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Arimidex

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Comments

  • hmm
    hmm Member Posts: 957
    edited January 2010

    My doctor said the same as Ruth's - starting the Arimidex the next day after the last radiation treatment. She reminded me about starting the next day more than once so evidently to her this is important. She also said the same thing as lakewoman's regarding the calcium.

    Pat

  • ruthbru
    ruthbru Member Posts: 47,472
    edited January 2010

    No matter what you do, at some point some study is going to come out and say that you should have done something different. I think a person has to turn off the 'Maybe I should have done....' thread in their mind and just leave it knowing that they all did the best with the information they had at the time. That being said, I am totally grateful that I didn't have to go through this 20 years ago. No choice at all; everyone had a radical masectomy and 'one size fits all' chemo with no anti-nausea medication. I can't even imagine!!!!!!

  • somanywomen
    somanywomen Member Posts: 82
    edited January 2010

    My Aunt had her biopsy and immediate radical mastectomy same day over 25 years ago, they didn't even give her a chance to decide between lump or mast.....Of course she has certainly had the regrets about this, but she has been alive and well and now in her 80's doing fine.....

    This morning was my 5th arimidex, and have no se's to speak of as of yet....I do take my vits and bone supplements (taking something called "Bone Strength" morning and evening), had bone density test last week (no results yet) but my bones have always been borderline osteo....

  • hmm
    hmm Member Posts: 957
    edited January 2010

    Yes, over the years the thinking has changed for sure. Now, even in the same time frame, the treatment may differ depending on where you are being treated. A friend of mine who lives in the next county was diagnosed a few weeks prior to me and we were not treated at the same place. We compared notes often and there were a few things that were different in how things were done.

    Pat  

  • sobx
    sobx Member Posts: 108
    edited January 2010

    I finished chemo 11/08 and then came down with staph in December. Started arimidex in January '09 and started rads 3/09.  Some SE but I can live with htem.

  • balsie
    balsie Member Posts: 228
    edited January 2010

    sobx

    What did they do to treat your staph infection? Did it last long? What syptoms did you have? I just had my TE exchange and have an ifection..they took a culture but no results yet. 

    Thank you!

    Warmly,

    Balsie~

  • Chevyboy
    Chevyboy Member Posts: 10,258
    edited January 2010

    Yes sobx !  How did  they know it was staff?  I had a terrible infection from the hole where the catheter to the MammoSite Device went in....they gave me a "shot" during surgery, because I guess it is pretty common...but I took CEPHALEXIN...then when it still wouldn't go away, after a week, the Radiologist gave me an RX for CLINDAMYCIN....I too, am allergic to  Penn & Sulpha...

    So I was on both meds for the infection!  They took the catheter out, after about 12 days, but I stayed on the antibiotics for another 10 days.....It finally cleared up, & that hole healed from the inside out, & looks good now....finally!  I don't know what kind of infection it was, but man, it was persistant!  Probably because "my body would try & fight any foreign object in there"...that's what they said.....  Did you get tested for staff?  I'm just wondering how they knew....Jeannette

  • LizziesNuNu
    LizziesNuNu Member Posts: 33
    edited January 2010

    Hello Ladies,

    I haven't been on since Dec. I had my exchange on the 23rd. then spent New Year's Eve back in the hospital with a Staph infection. So...on my last post we were all talking about SEs, I've been on Arimidex since September, and SEs are easing. So.. as every doctor will tell us, it is different for everyone.

    Hope everyone has a good week. I see onc tomorrow, first time since Oct. get to have a blood test to see if any kidney or liver damage, etc. Whoopie...

    I have seen a few posting about having a ovaries and uterus, and it's not a good thing to go on it if you do? I haven't heard about this before, do I need to ask onc? I assume she realizes I went into menopause naturally, but as I learned from the BC, never assume anything anymore.

  • balsie
    balsie Member Posts: 228
    edited January 2010

    LissiesNuNu~   What were your symptoms when you had the infection...and how did they test for it and then how did you get treatment.  I see you were in the hospital so this must be serious stuff.   I just had my exchange and I have something going on ....the ps took a culture and will get the results back on Tuesday in the mean time he put me on an antibioctic. 

    also from your post it sounds like you stopped taking arimidex during your surgery?  Why?

