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Vitamin D for joint pain from Arimidex?

Page last modified on: January 4, 2010

Question from RochaM: I heard about the new findings on vitamin D helping joint pain from Arimidex. This is great. How much vitamin D do you need to take, and when? My joints are killing me.: Answer —Kathy Miller, M.D.: The study results in this area are a bit contradictory. Several small studies found that women with lower levels of vitamin D were more likely to have joint pain with Arimidex or other aromatase inhibitors. But studies that looked at replacing vitamin D as a way of decreasing joint pain I found disappointing. The largest study gave women high doses of vitamin D weekly, until their levels were back to normal, and then decreased them to a maintenance dose through the rest of the 6 months. In that study, they found an early improvement in joint symptoms, but at 6 months the levels of joint symptoms were the same. It's certainly important for women to have their vitamin D levels checked. Many Caucasian women are vitamin D deficient and that vitamin is necessary to help prevent osteoporosis, but it's not clear that replacing vitamin D or taking extra vitamin D will improve the joint symptoms.

On Tuesday, December 15, 2009, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Updates from the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Kathy Miller, M.D. and Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S. answered your questions about the latest updates on breast cancer risk, screening techniques, treatment options, and more.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Kathy D. Miller, M.D. is associate professor of medical oncology at Indiana University, and a Sheila D. Ward Scholar.

Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a breast surgeon and clinical instructor at the Thomas Jefferson University Department of Surgery in Philadelphia, PA. She also maintains a practice in Cherry Hill, N.J. Dr. Brill is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, she has published breast cancer research in medical journals such as Annals of Plastic Surgery and Cancer, and she has presented research at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.