Arimidex
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Glad things went well for you Unique...I hope you like the new doctor as well as the first.
Patoo.. I would say that my s/e's became much worse after the 1st 3 months. I felt much of the pain shortly after 1 month, but the depression, and pain etc. was after about 3+ months. I hope you continue not to experience many s/e's at all!
Lisa
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My oncologist had recommended Arimidex rather Tamoxifen because they've had better results and less side effects. I see my oncologist next month and I also plan on bringing that list of side effects I'm suffering from to him. From what I'm hearing - most everyone seems to have their side effects subside after about 6 months - is that right? Anyone have to take other meds to deal with Arimidex's side effects? My oncologist hasn't mentioned a bone scan - is this something that is normally recommended with this medication? I'm 55 and take 1200 mg of calcium daily, but I do worry since I already had two partial hysterectomies already and was told my body had stopped producing progesterone when I was 32! Sometimes it really sucks being a woman!
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wblibrary,
I've been taking Arimidex for almost 5 years. The side effects did decrease slightly after 6 months, but I'm still having plenty of body pain, insomnia and difficulty losing weight. I decided to tough it out, since it is helping me survive. I did have a decrease in bone density and now I'm taking Fosamax. Now my bone level is almost back to normal. My onc ordered a bone density test as soon as I started taking it, then at 2 year intervals. So far, so good. I'm also taking calcium and magnesium every day.
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Hello Ladies...I am interested in defeating the arimidex blues by organizing a group online to challenge the Wii Active. I am hopeful that exercise can help us rebuild our bone loss. Is anyone out there interested?
Xmasprops
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Well...I took myself off of the Arimidex...it's been 3 days...and I swear I feel some relief. This morning, I did not have the arthritus feelings in my hands and feet. Also, I had been getting very swollen in my feet, hands and even my abdomen area. Since being off, I feel "lighter" so to speak. I will see my OC in about a week or more..and discuss this with her, and see about going on something else. I just couldn't take the pain and discomfort anymore.
I know it's probably not the wisest thing to do, but for a couple of weeks off of the AI, can't make that big of a difference.
Lisa
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Hi Gals,
I began on Arimidex just over a year now following chemo. I started to have increased joint pain, stiffness and soreness after about 4 months. It has not diminished and is steadily taking joint after joint from hands to fingers hips to knees and feet. Muscle soreness limits my range of motion as well. Recently my knees began to stiffen and ache so badly I bought a cane! Even at night when I'm trying to go to sleep I'have pain in my knee joints. At age 60 I feel 90! I considered stopping Arimidex for a few weeks to see if the soreness abates but even if it did would it be wise to quit the Arimidex altogether?
It's also interesting to hear complaints of sleep problems from others on Arimidex. It's worth a trial taking the Arimidex in the morning to see if that helps. My oncologist wants me to lose weight but I can barely walk down the hall without pain. Exercise is out of the question! It's a tough call between comfort and life, and there are no guarantees of either.
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alittlebird, it's so good to hear I am not the only one with so much problems from Arimidex...I truly sympathize with you......My oncologist tells me there is nothing to do about but to try to exercise the stiffness out..yea right!.....I am 45 and feel 90 most days...I take a mild rx pain pill and aleve....Barely touches the pain and stiffness....I can't even bend down to pick up a piece of paper off the floor most of the time..It is just too painful....I also have truoble sitting for long periods of time...I get so stiff i can barely get back up!......I am very tempted to stop Arimidex and all AI's altogether but I don't want to risk a rise in recurrence rate either....It's a matter of darned if you darned if you don't......
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Hello all - I'm 4 months into Arinidex and feeling all the joint pains, carpal tunnel stuff, sleeplesness, etc. My dr. is very proactive and suggested I join the Y (do you have the YMCA in the US?) or could be a gym. She'd heard about a kinesiologist (guy with a degreee in science, specializing in human body movement) who is also a personal trainer. She wanted me to lose weight & do weight-bearingexercise to keep my bones strong. so I do it. even though most days as I drag myself there I feel 90. We're doing it once a week for 10 weeks so I'll learn a series of exercises & STRETCHES that I can then do on my own. We started very SLOW. This same guy works at a rehab for cardiac patients at a hospital so he knows what slow is. Once I've done my hour with him, I feel alive, but tired, but it feels good.
What I've learned is that early morning stretching, like before you even get out of bed, is VERY helpful. I too can barely move when just up. If you can find someone who can teach you the right ways to stretch - including things like stretching your chest muscles by holding your arm flat against a wall, etc. really getting each muscle group - it really helps. For me the key is having someone show you a series for YOU - I don't think I would have had the discipline to do this on my own, but paying for a teacher in advance kind of obligated me to move.....
other thing I'm trying is glucosamine.
and remember vitamin D as well as calcium. I had my vit D tested & it was low, as happens a lot with bc.
I just take sleeping pills to sleep. never OTC. I use 2 of 5mg. pills zopiclone per night and could not do without it. You've gotta get your sleep! Tried trazadone - hated it- strange hallucinogenic dreams.
best of luck to all
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well...I will let you know what my OC says on June 4th when I see her. I will have been off the Arimidex for 2 weeks by then. I can't believe how I am already feeling the relief in just 4 days! I would rather take tamox...I dealt with that much, much better. Or possibly another AI. But this one...not worth it. I want a quality of life. I am a runner, and it's so hard to do that.
Good luck to everyone!