    They wouldn't let you take arimidex unless you were postmempausal...onc probably did some blood test on you to find this out.  But ask your onc about this.  You can never ask enough questions.

    thanks

    Balsie~

  • sobx
    sobx Member Posts: 108
    edited January 2010

    Morning all - I didn't have a port so I got my chemo in my arm. The one tech could never find a vein and after 4 tries I told her to find someone else to help. The guy tech had no problems. Needless to say she never touched me again and I asked for a signed note stating I was not a druggie from the looks of the brusies on my arm. The next week I started getting blisters on my leg. They put me on antibiotic. A few days later the blister was about 2 inches and small ones were coming up on my legs and arms. I went to the hospital and got IV's and the blister broke. They took a culture and put me on sulpher along with the antibiotic. That made me deathly ill. I'll take chemo anytime over that! That was the first part of Nov. Went to the rads doc the middle of Dec. I had been running a low fever and didn't know why. By the time he saw me my breast was swelling where I had my lumpectomy in Sept. and warm to touch. Rads ONC sent me back to my surgeon. (I will add that they are 3 hours apart) Couldn't see him till the next day. I was still living with my husband and asked him to wake me before he went to bed so I could check the temp again. Yeah right!! The next morning I was very swollen and the bed was wet. Thought hot flashes but after my shower saw dripping from my incision that had healed! Surgeon touched the incision and it broke open and sounded like a bucket of water being spilt on the floor. The look on the nurse was priceless! Felt real good when they came in with the red plastic and hazard cleanup! Surgeon said I had 1 C and the other EE. Skin was tight and hot to touch. Anyway I had to be packed and the incision had to drain and heal from the inside. That took about 6 weeks and put me behind on the rads. But they started me on the arimidex at that time. I now have a scar but it is looking better. There are different types of staph and Mercer is the worse and that never gets out of your system. I have noticed it takes me longer to heal from a cut. Hopefully you just have a nasty infection but keep a check on it. Sorry this is so long but hope it helps. Looks like a few of us had to deal with the staph.

  • pj12
    pj12 Member Posts: 18,108
    edited January 2010

    balsie,

    I developed a post lumpectomy infection slowly, becoming obvious about 4-5 weeks post-op. My op'd breast had slowly gotten fuller, tighter and warmer. I kept mentioning it but no one paid any attention until I broke out in red splotches. I had a low grade fever and felt sickish. There was no oozing and the incision remained sealed. I had blood work but don't know the results specifically.  I was put on two antibiotics, an old generic and levaquin... the one you see lawyers' commercials about suing doctors over. Super expensive but I SLOWLY healed. Took about a month for the red spots to go away.  No further trouble thank goodness. 

    I could tell my surgeon was upset. I personally always thought the infection was introduced by the wire placement prior to surgery.  Just had a bad feeling about it.

    Good luck to everyone dealing with these complications.  It is not a smooth road!

    pam 

  • bobcat
    bobcat Member Posts: 526
    edited January 2010

    Just checked and Arimidex patent expires on June 27, 2010.  This is good news for everyone paying the bloated price for this drug.  I too have a question about still having my ovaries - they were left in years ago after partial hysterectomy when I didn't want to go into immediate menopause.  Will ask the onc on Friday.

  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 88
    edited January 2010

    Chevyboy,
    I had heard of Aloe Vera but did not know it was that effective, I'll will sure talk about it to my gastro.
    I was on tamoxifen just a couple of months and switched to Femara, I was verry skynny and needed to gain weight, the lack of appetite that Tamoxifen brought put me this way. Thanks for the tip on Aloe

    Welga

  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 88
    edited January 2010

    JO
    Sorry to be so late in answering your post, very tired lately. For me I started with reflux in my throat, and took nexium, but after chemo I developped burning in the stomach, that's why I looked for something natural to help with this and found out about the potatoes and cabbage, old cures from what I read.
    Hard to tell about your back pain, I guess you would have to stay off nexium for a bit longer, but then it's not nice to have a burning throat. Nos easy....Hope you find something soon...

