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← Return to Tamoxifen and anastrozole
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Hello! And good morning! I am so grateful for this support chat. I had been taking ALL 3 of the AIs and had the COMMON and UNCOMMON side EFFECTS the pelvic pain was first. Then the spotting. Then the cramping of all my joints in my body. The rash aka FUNGUS hands toenails. And private parts. It took 2 years for my dermatologist and I to figure the fungus thing out. By taking meds to CLEAR UP THE FUNGUS. then back on the AIs. I did my research and found out that AIs are a pill form of CHEMO. and because my MEDICAL TEAM has lied to me, in regards to the medicine. I have taken myself off of it.
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The cancer center that I go to refers to aromatase inhibitors (AI) as oral chem. I find that term to be misleading. It is my understanding that chemotherapy is cytotoxic, meaning that it can kill cancer cells. AIs starve cancer cells which feed on estrogen by preventing the production of estrogen.
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@yollie2020, I'm sorry that you had such a rough time with aromatase inhibitors and side effects. I'm glad to hear that the symptoms have since been resolved.
I just wanted to clarify one thing. Aromatase inhibitors are not classified as chemotherapy. However, like chemotherapy and other oral medications, aromatase inhibitors are "systemic" drugs, meaning that they involve treatment that affects the body as a whole or that acts specifically on systems that involve the entire body. Aromatase inhibitors block the enzyme aromatase. This helps prevent the body from producing estrogen.