bone/joint pain from arimidex and femera

mollyintn

6 years post diagnosis and treatment. took Tamoxifen for 3.5 years with no problem then switched to Arimidex. after 18 months I had to switch to Femera due to the overwhelming pain I have been on Femera for 4 months and the pain and discomfort is really ramping up again. anybody else have this? I will have an appointment soon with my onc to discuss options. I work 30 hours/week and most weeks struggle to do that. there is at least one day a week where all I want to do is curl up bed because the pain is too intense.

Moderators

Hi Molly-

We're sorry to hear of the continued bone and joint pain you're experiencing! It is a common side effect of aromatase inhibitors, and can sometimes be helped by switching meds, but that doesn't seem to have worked for you. We do have some information on our main site that you might find helpful, things that have proven successful for other women experiencing the same pain.

Minimize joint/leg pain caused by aromatase inhibitors?

Exercise Reduces Joint Pain Caused by Aromatase Inhibitors

Electroacupuncture Can Help Ease Joint Pain

High Dose Vitamin D May Help Ease Joint Pain from Arimidex

Fish Oil Can Help Ease Joint Pain

We hope some of these work for you, or at least give you a good jumping off point to find something that does!

The Mods

Chloesmom

turmeric seems to be helping me

suems

After progression on Tamoxifen after only 8 months, I was switched to Arimidex, but threw it away after 3 months after I became virtually crippled with arthritis in my knees (and still progressed). My MO has said that hormonals are off the table and now has me on chemo. I still take fish oils, glucosamine, turmeric, and Vitamin D, and my knees are slowly recovering. i know exactly what you're going through. Tell your MO and he will hopefully have an alternative that causes less SE's.

All the best,

Sue

Denise-G

Oh so common to have those joint pains with AIs - when I first started Arimidex 3.5 years ago, my pain was about an 8 out of 10.  But I wanted to stick it out because I literally needed all the help I could get.   I did stick it out, and at about the 2 year mark, my joint pain lessened.  Then at 3 years, it got much, much better.  My MO and I were having this discussion that often it improves with time.

Everyone is different...but just wanted to throw my experience into the mix.

SissyK

mollyintn, I hear you!  Tamoxifen messed with my uterus, so I had a hysterectomy after 1.5 years.  First AI gave me horrible joint/bone pain, so I was switched to Femara.  I've been on it for nearly 3.5 years.  Unlike others, my side effects seem to get worse as time goes on.  I do yoga, walk, take fish oil and have tried other supplements.  I still need an OTC pain med to get me through the day/night and have had to curtail knitting and sewing because of the pain in my hands/arms.  I'm sorry to sound angry, but if I hear  "talk to your doctor, they can help" one more time, I'll scream!  Ummmmmm, NO, they can't help, not always.  When I last complained to my onc about the pain he told me I had three options:  go back to tamoxifen and stay on for a total of 10 years, stay with an AI for total of 5 years, or stop taking any meds.  I'm not brave enough to stop, and I was glad to be off tamoxifen due to its other side effects.  I've stuck with femara, hating every day of it and looking forward to when I can stop later this year.  I feel I've been wishing my life away for the last 3 years!

I hope my experience isn't yours.  And maybe I shouldn't share, but thought it might help to know that you are not alone.  We do what we have to in order to get through this.  I wish you strength.

muska

Sissy, I am very sorry to hear you have so much joint pain. I have read some women experience improvement hen they start taking antihistamines, e.g. claritin. Have you tried it?

I have been on anastrozole for over two years and feel pretty good, whatever stiffness I had at the beginning is now gone almost completely. I exercise 4- 5 times a week and walk every day.

Best of luck to you!

GG27

I have found not only with arimidex but also tamoxifen that I had horrible joint pain with some brands & none with others. You may want to try a different brand. The fillers are sometimes the worst offenders for pain.

SissyK

It is interesting that some get relief from antihistamines, muska.  I have not tried them for this issue, but for allergies.  They put me in an unpleasant brain fog - I become a total ditz!  Not a good thing . . . .

mollyintn

Saw the Nurse practitioner yesterday and we have opted to try Aromasin. She suggested I take 2 weeks off to give my body a break and hopefully time to recover from the pain, then I will start the Aromasin. She also gave me a script for Tramadol for the pain. Last night I slept with no pain, which meant I was not restless, which meant I woke up feeling really normal! I am hopeful the Aromasin will be a better fit for me. IF not, then we discussed going back to Tamoxifen.

Anonymous

Hi there, I feel your pain, literally. Regular hot yoga sessions, switching to Aromasin, and taking a daily Claritin (I keep thinking it keeps side effects of joint and bone pain away like it did during chemo) help me.

Switching to Aromasin after my awful experience on Arimidex probably helped the most. I had trigger joints in my hands, bloating, aches, pains, eventual terrible mood swings, fatigue, and weight gain/bloat on Arimidex. I was ready to quit after 1.5 years and MO switched me to Aromasin. I'm lucky that so far--knock wood--it's been so much better. I hope you find what works.

Claire