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Chazza's avatar
Chazza
Member
4 years ago

Arimidex compared to Exemestane

Hi all. This is my first post. I hope you are all doing well and are coping with lockdown. I have been taking Arimidex for 18 months and have a lot of aches and joint pain etc with it and one of my oncologists suggested I try Exemestane.It is in the same class of drugs but Bianca said I might tolerate it better. I looked it up and it seems to have similar side effects so I asked my pharmacist what he thought and he said it had more side effects than Arimidex. I  am hesitant to change if there isn’t much difference. Better the devil you know! Has anyone changed from Arimidex to Exemestane and noticed an obvious improvement? If yes how long did it take for the improvement to occur. 
I need to get my prescription filled soon so have to make a decision. Thank you.😀Take Care everyone and have a lovely evening.






5 Replies

  • Chazza's avatar
    Chazza
    Member
    4 years ago
    Thank you FLClover, Noosa-blue150,iserbrown and Arpie.😀😘
    I really appreciate you all taking the time to let me know your experiences. I will look at the link iserbrown👍
    Take care everyone and have a great afternoon.
    Big virtual hugs to all of you.
    Chazza





  • arpie's avatar
    arpie
    Member
    4 years ago
    Hi Chazza

    Glad you've found us ..... I started on Letrozole & only lasted 6 weeks ... then Exemestane for 6 months and then went to Arimidex!  I've been on Arimidex/Anastrozole for 3 years now.  It has 'worked' for me, like @FLClover. 

    To be honest, I don't think it matters which one you take first - most women get some sort of side effects, it just depends on how many & where :( .... The first one will probably give the 'worst' side effects as it is impacting your hormone system first ...   Don't be afraid of trying other AIs tho .... as you may just tolerate the Exemestane better than the Arimidex!

    All the best xx
  • noosa_blue150's avatar
    noosa_blue150
    Member
    4 years ago
    my understanding after listening to our breast cancer group chat , is that with hormone treatment , it can often be worth trying another if you do side effects on one . every person readts !differently to each , just to muddy the waters . Some In our group report severe effects (especially with joint pain and night sweats) I’m on letrazole /femera and have side effects of hand tingling , night sweats, joint pain but not too bad overall . 
    I’ve just had a break and resumed ; and oncologist has given me a script to try exemestane . I’m staying with femera for now as I figure I’ve used to those side effects and they’re not too severe . May change my mind if months go by and symptoms worsen . 

  • FLClover's avatar
    FLClover
    Member
    4 years ago
    I changed from Letrozole to Exemestane. 3 months on each. Big improvement on Exemestane but still had some pains. Thought I’d try Arimidex as well, and have been on it since then. I like it the best. I have the least aches on it. I also don’t get many hot flushes. But everyone is different, and maybe you should try Ex just to see if it agrees more with you. Also, sometimes the brand of the drug makes a difference too. Good luck with it.