Is Arimidex worth your bones?

Being on arimedex doesn't automatically mean that you will develop osteoporosis. I have been on it for over 4 years with no other medication. I have a yearly DEXA, and my bone density is still in the normal range. I exercise a lot; including light weights and walking (you could do any weight bearing exercise you like) to build up my bones. I also make sure I get a couple serving of calcium rich food (milk, yogurt etc.) every day and take a calcium supplement. So, unless you already have problems with your bones, there is no reason to take another drug or to expect that you will have bone issues. I would say to try it, and if you develop problems you could always go back to Tamoxifen.

I started on Femara and switched to Arimidex.  The joint pain in my hands with both of these medicines was indescribable.  I cried every day because it hurt so bad...even if I was simply sitting still and not moving my fingers.

My doctor switched me, age 51 and postmenapausal, to Tamoxifen.  He said there is only a 3% difference in being disease free 10 years from now.

 I'll accept that 3% chance for a chance to have a better life in the next 10 years.

Hi...  I just wanted to let you know that I took Tamoxifen for 2 years, and then Femara for one... My bone density was compromised by the Femara, so I am now on Tamoxifen again, and will finish in about 6 months...

I also didn't want ANOTHER drug to help my bones...  so for now, this is what I'm doing.

When I finish the Tamoxifen, I don't want to go back on another AI...  I agree with you.  Enough is ENOUGH!   

Good Luck with your decision....

oh. and as for the cataracts, Tamoxifen can cause them.

Harley

If you already have osteopina, then you are in a different situation. Although a 100 pound friend of mine with osteopina who was already on Bonvia completed 5 years of arimidex without any further damage to her bones. She is a crazy exercise person, weight bearing exercise is important to us all; not only with the bone issues, but also to keep the heart strong (no matter what else is going on). Best of luck!

I am wishing this thread was in the "Hormonal Therapy" forum, or maybe in the forum that deals with bone health.  It just doesn't feel like a "Just Diagnosed" issue to me.

What I'm getting at is that many women who've just been diagnosed with breast cancer are terrified anyway.  (I sure was.)  It's too bad they are reading here about treatment options that will force them to make "horrible" choices.  Honestly, I just never considered the Arimidex/tamoxifen question to be a "horrible" choice.

What was "horrible" was that first phone call announcing that I had invasive breast cancer.  Everything else, I figure I can deal with (and, so far, that's been true).   Certainly, I'd rather have been given a do-over, to erase the fact that I ever had cancer.  But, of course, that's not possible.

I'm grateful I've had treatment options:   mastectomy vs. lumpectomy/radiation; Adriamycin-Cytoxan vs. Taxotere-Cytoxan; tamoxifen vs. an aromatase inhibitor (and 3 AI's to choose from).  Each of those choices had advantages and disadvantages.  Some of the side effects of treatment haven't been pleasant.  The fact that I had to weigh the pro's and con's and decide to tolerate unpleasant SE's in order to buy better odds at a long life really sux, ... but, hey, we're talking about cancer.

At times like this, I think of all the women who came before me -- my grandmother among them -- who never had choices like those available to most of us.

otter

ETA:  I've re-read this post half a dozen times, and I'm worried it might sound insensitive and uncaring.  Please understand that I don't mean to minimize the seriousness of the O.P.'s problems. What she has dealt with is awful -- the mastectomy, the oophorectomy, the MediPort problem, the cataracts... the whole deal. 

What I'm trying to do in my post is calm the fears of newly diagnosed readers who might assume from this thread that all treatments will lead to horrible consequences.  As others have said here, we should not assume that taking Arimidex will lead to osteoporosis... or, with only a few exceptions, that any particular treatment will inevitably lead to any particular consequences. I've been on Arimidex for 3-1/2 years, and so far, it hasn't affected my bone density at all.

As one of the senior members of these Boards has cautioned, "Don't borrow trouble."

Sometimes it's hard to find your way around this huge "community".  :)s

The Moderators have offered to move threads that don't seem to fit the forum they're in.  I think if you send a Private Message to "Moderators" and ask them to put the thread in a different forum, they'll see your note.

On behalf of scared newcomers, I really do appreciate your offer.  Again, I'm sorry if my post sounded insensitive.  Oh, and for the record, I'm not the Post Police. 

otter

The print out I was given does not say 'scar tissue' - the quote is -



"Treatng a Secondary Cataract

Months or years after surgery, a secondary cataract may form. It is caused by cells that grow between your new lens and the capsule that hholds it. This cataract is not painful. But it may cause vision problems similarhto the first cataract. In most cases, this cataract can be treated in your eye doctor's office. Laser (YAG capsulotomy) can be used for thia. It is a painless procedure. It only takes a few minutes. A laser beam is usd to make a small opening in the eye's capsule. This allows mmore light to enter. It willimprove your vision right away."

This is from a VA print out.

Kicks,

RE ....  "possibility that my osteoporosis was fastened by it. BUT I have a large family history of it so I'll do what I have to to handle it.  I'd much rather deal that than with a recurrence."

No offense  ( to each his own!)  but after breaking 3 bones, it is hard to bear the thought of possibly breaking a hip which can be life changing.  I  am just not 100% sure that I would rather deal with an acceleration of bone loss than reccurence- I guess partly because, I could have a recurrence anyway.

It's all crap shoot , really.

Here's another way of phrasing the O.P.'s question:  "Are you willing to double* the risk that your breast cancer will return, so that you can avoid the chances that your bone density might decrease from taking Arimidex?".

I think it all depends on how you look at the question, and what other factors are involved in each individual case.  And, IMHO, it's the risk of fracture that's important -- not just the risk of a drop in the DEXA score.

otter

*ETA:  Pretty much all the stats show that hormonal suppression (tamoxifen or an AI) will decrease the risk of recurrence by about one-half of what it would have been without hormonal suppression.  (That means the two-fold difference is a relative decrease, for those paying attention.)  This benefit is especially true for post-menopausal women taking an AI.

DFarro, you are correct -- Arimidex is not "twice as beneficial" as tamoxifen.  I'm sorry -- I think you misunderstood something, or perhaps I didn't state it clearly enough.*

The two-fold higher risk of recurrence I cited upstream is when someone with an ER+ tumor does not take any of the estrogen-blocking drugs (neither tamoxifen nor one of the aromatase inhibitors).  Several studies comparing the benefits of tamoxifen with those of the AI's have suggested that the AI's decrease recurrence risk slightly more than tamoxifen does in post-menopausal women.  That slight improvement over tamoxifen might not be enough to justify taking a chance on bone thinning, though, in someone who is already at high risk of a fracture.  That's why it's important to look at the whole picture, and not just a small part of it.

I am sorry you had such a difficult time with your cancer treatment, and now with your 3-week experience on Arimidex.  Fortunately, many of us who take Arimidex have side effects that are manageable.  I've been faithfully taking Arimidex for just less than 4 years.  As my medical oncologist put it, the SE's of Arimidex are a whole lot more manageable than metastatic breast cancer would be.

Each of us has to make her own decisions, though.  Just be sure to gather enough evidence to make an "informed" decision.

otter

*ETA:  I see now that I was the one who wasn't thinking clearly.  DFarrow is currently taking tamoxifen. She isn't proposing to quit tamoxifen. She wants to compare the recurrence risk on tamoxifen to the recurrence risk on an AI, to see whether the switch to Arimidex would be worthwhile.  As I suggested in an earlier reply, this forum is not a very good source of answers to that question.  Much more information about tamoxifen and the aromatase inhibitors can be found on the "Hormonal Therapy" forum.  There is also a forum dealing with bone health that discusses risks and management of bone density problems.