    Welga

     

  • pj12
    pj12 Member Posts: 18,108
    edited January 2010

    I SOOOOOOOO hope bobcat is right and sunflowers is wrong.. no offense, sunflowers. :-)  I want a new refrigerator and six months of Arimidex at full price would buy my dream french door, double bottom drawer 25 cu ft behemoth. 

    pam 

  • hmm
    hmm Member Posts: 957
    edited January 2010

    I'm with pj in wishing bobcat is right. It is not that I pay a high price for it but it upsets me to see some taking Tamoxifen instead when their oncologist's first choice was the Arimidex. Decisions should NOT have to be made according to cost when it comes to what is best for a patient needing any kind of  medical care.

    Pat

  • patoo
    patoo Member Posts: 5,243
    edited January 2010

    I agree with Pat but I had also heard they got an extension.  A Google search implies that the patent was set to expire in December 2009 and received a 6 months extension to June 2010.  However that article was written in 2007.

    AstraZeneca receives six months pediatric exclusivity patent extension for ARIMIDEX (anastrozole)

    2. December 2007 21:45

     

    AstraZeneca Astrazeneca has announced that the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an additional six-month period of exclusivity to market ARIMIDEX (anastrozole) for its licensed breast cancer indications until June 2010.

    Prior to pediatric exclusivity being granted by the FDA, the patent was due to expire in December 2009.

    http://www.news-medical.net/news/2007/12/02/33071.aspx

    http://breast-cancer.emedtv.com/arimidex/generic-arimidex.html

    I deny any claim of authenticity for these sites. 

  • bobcat
    bobcat Member Posts: 526
    edited January 2010

    I googled it for the information I found this morning.  I will check with my onc office this Friday. Fingers crossed!

  • pj12
    pj12 Member Posts: 18,108
    edited January 2010

    Sunflowers,

    I am not holding my breath nor unloading my fridge... although the icemaker is making a funny noise today. The last time I filled my RX it was in a generic container and not the official AZ white square bottle. I took that as a sign of hope.  Identical pills, I looked closely. But same price :-(

    Thanks for looking. If you hear any more let us know.

    pam 

  • hmm
    hmm Member Posts: 957
    edited January 2010

    A pharmacist told me that with all the drugs that often the companies keep applying for and getting the extensions.....very common they said and often end up taking quite a long time before they do go generic.

    Pat

  • vnelson
    vnelson Member Posts: 7
    edited January 2010

    Hi guys,

    Can someone please help me with this. I was on Arimidex for 2 weeks and started itching like mad. It started on my legs and I thought it was because the hairs were beginning to grow back. It has now settled in my lower back and buttocks. I have nothing but the itching - no rash, no shortness of breath/wheezing, none of the normal symptoms that go along with being allergic to the medication. Oncologist says he feels sure it is the Arimidex and has taken me off of it and says it will be two weeks before medicine is out of my system. Day after tomorrow will be two weeks and I am still itching. Has anyone else had anything like this?

    Lumpectomy/Re-excision/chemo/rads: Stage IIa, Grade 2, 1/3 nodes, ER+/PR+

  • wonderland
    wonderland Member Posts: 2,838
    edited January 2010

    vnelson,

    Could it be dry skin?

    Just a thought.

    Alice

  • vnelson
    vnelson Member Posts: 7
    edited January 2010

    I've had several people comment about dry skin; however, it doesn't seem like it is dry. What is so wierd about it is that, as an example, my arm doesn't itch. But if I just start scratching it, it feels so good like I am scratching an area that does itch. I have rubbed everything in the world on it and nothing seems to do any good.

    Virginia

  • wonderland
    wonderland Member Posts: 2,838
    edited January 2010

    Virginia,

    Sorry this is happening. I hope you get relief soon!

