Hello I am late to this thread but have read it with interest as I am in the same boat. 4 years and 7 months on amixture of arimidex and aromasin had to keep switching when the se’s got so bad. This year I’ve felt the side effects were becoming more intense as the ingredients reach saturation point in my blood. I had a rarer side effect of recurrent sinus infections which I needed two courseslog antibiotics for this time around. It seems to me the arimidex dries out every single tissue lining!! Causing havoc. Anyway I switched to aromasin for three weeks to give myself a break from arimidex whilst fighting the infection and a week ago went back on to arimidex!! Oh dear. I have never experienced blues like it. I am crying all the time and feel as if I can’tcope with the slightest thing going wrong, I am irritable all the time and not very pleasant to live with. The blues are really bad this time and I’m feeling like its all pointless. My question now is, do I give up the arimidex? I am worn down with it yet still scared a little to give it up. Similarly I think the stress of it all can’t help either so think it would be in my body’s best interests to callits a day and continue to exercise and eat healthily and do all Ican to stay well. What would you do, anyone? I know my onc will just say "well it’s your decision, the drug wasa only tested over 5 years so we can’t advise you to stop’ but I think if I didget a recurrence I can’t imagine it wouldn’t have happened if I have stayEd on the drug another 5 months do you?? I am driving myself crazy here as you can tell! Think I’m going to give it up! After all 4yr 7 months is some going and it must have done some good. Btw my dx was in 2007 lumpectomy 1.5cm tumour wide local excision 1 lymph node, 6 chemo, rads, 5 lots of herceptin (but my heart got damaged) cuddly toy(!) and an oophrectomy (ovaries removed!). Any advice at all would be appreciated. I’ll copy this to another thread in case this thread is no longer active. Hope you are all having one of those good days ! Carrie
Hello Carriemitch
I’m on Letrozole, on year 4 of 5 years after 5 years of Tamoxifen. I’m 54 so a few years older than you. I’m not having a very good time with my drug, having major problems with mouth, dry, sore, burning and no other people have these side effects, really stressed at the moment as just started a part time job with a charity as a home help but finding it really stressful, it shouldn’t be. I think whats wrong with me I should be able to cope. Onc doesn’t want to know, GP very sympathetic. Have to admit I keep having a break from the drug and surely over 8 years of hormone treatment should be enough!
Don’t know what to do for the best really.
I am new to this chat. Have been on arimidex for 4 years. The only side effect I can pinpoint is joint stiffness and poor circulation particularly overnight. I more or less overcame this by includong Omega XL and Caltrate 600 in my daily regime. Minimal discomfort once I started this.