Getting the best breast cancer treatment can feel like a balancing act: you want to do as much as you can to get rid of the cancer and reduce the risk of it coming back. But you'd like to avoid uncomfortable side effects that might lower your quality of life.
When choosing a hormonal therapy medicine, you and your doctor will weigh the benefits and possible side effects of each one. Together, you will decide on a hormonal therapy treatment plan that's right for you and your unique situation.
The table below gives you a summary of some of the most common possible side effects of the different hormonal therapy medicines so you can do a general side-by-side comparison.
For more information on any of these side effects, visit the Treatment Side Effect section.
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Comparison chart of Hormonal Therapy Side Effects
| Arimidex | Aromasin | Femara | Tamoxifen | Evista | Fareston | Faslodex | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bone/joint pain | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||
| osteoporosis | yes | yes | yes | ||||
| bone thinning | yes | yes | yes | ||||
| nausea | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||
| vomiting | yes | yes | yes | ||||
| hot flashes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| weakness | yes | yes | |||||
| fatigue | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||
| headache | yes | yes | yes | ||||
| insomnia | yes | yes | |||||
| increased sweating | yes | yes | |||||
| dizziness | yes | yes | |||||
| drowsiness | yes | ||||||
| higher cholesterol | yes | ||||||
| weight gain | yes | ||||||
| blood clots | yes | yes | |||||
| stroke | yes | yes | |||||
| endometrial cancer | yes | yes | |||||
| increased bone / tumor pain | yes | yes | |||||
| mood swings | yes | yes | |||||
| depression | yes | ||||||
| hair thinning | yes | ||||||
| constipation | yes | yes | |||||
| dry skin | yes | yes | yes | ||||
| loss of libido | yes | ||||||
| leg cramps | yes | ||||||
| swelling | yes | yes | |||||
| flu-like symptoms | yes | ||||||
| hypercalcemia | yes | ||||||
| rash | yes | ||||||
| vaginal discharge / bleeding | yes | ||||||
| vision problems | yes | ||||||
| dry eyes | yes | ||||||
| diarrhea | yes | ||||||
| sore throat | yes | ||||||
| back pain | yes | ||||||
| stomach / abdominal pain | yes | ||||||
| injection site pain | yes |
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