Is Arimidex a chemo drug?

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rreynolds1
rreynolds1 Member Posts: 450
edited March 2018 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hi Everyone,

A few years ago I purchased a Cancer Insurance plan at work which has paid me $ for many of my cancer treatments.  It has a payment for preventive drugs which is what I thought Arimidex is.  However, I received a much higher benefit amound under chemo drugs.  Is this a chemo or a preventative drug?  I'm glad for the $ but 5 years of chemo is not what I thought I was getting. Does anyone know which it is or is it both?

Roseann

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  • goldie0827
    goldie0827 Member Posts: 6,595
    edited November 2009

    Roseann, It is preventive, not chemo. It is a hormone blocker used in women that are ER PR +. I don't know if it would be prescribed to someone that is ER+ and PR-.

    But def. NOT CHEMO.

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  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited November 2009

    My tumor was ER+ PR-, and I've been on Arimidex for 1-1/2 years.  The key to whether Arimidex will be helpful is whether or not the tumor had estrogen receptors.  There was even a study or two suggesting that Arimidex worked better in women with ER+ PR- tumors than it did in women with ER+ PR+ tumors (the preliminary results from the ATAC trials, I think).  That's no longer thought to be true; the latest info I read said the effectiveness of Arimidex is about the same, and is better than tamoxifen, in both those groups.

    Arimidex, Femara, and even tamoxifen, are sometimes given prior to any other treatment in women with advanced BC.  But I still think the main part of goldie's answer is correct-- Arimidex isn't considered "chemotherapy" in the traditional sense.  In the majority of women who are on the drug, it's being used to prevent recurrence -- not to treat the primary tumor.

    otter 

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  • everyminute
    everyminute Member Posts: 1,805
    edited November 2009

    my policy lists it as chemoprevention i think but I get the same as I got for chemo (aflac)

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  • goldie0827
    goldie0827 Member Posts: 6,595
    edited November 2009

    Sounds like maybe AFLAC is using that word two fold. To help you pay for chemo and/or prevention.

    I remember being offered that when I worked in the school the system. But of course I didn't opt for it, because I wasn't going to be one that would need it! Sounded like a great addition to have. If I remember correctly, it is not insurance. It is just there to help. Pays for hotel rooms, gas and things like that too, right?

    At any rate....I wouldn't question it and take whatever help they are offering.

    Lori

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  • Katarina
    Katarina Member Posts: 386
    edited November 2011

    My Oncologist told me it was a "chemo drug" and not just preventative. So when people ask me if I'm done with my treatment I say "no" I've got to take a drug for the next 5 years. I guess that's why they call it "adjuvent therapy".

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  • AntoinetteMarie
    AntoinetteMarie Member Posts: 1
    edited January 2018

    I was just in the hospital for a cough and wheezing. They still aren't sure what that's all about. When they gave me my Arimidex, the nurses had to wear thick gloves. It was in a bag marked "toxic". I was told it is because it's a chemo drug.

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited January 2018

    antoinettemarie,

    Arimidex is not chemo. It is an aromatase inhibitor. Not sure why your hospital treated it like a highly toxic substance, but that may simply be their protocol. Think about it; when you take it at home, there are no extraordinary warnings on the bottle with respect to how it should be handled. It's packaged as most other prescription drugs usually are. As with all prescription meds, they should be stored out of reach from children and taken as prescribed. There are oral/tablet forms of chemo, but Arimidex is not one of them. I have taken Arimidex and then Femara (another AI) for over six years, but would never say I'm on chemo

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  • jumbledbamboo
    jumbledbamboo Member Posts: 158
    edited February 2018

    According to WebMd it is a . type of chemotherapy drug This website had the best info to me. Continued therapy for cancer can include chemo that doesnt necessarilly meet the the standards of what people expect from chemo drugs. Like hair falling out

    .http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/what-is-chemothe...

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  • maggie1952
    maggie1952 Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2018

    I’ve wondered if Arimidex was a chemo drug as well. I have been on it for almost 3 months now for DCIS grade 3. I am estrogen positive. I have not had any issues with it other than constipation. I have been thankful for no major side effects. I had a mastectomy 4 months ago and do plan to have the other breast removed for preventative more than anything

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