Fit - Femara/Arimidex gals how are your joints ?

I started with tamox (and then had ooph/hysterectomy - planning on going on to femara) and THEN had cypd26 testing done to see how I metabolize Tamoxifen.  I came back as an extensive metabolizer and take no anti depressents or other inhibitors so my doc said it is probably as effective as Femara for ME and less side effects.  That being said I am stiff in the am and from sitting a long time.  I did have some wrist pain but it went away. I do take tumeric, fish oil and glucosomine. 

Is tamox a possibility for you?

I have been on Femara since February of this year,  I have stiffness when I sit for long periods.  I did have bad leg aches when I first started, my oncologist suggested that I take my Femara first thing in the morning instead of the evening.  I can say that I notice a difference.  Have not had much stiffness in fingers, hope I don't.  I do not feel the same as I did before all my treatments, but I am happy to be alive.  Keep the faith.

Cindy 

trigeek,  I have been on Tamoxifen with no problems since March.  I just had my oopher/hysterectomy Jun 2, and saw my onc on Fri.  She switched me to Arimidex, but said if my SEs were too bad, she would switch me to Femara, because some patients handle one better than the other.  I will also do IV therapy with Zometa, which will be good for the bones, and cut the recurrence, too.  I hope you find an answer, since I know it's hard not to be active when you want to be.

Deen

I have been on armidex for 2 1/2 years. I have osteoarthritis in my lower back and left hip. I am very stiff after I sit for long. I had an MRI of lower back and xrays of pelvis,left hip and lower back. It shower sclerosis and the arthritis. The MRI says no evidence of mets.  I am going back to Dr tomorrow as my hip hurts badly, also where my leg goes into the joint. I am scared!!

hope you are all well

I can certainly empathize with anybody having difficulty with Arimidex and Femara. There are hand massages that can be done to ensure that the tendons in your fingers don't get pinched by the sheathing. You can do them yourself. Consult a massage therapist or somebody at a hand center. They are easy to do.

.Swimming, exercising, you all seem to sense the drill. Do not decide you are too stiff and sore to exercise, you'll lose the battle.There are tons of supplements and antinflammatories out there--start trial and error notebook with daily observations about how you feel--you can settle into a routine that works for you. I never felt right, but I felt tolerable until the sixth year. I knew finally it was time to quit. At 66 years of age my body reverted back to its non-achy self in a matter of days.It feels good to know I left nothing unturned in my stage 3a battle. And yes acupuncture does help. Might not get the right acupuncturist on the first try.

I was on Arimidex for 4 months and finally cried "uncle" to my oncologist because the list of side effects kept growing - most the joint pain was so depressing.  I felt 100 years old every day and I'm only 55!  So he has me on Femara now and I've been on it for a full month.  I was doing fine, but this last week I have had odd pains in joints.  One knee went out from under me and I landed on the garage floor.  Today the knee is fine, but now my left hip is killing me and I can't lift my left leg!  I take Calcium & Vitamin D and have for years now.  I haven't really heard anyone sing the praises of gluclosamine.   What's the consensus out there?  Take it or forget it???

I'm one of the lucky ones. I have Rheumatoid arthritis, well controlled with Methotrexate and Plaquenil. I have been on Femara for four months now and was worried about possible bone pain. But the only SE I've had is night sweats and an occasional hot flash. If it doesn't thin my bones I will be home free. Reclast, calcium and vit D may keep me safe.

I am on Femara about 6 mos now and every joint in my body hurts but expecially my toes/feet.  I talked to my Dr. about and he suggested soaking in warm tub - have not tried yet - who has time for hanging around in a tub but just thought I would throw that out there.

rgiuff:  Al's does have SE's but does not do the damage to your heart as tamoxifen can.  Would much rather put up with the SE's than have the cancer return.

I have been on Femara for almost 4 months now and dealing with mild SE's.  Not everyone gets the SE's.  I have noticed since I started taking Femara that elasticity of my skin is changing.  Having to use moisturizer more than ever now.  We just need to pamper ourselves a bit more.

An awful lot of women with side effects. Are any of you out there doing fine? I sure am.

Maybe that's my ultimate advantage. I had early surgical menopause (35!) which even with HRT left me pretty low on estrogen. There's probably very little to suppress, just enough to give me sweats. By the way, I remember lying in my hospital bed after the hysterectomy, sweating with hot flashes and crying - instant menopause SEs. I sympathize. 

I didn't realize that Femara was ever given to women who aren't menopausal. Don't premenopausal women get Tamoxifen?

Just got a newsletter today reporting a study that joint pains on AIs correlate with how many years since the last menstrual period. It was a huge difference between women who had started AIs within 5 years or after 5 years of LMP with the before 5 years much more likely to experience the joint pains. So trigeek is right!

I've been on tamoxifen for 3 years and totally dragging my feet about switching over. (I keep saying "after...". Now it's "after my Tae Kwon Do test" [which is next week] and when I see onc in October it'll be "after my vacation...") I wonder if the 3 years of tamox (last period was during chemo, about 5 months before starting tamox) helps that estrogen withdrawal that the article talks about and makes the AI easier.

Here's the abstract:

Patterns and Risk Factors Associated With Aromatase Inhibitor-Related Arthralgia Among Breast Cancer Survivors

Cancer. 2009 Aug 15;115(16):3631-3639, JJ Mao, C Stricker, D Bruner, S Xie, MA Bowman, JT Farrar, BT Greene, A DeMichele

Arthralgia began within 3 months of AI therapy and was most common when the last menstrual period occurred within 5 years. AI-associated arthralgia may be related to estrogen withdrawal.

BACKGROUND: Arthralgia is common in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors (BCS) who are receiving aromatase inhibitors (AIs).The objective of this study was to evaluate the perceived onset, characteristics, and risk factors for AI-related arthralgia (AIA).

METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey of postmenopausal BCS who were receiving adjuvant AI therapy at a university-based oncology clinic, patient-reported attribution of AIs as a cause of joint pain was used as the primary outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate risk factors.

RESULTS: Among 300 survey respondents, 139 (47%) attributed AI as a cause of their current arthralgia. Of those patients, 74% recognized the onset of AIA within 3 months of starting medication, and 67% rated joint pain as moderate or severe in the previous 7 days. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, the time since last menstrual period (LMP) was the only significant predictor of AIA. Controlling for covariates, the women who had their LMP within 5 years had the highest probability of reporting AIA (73%), whereas those who had their LMP >10 years previously had the lowest probability of reporting AIA (35%; adjusted odds ratio, 3.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-9.44; P = .02). Wrists/hands, ankles/feet, elbows, and knees appeared to be associated more strongly with AI-related symptoms than non-AI–related joint symptoms (all P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS: AIA was common, began within the first 3 months of therapy in most patients, and appeared to be related inversely to the length of time since cessation of menstrual function. These findings suggest that estrogen withdrawal may play a role in the mechanism of this disorder.