after discontinuing this med? I have also tried aromasin, femara, and tamoxifin with the same side effects.. I have had no quality of life taking this medication.
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Q: I have stopped taking arimidex.. How long will I continue with joint pain and stiffness and swelling
Answers (3)
8/23/08 8:55pm
Mary, each person's reaction to any drug is individual, so there'sno telling how long the swelling and aches will last. Especially with aromatase inhibitors, which are relatively new to the market and without much background info. on side effects. I'm sorry you've had such a hard time! But certainly quality of life is a huge consideration, as we go through treatment. Good luck - PJH
8/24/08 10:22pm
Hi Mary - I stopped taking Femara (a sister drug of Arimidex) in March after I found out my cancer returned and I still continue to have joint pain. Most mornings I can't hardly ball my hands up - and my knees and hips hurt so much - but like PJ said, everyone is different is reacts differently.
Hopefully you'll find a way to cope soon enough!
Good luck!
Angi
11/10/11 12:22pm
Hi Mary,
I have had same side effects with generic Aromasin. Basically can hardly use my hands, numbness, cannot make a fist, without all fingers triggering, stiffness pain/burning sensation in hands and fore arms are painful now. I stopped cold turkey after reading all posts describing individuals with same side effects. I have the same question you have posted. Can anyone out there who has suffered these side effects give a time frame when we can expect the reversal of this drug. I started with a new oncologist and he agreed to my stopping without starting a new drug until hands start feeling normal again.
Still hope to hear something positive about reversal of these side effects!
11/10/11 6:06pm
Hi PJH,
Once again I thank you for your reply. On your advice I did run my condition re: aromasin and its side effects with my new oncoloist. He did take the time to read all the infomation I gave him from this and other sites about the side effects and did not press me to jump into another drug until I feel ready to do so and confident I won't wind up in the same condition. Scary thing is that many of the people on this site have tried other medications recommended as substitues and have had the same physical problems. Another scary thing is that for some reason it seems the three Doctors I have told these side effects to... seem not to have been aware of the side effects. How is this possible? I am amazed that you lasted 5 years using Arimidex.
11/10/11 6:10pm
Hi Again PJ,
Excuse the typo...I left the G out of Oncologist.
11/10/11 8:25pm
Mae, no prob - I'm the Queen of Typos! I'd suggest you speak to your oncologist about tamoxifen. It's not QUITE as effective as the aromatase inhibitors, but it doesn't come with nearly the painful side effects; weight gain seems the most apparent. There's a tiny increased risk of endometrial cancer, but tamoxifen was the gold standard hormone therapy drug for over 20 years for ALL survivors, and still is for premenopausal survivors. Even postmenopausal, it'll do you some good. Think about it, OK? PJH
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Mae, we're all different; so there's no "typical" or "normal" amount of time it takes for side effects to abate. I was on Arimidex for nearly 5 years; it took me several months to feel better once I went off it. Hopefully your experience will be the same, or better! PJH