When is the best time to take Afinitor and Aromasin

[MyMiracle13]

May I ask those who are taking Afinitor and Aromasin (or those who had) when is the best time and way to take this combination? Do you take them at the same time or one in the morning and the other in the evening? Do you take them with food? I am presently taking Aromasin only until I finish my WBRT sessions but will be starting Afinitor 5 mg end of next week. Any advice will be most welcome including what side effects to expect. Many thanks! Maria

[Arisgram]

Hey Maria. I take Afinitor and letrozole. To prevent mouth ulcers, I was instructed to put the Afinitor inside an empty gel cap and then to put the gel cap into a spoonful of yogurt and swallow. It seemed to work. I only had one ulcer and used only one bottle of the steroid mouthwash. Since I was unable to order the right size empty gel caps, I bought a bottle of cinnamon supplement and I empty the cinnamon. The capsule is so large, I just stick the letrozole in there with it. I take mine in the morning, but I don't think it would matter.

Avoid getting overheated. I don't thermoregulate well....although I never did. I developed a rash which was just a bit annoying. The worst SE for me is the face swelling. It's uncomfortable and I look like I've gained 10 or 15 pounds which pisses me off. Claritin and lasix do help.

Please feel free to message me if you have questions. Best of luck with the results of your radiation.

Andi

[MyMiracle13 in reply to Arisgram]

Hi Andi, thanks for taking the time to reply. I don’t know if I can put the Afinitor inside a capsule as I already have swallowing issues over big tabs and capsules. But I will try putting it into a spoonful of yoghurt or a slice of banana and hope that this will prevent the Afinitor from touching my throat. I sincerely appreciate your reply and will let you know how I get on. I’ve finished day 4 of my WBRT. 6 more sessions to go.

[Filosofie]

I've been on this combination since November. I've tried to follow the instructions as closely as possible. I take them both in the evening, the Everolimus (Afinitor) before dinner with a large glass of water and the Exemestane (Aromosin) after dinner again with water. It's good that you are starting on 5mg, I've been on this dose since the beginning as my oncologist didn't see the point of risking side effects if it's working. And it has kept me stable. I had some mouth ulcers in the first few months, and have little appetite, but the worst side effect is that I have inflammation of the lungs. No lung mets but not good in these Covidy times. I hope this combination works well for you.

[MyMiracle13 in reply to Filosofie]

Thank you for responding. So sorry I only logged in today as I finished my WBRT on 4 September and my recovery has been slow and not easy. I hope I can take the Afinitor 5mg as the side effects seem to scare me. I might ask my oncologist if Xeloda will be gentler on me. Has your lung inflammation been resolved? Are you still on this combination? Looking forward to hearing from you before I start Afinitor. 💗Maria

[Filosofie in reply to MyMiracle13]

Hi Maria. Glad to hear the WBRT is behind you. I’ve just spent 48 hours in hospital because my temperature kept spiking. They didn’t discover what was causing it. Negative Covid test, thank goodness. They pumped me full of antibiotics, temperature down, and sent me home. Lung inflammation is still there but it’s not causing me problems so I’m still on Everolimus. I haven’t been on Xeloda (Capecitabine) this time round but lots of people have good results on it. Good luck x

[MyMiracle13 in reply to Filosofie]

Hi and thanks again for replying. Sorry to hear you had to be in hospital but glad to know you are back home. How many months did you have to suffer mouth sores? What mouthwash did you use to control it?

[Filosofie in reply to MyMiracle13]

Hi. I had mouth ulcers for about 3 months and used Difflam mouthwash and Gelclair. They both numbed the pain but I think salt water is as effective in healing. I still get the odd ulcer, but at no time has my mouth been as sore as it was when I had chemo for my primary.

[MyMiracle13 in reply to Filosofie]

Thanks you have been most helpful. Will let you know how I get along although my onc might put me on metronomic Xeloda (low dose 500 mg twice daily but continuous)