is arimidex safer than tamoxifen

shawnna1212

Hi- any one out there taking arimidex? I was going to be taking tamoxifen but oncologist changed to this one instead, i was wondering if the side effects are better and also if it has the same outcome as the tamoxifen? MY doctor is very evasive about questions i ask him, so any help would be great

shawnna

dlb823

shawnna ~ Arimidex is typically rx'd for postmenopausal women.  Tamoxifen can be used by women who are either pre or post menopause, but always by pre.  Perhaps the switch in drugs has to do with your menopausal status.  Did chemo possibly put you into menopause?)   Or if you have any history of or predisposition to deep vein thrombosis/blood clots, Tamox would not be a wise choice for you, as it can cause those in some women.     Deanna

shawnna1212

Deanna- Yes im postmenopausel, i ended in my early 4o's  that could be the reason, thankyou for your answer-shawnna

sheri47

hi i to am post menapos at 44 48 now and dr put me on arimadex the side affects for me only lasted a week and was not bad my fingers hurt and my right breast got a burning sensation but those are all gone now also get a few hot flashes but not many . hope all goes well for you  sheri

KanRunMo

I am postmenopause and have taken Arimidex for a year.  I have some of the symptoms they mention in the literature but nothing very severe-some joint pain, dry cough,hot flashes.  I have recently been reading some horror stories about joint disentegration so am going to try to check further.  I had some of the joint pain before taking Arimidex especially the lower back pain. 

lemont

I too had early menopause and I have also had pulmonary emboli so Tamoxifen would be particularly dangerous for me. I would still have chosen Arimidex (or another aromatase inhibitor) regardless of the blood clot issue because recent studies have shown it is more effective in preventing recurrence. Not a huge difference in effectiveness, but I figure I might as well get the most benefit out of whatever's available to me. Tamoxifen and AI's work very differently and there are side effects with either type of drug.



If your doc won't discuss the pros and cons of the options for your particular case, maybe you should consider talking to someone else. I finally switched my entire treatment team and I sure wish I had done it sooner.



Best to you.

Lindissima

I attended a talk given by a local, highly respected oncologist on this very subject.

According to her, women who take an aromatese inhibitor like Arimidex for 5 years  have a 2 to 3% lower chance of distant reccurence than women who take Tamoxifen for the same amount of time. Women who start with Tamoxifen for 2 years, then switch to an AI for 5 years also have this same lowered rate of recurrence.

On the plus side, for those women who can't or won't take Arimidex  or an AI, she also said walking for 30 minutes, 4 days a week has been shown to lower  recurrence by 2 to 3%, so that's quite doable for most and has no SE's.

As for which is "better" for you, you need to answer that in consultation with your onc. Are you postmenopausal?  Have you had a bone density scan?  Arimidex or another AI is best for post- menopausal women, but can weaken your bones.  Some  post-menopausal women can't tolerate Arimidex, but do fine with Tamoxifen.  Your onc needs to explain his/her reasons for recommending one over the other.

I started Arimidex 3 months ago and so far, so good.  No major SE's. 

Good luck!