Exemestane

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Ambika
Ambika Member Posts: 2
edited April 2018 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

I'd like to hear from others taking exemestane and their experiences with side effects. Also can anyone answer the reasoning behind taking this for 10 yrs. when I'm 70, have had a complete hysterectomy, recently had a bilateral mastectomy for Stage 2 tumor, and don't need chemo or rad. Thanks.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited April 2018

    Hi Ambika, and welcome to our community. Typically it is taken for up to 5 years, based on this page http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/druglist/aro.... Have you asked your oncologist to hep you better understand the reasoning? It may be worth a second opinion as well. Thanks for sharing your experience.


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  • bravepoint
    bravepoint Member Posts: 404
    edited April 2018

    Ambika - I have been taking exemestane for almost 7 months. My only SE is some pain in my knees when I get up after sitting a while. I take it in the morning right after breakfast. My MO has me on it for 5 years. If your tumor was ER+ and PR+ then taking an AI will lower the estrogen that might feed any stray cancer cells especially when you didn't have any other treatment. Someone posted a really good explanation on this last week if I could only remember what thread it was on!

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  • LMS
    LMS Member Posts: 15
    edited April 2018

    I've been on Exemestane for almost 6 months now. I had the same problem with my knees and a problem with my wrists until I started taking it with dinner. I was on Anastrozole and that made me so tired. I had radiation after my lumpectomy and they said this was "precautionary". My oncotype Dx was 15 and I really didn't want to take anything, but I certainly don't want the cancer back. I take it with dinner and am not feeling the side effects I did when I took it in the morning. Ask your oncologist. It's worth a try taking it at night as opposed to the mornin

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  • bravepoint
    bravepoint Member Posts: 404
    edited April 2018

    LMS - I'm afraid that if I take it at night it might affect my sleep. The steroids that I had during chemo really did and exemestane has steroids in it.

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  • Runrcrb
    Runrcrb Member Posts: 577
    edited April 2018

    Ambika,

    I've been taking it for ~9 months, having started with Anastrozole (Arimidex). I switched to see if a different AI would have fewer or less severe side effects. With exemestane I have some mild joint pain (knees, shoulder) which (probably unrelated but one never knows) is mostly on the right side of my body, same side as cancer.

    The other side effect I experienced from exemestane is sleep disturbance. Once I determined it was the exemestane, I switched to taking it in the morning and sleep returned.

    I experienced hot flashes prior to cancer, during cancer treatment, and now, post cancer treatment. Nothing I've done makes them significantly better or worse - I'm just happy they are fairly mild now (not breaking out in a sweat at the office).



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  • corky60
    corky60 Member Posts: 726
    edited April 2018

    Ambika, I am a lower stage than you and had to have radiation.  I tried Exemestane for nine months then quit.  It stiffened my knees and gave me insomnia, which I still have.  I just passed five years free and clear.  We all make the decisions that we're comfortable with.  I too had a hysterectomy.  With no ovaries to make even the tiniest amount of estrogen I decided that was enough.

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  • Ambika
    Ambika Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2018

    Thank you all. Your inputs have been very helpful. I'm going to start taking it with dinner as suggested. Also I just went to a presentation on bone health while on hormonal therapy which was very helpful.

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