more useful resposne soon, and that you find some relief (a few folk on a similar thread re: Tamoxifen suggested glucasomine tablets, with onc/GP consent of course).
Probablt can’t help but just to symapthise - I was on Aromasin following my secondary dx having had arimidex without too many problems. I had really really bad pain from waist to knee and everything in between - up to 45mg twice daily oxycodone to try to control it. I also had no appetite, horrid taste buds and generally felt foul. Fortunately, my mets spread - IE Aromasin wasn’t working -so I could change to tamoxifen witout worrying.
I got trigger thumbs and the beginnings of carpal tunnel on Arimidex - I’ve written about it elsewhere. Was on the list of possible side effects. I changed back to Tamoxifen and it went away. Was also told I couldhave an operation. But I have met one woman and read of another who stuck to the aromatase inhibitor and the problem went away on its own. Whether glucosamine works I don’t know. I think Tamoxifen is OK. I think it may make my lymph problems worse, but I think the Arimidex was worse.
I agree with you. I stopped Arimidex quite quickly after bad carpal tunnel. Had surgery at a GP practice in Birmingham where they allow you to pay and have it done privately at a fraction of the cost of normal private hospitals. Either £250 0r £350 per hand.
On the Tamoxifen the joint pain is better.
Hi I’ve been on tamoxifen for just short of 2 years - the first year was fine ( I was still on Herceptin) since stopping Herceptin I’ve had a lot of grief ! Capel tunnel symptoms, flushes, weight gain etc for the carpel tunnel symptoms I take amiltrypteline which helps - its not brilliant but it helps . I was on morphine but I couldn’t stand the side effects.
As with the other girls I’ll put up with anything but my cancer returning ! Good luck
Iwas on Anastrozole for 14 months and started getting the symtoms of Carpal tunnel, Dr switched to exemestane ive been on this little over a month still no releif! Ive had shots in both wrist it lasted about a2months. , gotta be another way to relieve this , if this is caused by this medicine , any suggestions I had stage 2 her positive