Alternative drug to Arimidex

Hopeunseen....so sorry you mom is not doing well on Arimidex. There are some natural things she can do to lower her estrogen levels. However it sounds like she just started the Arimidex so the se might get better with time. I have decided NOT to take anti hormones. I take a supplement called DIM in leu of them. I have also lost 25 pounds since my diagnosis and exercise regularly. Weight loss and exercise have been known to reduce recurrence rates. I have also eliminated sugar from my diet which is known to increase inflammation. Good luck to both of you.

BLS....sure what do you want to know? Im a year out from my diagnosis and so far so good but...they really don't do any systemic testing to check for recurrence unless you have symptoms. Im not really comfortable with that but its the present protocol. Please feel free to ask me anything or private message me if you want to talk more details....

Hello all,

I have been taking Armidex for 1.5 years (after Stage 1/2 BC with a lumpectomy) - and in the past 6 months I've had lots of issues that I didn't even link to Armidex (duh!). Insomnia (I can usually only get to sleep around 3am or later), weight gain, extreme fatique (e.g. to the point that it's hard to get out of bed), joint and bone pain and then just the other day, I had blood tests and my liver enzymes were elevated. My oncologist scheduled an ultrasound on Tuesday (presumably to figure out if it's the result of a tumor, or fatty liver - although she didn't say why - I have ascertained this from researching it myself). I also have a lot of autoimmune issues (Hashis, psoriasis, vitilago) - so it could also be autoimmune hepatitis (again - figured this out by researching on my own).

Anyway - I've read that tamoxifen can cause liver issues - but just wondering if Armidex can, too??? I feel like crap and was thinking it was having 4 teenagers - and have been trying to make my way through it - but I'm not sure that I can. My two bouts of BC were both strongly estrogen related. Any thoughts? I just want my life back again..... Thanks all for any information or thoughts.

Well, I don't have 4 teenagers, just 3 dogs, but I know what the fatigue from Arimidex is like. After 10 months on that horrible drug, I threw in the towel because the fatigue was only the tip of the iceberg; if there are 15 side effects, I had 10 and I'm not exaggerating. The oncologist suggested a 2-month "vacation" after which we would revisit the issue. After that period of time, the quality of my life was almost back to what it was pre-Arimidex. When the doctor called in October I said someone would have to present several compelling arguments to go back on it but she couldn't. I have been off the drug since the first week of August 2016 and only now (Jan. 2017) is my thinning hair finally beginning to look like I wasn't snatched bald-headed! As for the other drugs, the side effects are very similar. My LFTs were normal while on Arimidex. Good luck. An interesting side comment. This is a breast cancer site and every time you type Arimidex it is underlined in red, like the spelling is wrong. Hmm.

This is an old thread, but if anyone is reading it--I had to switch from Arimidex to Aromasin (which are both red-underlined, telling me that bc.org doesn't maintain the dictionary, but instead it's our computers). Arimidex brought awful side effects and after 1.5 years I switched to Aromasin, thank god. After I threatened to top AIs completely, MO gave me Aromasin.

So far so good, nearly all side effects (bloating, weight gain/inability to lose, terrible mood changes, trigger fingers etc) other than the occasional hand joint pain, which might be from too much computer work, disappeared. As for liver issues, I have CBCs done every 5 months during my regular check ups and the only liver enzyme elevation I had was from taking too much aspirin and Advil because of the joint pain I had on Arimidex.

Claire in AZ

Just want to say that I take DIM in leu of an aromatase inhibitor. Please feel free to comment or ask any questions.

kira...so sorry you are dealing with a recurrence. I have to say that most recurrences occur while being on anti hormone therapy just because most people do take it. However it is obvious that there are no guarantees either way. Unfortunately if you have a recurrence that stats go out the window! Good luck to all navigating this complicated disease and making these tough decisions.

Hi !

Any of you gals still available for comment? That started back in 2010?

I am just starting arimidex but would like to hear from some of you that did alternatives 5 years or more ago and are still ok...

hi I am new to this site and just about to start cmf chemo. How can I find the thread natural girls as I did a search and couldn't find it. Thanks so much for your help

There are a few threads that address it. The one above and also one that is titled opting out. Let me know if you want more information. Good luck...

MamaOz...Like I said above I take DIM in leu of an aromatase inhibitor. I also have lost 30 pounds and try to exercise daily. Both those have been shown to lower recurrence rates by 40 percent. I also take several other supplements including melatonin, baby aspirin, mushroom extract and berberine. Hope that helps!