Lumpectomy, chemo, radiation now ARIMADEX
I am supposed to start Arimadex this week and quite simply, I feel quite negative about it. Has anyone else gone down the really healthy eating/lifestyle, plenty of exercise, as little stress as poss...
Forum Discussion
You can take tamoxifen after menopause. Doctors tend to mostly recommend aromatase inhibitors as they are slightly more effective in reducing recurrence in post-menopausal women. But tamoxifen still does the job almost as well. And in fact if you've had osteoporosis you might be better off on tamoxifen. AIs like Arimidex, because they completely block the production of estrogen in the body, lead to depleted bone density. Tamoxifen acts in a different way. It allows you to keep your estrogen and the benefits that go with that - such as stronger bones (among other things) - but blocks the estrogen from feeding any stray cancer cells that may remain in the body.
Women who are pre-menopausal can only take tamoxifen. AIs will not be effective for them because their ovaries are still pumping out so much estrogen. But after menopause either drug type is effective.
There may be other reasons though why your doctor doesn't want to put you on tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is also association with a slightly higher risk of strokes. So if you have any blood pressure issues you wouldn't want to take it.
But as I said, if it turns out the side effects from the Arimidex are really unpleasant why not ask you doctor whether tamoxifen could be an option for you.