aromasin side effects

It's fascinating the different approaches our docs take. My MO knows I work at a keyboard 40 hours a week and made certain that I was not having problems with my hands. I don't read anywhere that specifically mentions hands, but I know that joint and muscle pains can be caused by Aromasin. I think that part of the problem with the listed side effects is that these are new drugs and the population that has taken them is relatively small (compared to something like tamoxifen for example) so what happens in reality is not yet known. I have been having numbness in the soles of my feet! I'm not sure if that's Aromasin or just sitting more because it's winter. Whatever it is, if that's my only complaint I'm happy with it.

Hand pain falls under the general side effect arthralgia - joint/muscle pain. It is a documented SE for all AIs. I wish my MO had explained to me what this could mean. I read on the package insert that comes from the pharmacy that Letrozole can cause achy joints and muscles. I have been an athlete almost all my life so I am familiar with achy joints and muscles. I didn't think it would be a big deal. But it really is more like arthritis, in every joint, including my fingers and wrists. Not being able to use my hands not only impacted my quality of life but my job as well. I should have been told.

But you bring up a more interesting point, about the drugs being relatively new. If you go back and look at the clinical trials for AIs, the cohorts were largely made up of older women (avg age 60) who were already post menopausal when they started the AIs. The side effects listed are based on those trials. Once the FDA approved them, they became widely prescribed to all post menopausal women. What researchers are now finding is that the side effects are more severe for women whose menopause was surgically or chemically induced. This information was presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in 2011. The other really interesting thing that came out of that symposium, is that when researchers polled MOs about AI side effects, 80% said most patients experience mild or none. But when patients were polled, 65% said SEs were moderate to severe. MOs believed full compliance was around 80%. But researches using pharmacy data found that 35% are not fully compliant. What pisses me off, is why are so many MOs ignorant about this data? They should not be allowed to prescribe these drugs if they are not educated as to the effects on patients' lives. This has a HUGE impact on treatment plan decisions. I was 49 and pre-menopausal at dx. Had oncotype of 19. Really struggled with whether or not to do chemo but two of 3 MOs recommended it. Had I known that chemo would likely put me in to early menopause and the SEs of AIs could be life altering compared to Tamoxifen, I may have made a different decision regarding chemo. I think there is no doubt now that I would benefit much more from hormonal therapy than chemo, but can't turn back the clock. All I can do now is help educate other women.

TexJerseygirl.....Really interesting. When questioned my MO confirmed that 50 percent of women do not complete the 5 years due to SE. This is at a major NYC teaching hospital. I believe we all need to make well informed decisions about any medication we take. They all have potential side effects. I general I feel most docs minimize the SE. Maybe if more women spoke up there would be research on better treatments that are better tolerated. IMO 50 percent compliance is not good enough!