    Alice

  • pj12
    pj12 Member Posts: 18,108
    edited January 2010

     It is winter and that means dry air = dry skin. Have you changed laundry soap? Bath soap? Have you tried a low does of benedryl. Sometimes that will give relief.

    Have you had any lab work lately? Is it persists I would ask my doctor to check my liver function.

    Wishing you help soon.

    pam 

  • mersmom
    mersmom Member Posts: 79
    edited January 2010

    Hello Ladies,

    I have had extremely oily hair and skin my entire life and now My entire body is exactly the opposite. The ends of my toes even started splitting and bleeding(so painful). Luckily I have a great dermatologist ...a tube of Caromol...cleared right up. I also had terrible burns from RADS. I developed a yeast infection in the burns under my breast.They have a tube of meds for everything.

    New problem the last couple of days...CRAMPS! I had to resort to advil. Anyone had this problem...can anyone tell me if this is temporary...please tell me "this too shall pass'.

    Blessings to all,

    Teresa

  • vnelson
    vnelson Member Posts: 7
    edited January 2010

    Have changed nothing. I am beginning to believe it might be dry skin, also. I don't know what else to believe. I have tried Benadryl 25mg prn and it only makes me sleepy. Benadryl lotion/gel does nothing. It usually starts right after lunch - mornings are pretty good as far as the itching goes. I tell you, it is the wierdest thing I have ever seen.

  • Snowbird
    Snowbird Member Posts: 26
    edited January 2010

    Ladies, I freaked out when I saw the patent on this necessary but costly drug might not expire in June 2010 as I expected, so I wrote the FDA and this is what I got back just this morning.

    If I understand this correctly, the patent is still set to expire on June 27, 2010, but it almost sounds like they've left the door open for another (pediatric?) extension. If they do, it seems like a pretty lame excuse to me since AZ has already stated that their pediatric studies have concluded and they do not plan to make any changes based on the results. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of how to interpret this stuff will clarify.

    Dear .....,

    Thank you for writing the Division of Drug Information, in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

    You can locate currently listed patents in the FDA's Orange Book at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/docs/patexclnew.cfm?Appl_No=020541&Product_No=001&table1=OB_Rx.  The patent listed has an exclusivity attached to it.  The last patent with exclusivity expires on June 27, 2010.  It is possible a generic may become available after that date. The other exclusivities deal with pediatric information submitted to gain extra exclusivity.  It is possible a generic may become available before these have expired.  I am not able to predict if this will occur or not though.

    Best regards,

    CAO
    Division of Drug Information
    Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
    Food and Drug Administration

    For up-to-date drug information, follow the FDA's Division of Drug Information on Twitter at FDA_Drug_Info


    This communication is consistent with 21CFR10.85(k) and constitutes an informal communication that represents our best judgment at this time but does not constitute an advisory opinion, does not necessarily represent the formal position of the FDA, and does not bind or otherwise obligate or commit the agency to the views expressed.

     

  • pj12
    pj12 Member Posts: 18,108
    edited January 2010

    Snowbird,

    Hidden in that governmentese  it sounds like they are saying the patent expires in late June. I know generics are available in other countries so hope they are set up to sell here right away. Thanks for checking. I'm still not buying a new fridge though.

    pam 

  • patoo
    patoo Member Posts: 5,243
    edited January 2010

    And a good thing PJ because there was a piece on the news that the energy use posted on refrigerators are grossly understated.  Most of the reasonably priced ones ($1000. or so) actually cost  40-65% more than stated on the label.  So, if the tag says it costs $19.00/year to run will actually run you closer to say $24.00/year - who can afford that!!!!!  Frown

    Vnelson - I wonder if the Arimidex caused you to have a reaction to other substances, say the detergent you've always used, just because your body chemistry changed?

    Mersmom - cramps have started for me as well.  I try and do a banana a day but also seem to have found relief by mixing a 2-3 tablespoons of dark cherry juice concentrate into 4 ounces of tonic water, which I then drink to take some of my meds.  I found that when I stopped this regimen, the cramps come back and the ones at night come with a vengence!  Don't know if it's the banana, cherry juice or tonic water but for the relief I'll keep them all.

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