I am on Arimidex, which my oncologist says is very effective. Tamoxifen has certain side effects that were a concern for me. The first one was that I had had a pulmonary embolism right after my cancer surgery. If you have a higher risk for that, Arimidex is better. Also, Tamoxifen is rougher on people with heart-related problems. How old is your mom? Is her general health good? Another factor, of course, is what type of tumor she had, and if she is postmenopausal. Arimidex will only be prescribed if she has gone through menopause. Hope this is helpful.

My mom is post menopausal. She did not have any complications. Have you had any side effects with Arimidex and how long do you have to take it? Thanks!

Hi! Hope your mom is doing well with her treatment. I am going to take Arimidex for five years, and I think that's standard for both drugs. I'm not a doctor, so don't quote me on that. I have a friend who's on Tamoxifen, and she does well on it. I think both drugs (only knowing my story and hers) are similar in side effects: hot flashes, a little fatigue, but generally, life as normal after about a week's worth of adjusting. I got a little nausea for the first week or so, but then I settled in. One thing my oncologist did say was that Arimidex works especially well on microcalicifications on the unaffected side. We'll see, because they just discovered some on me. I'll be curious to find out how well.

One other thing that is coming into play is cost. Arimidex is significantly more expensive. I guess it depends on insurance coverage as to the co pay. In the grand scheme of things, money is no object if it is the drug of choice.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January I am 46 year old Chemo stopped my periods. Today my doctor prescribed Arimidex for me. I am wondering if becasue my periods stopped in Feb that qualifies me as post menopausal. Any thoughts

Hi, Kathy! I'm sorry about your cancer. I hope the treatments are giving you too hard of a time. Arimidex is only effective in post-menopausal women. Your doc must have decided that that's what you were with a blood test during your usual lab workup. I've been on Arimidex for quite some time. Good luck to you!

Hello All,
My mom's doctor prescribed Tomoxifen for her. She has been taking it for a few weeks now with no side effects as of yet. She did ask him about Arimidex. His suggestion was to go with the Tomoxifen. In post menopausal women, I am not sure how they decide between the two drugs. Just an update. Hope everyone is doing well.
dully2

I had a massectomy in 2000 with lymphnodes removed. I wasn't given radiation or any continuing drugs like arimidex or tomoxifin after completing chemo. Over the last several mths Spots were found in both my lungs and during a vist to a pulmonary dr. he expressed his surprise that I wasn't receiving tomoxifin. He said he would check with my onocologist. Any suggestions on what to ask as a follow up on this. Thanks for any suggestions.

Hi Bks4al. As far as I know, it is the standard protocol for women to receive ongoing meds for several years after breast cancer. I personally am on Arimidex, a great number of others are on Tamoxifen, etc... I had a friend who had a teeny, tiny tumor (less than one centimeter). She opted for a mastectomy, which was probably extreme, but she didn't want to deal with it at all. And even she is on Tamoxifen. Good luck to you. My suggestion is that you do some research now. Take your treatment into your own hands. It's never a bad thing to be on top of things.