hallucinations with Arimidex

I am posting again to ask a question my friend that is taking Arimidex for grade 1 breast cancer. She has been taking Arimidex for about  6 months now and has had a hallucination. Has anyone had this happen. I read it may be a rare side effect but it isn't on the package insert.
thanks in advance,
mkh9

[bluebutterfly2222]

You are right--most of the clincial trials done by the drug companies aren't long enough to show what may happen in the "real world" over a longer period of time and in a larger population. The FDA goes ahead and approves them, and then in some cases they are later withdrawn from the market (sometimes long after they have beeen banned in Europe), once severe or even fatal consequences are finally recognized....

If your friend is doing okay on Arimidex otherwise, and the hallucinatory experience was just one time, or a rare occurence, she may be able to continue the med and just reassure herself that it's just a side effect. (Many people have hallucinations when they take the stronger pain meds, and some have them from sleeping pills.)

If it is too disturbing for her, she might ask her doctor about trying something different. (And, of course, if she goes off it and the problem continues, she should get checked out for the possibility of some other causation.)

[bluebutterfly2222]

Hallucinations are not listed as a side effect of Arimidex on the chemo drug Web site or a Web site providing detailed info about medications in general, nor was it listed as a side effect in an older version of the PDR I have at home.

Not saying that means it couldn't still be related to Arimidex, but is your friend taking any other meds that might have caused this symptom?

[mkh9]

Hi thanks for your response. No she is not taking anything else except Fosamax. I did see a couple of sites on the internet that said they did a clinical trial and 20/10,000 people reported hallucinations. One other website had that as a rare side effect too. I'm sure how reliable these studies are but I wanted to see if anyone here had experienced hallucinations. She is legally blind due to drug toxicity that she hasn't taken in years now for Lupus (hydroxychloroquine). I don't think it is due to her blindness. I haven't seen the side effect either listed on the drug companies side effect list. Sometimes though years after a drug has been out more side effects come out. Maybe Fosamax is the culprit?
Mkh9

[bluebutterfly2222]

You are right--most of the clincial trials done by the drug companies aren't long enough to show what may happen in the "real world" over a longer period of time and in a larger population. The FDA goes ahead and approves them, and then in some cases they are later withdrawn from the market (sometimes long after they have beeen banned in Europe), once severe or even fatal consequences are finally recognized....

If your friend is doing okay on Arimidex otherwise, and the hallucinatory experience was just one time, or a rare occurence, she may be able to continue the med and just reassure herself that it's just a side effect. (Many people have hallucinations when they take the stronger pain meds, and some have them from sleeping pills.)

If it is too disturbing for her, she might ask her doctor about trying something different. (And, of course, if she goes off it and the problem continues, she should get checked out for the possibility of some other causation.)

[mkh9]

Thank you,
I will tell her what you said. I think she will mention it to her doctor but she can deal with so far.
mkh9