Lisa
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Alittlebird/hollyann/my3girls - have you considered taking glucosamine/chondroitin for the joints? I've had amazing success, totally pain free although I started on it years pre-arimidex. I took it for about 3-4 years and then stopped and stayed pain-free. Thought I felt some pangs recently and decided to start taking it again but now there's no pain.
Granted, I've only boen on arimidex for about 10 weeks so I do know that at some point I may be back here to eat my words but until then I think I will go back on the glucosamine because it does take up to a month to feel relief.
Also now that I'm finished rads, in a couple of weeks I'm going to once again start water exercises. You'd be amazed what you can accomplish with water exercise which is so much easier on the joints. You can actually work up a sweat in the water and, it's fun to boot.
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Xmas Props -
I do Wii FIT nearly every day, and also got the Wii Sports out again from when we bought the machine. Do start a new thread, we had one but let it lapse. I am on my 100+ day on that thing and i love it!
Patoo -
I tried Glucosamine a couple years ago when I was having a lot of pain in my joints from menopause. It made me nauseated, so I stopped it. I suppose I could try it again, it's been nearly 5 years and our bodies are always changing ...
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Otter~What are your information sources for carpel tunnel syndrome & Arimidex? Any leads would be appreciated. I had never heard of carpel tunnel sundrome being a side efect of Arimidex.
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Unique, you're right it's not for everybody. I know 2 friends (no-bc) who tried it and thought it made them retain water in their feet so they stopped.
Mawhinney, I had heard somewhere also about arimidex and carpal tunnel. I have started wearing a wrist brace on my right (which has given excellent relief) but then I'm on the computer all day at work and then for a few hours at night, neither of which are positioned right for lengthy use of the keyboard.0 -
Hi, Just back from the family "camping" trip - I didn't go camping, just drove the 50 miles up and back to the campground each day. Had a really good time, altho am tired. That's why I didn't go camping - felt too tired for the work involved.
Doing okay on the Arimidex I guess. Worrying about possible SE's down the road. So far, other than my funky memory and a little headache every morning that passes, nothing major. I decided my right arm pain (unaffected arm) is from holding the plier for jewelry making. I started up again right after chemo ended, which is more or less when it started. So I need to cool it a bit - which is okay, because I should take a web programming class. I should also try to ramp up my work schedule a bit, but I don't really feel ready. Anybody else with a choice having this problem?
Thanks for this community. It is so great! And you are so cute, Patoo! With that great smile, your face brightens my spirits whenever I see your avatar.
How are all of you?
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Unique......I am going to be in Fogelsville mid July and would love to meet you for lunch of you have time.0
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Yeah, sure! That sounds great!
Would love it!
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great..I will keep you posted at the time get closer....
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I've been doing the Arimidex since January. At first, I thought it was the radiation treatments that caused the fatigue, down, depressed feelings. But that ended April 15th, so I should be over all that. I feel like I'm going deeper into the black hole. I can't sleep at all, my bones ache, and I am just lifeless. I thought by now the side effects would level out, but I'm sleeping with ice packs because the night sweats are so bad. I do take the pill in the morning, hoping that it would wear off by night time. But as soon as I hit the pillow it starts. I hate to give it up, as the oncologist told me it would be my lifeline and key to my survival. Not sure what to do!
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So that's why I'm having all this joint pain. I started Armidex in November and the past month have noticed this joint and bone pain. I'm sure you can all guess what I was thinking. I'm going to try the walking. Before my BC, I walked all the time. Now it seems like work.
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Hi,
I've been on Arimidex for 3 months now. I haven't noticed any bad side effects other than hot flashes in the evening. I take a 25 mg Venlafaxine about 9:00 PM and a Tylenol PM when I go to bed. I had a hysterectomy almost 20 years ago. I only take 4 tablets a week. I don't weigh very much and don't want to "over dose". Besides they cost quite a bit. My insurance does help somewhat. I take the Arimidex in the morning with my breakfast.
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I've been on Arimidex for 2 months. I have artheritis so Arimadex has only added to the stiffness and pain I've lived with for many years. I really can't see me droping Arimadex because the benifits out weigh the discomforts. I do take it in the morning and if I need something to relieve the stiffness or pain I take 2 Alieve, they work very well.
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Everyone has been mentioning the joint pain and stiffness from Arimidex. Has anyone had the overwhelming appetite? I've been having actual stomach pains if I don't eat every couple hours. I get nauseated if I don't put something down me. I started Arimidex 2/1 and I have just started to notice the side effects this past month, but they are getting worse daily.
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When I started Arimidex 2 months ago I was slightly nauseous for about 3-4 days - then that disappeared, then about a month after that I had pain in both wrists which lasted for about 4 days then that disappeared and (knock on wood) no other SEs at all. I do understand that some women do experience the appetite increase as well as other SEs. Not everyone tolerates this med and you should not hesitate to speak to your oncologist and discuss alternatives. Quality of life is as important, maybe more so, than quantity of life...at least in my mind anyway.
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Almost 3 months for me too. S/E's come and go; nothing significant. I find I always want to eat now and really have to watch as the lbs are creeping up; I already had 30 I needed to lose.
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Do you guys realize there are alternatives to arimidex? Do you realize that you do not have to suffer ANY side effects with alternatives. I was so afraid of taking this drug after I researched it that I started looking in other directions. There are lots of things that are just as preventative: tumer, indole 3 carbonal, weight loss, vit D, hormone balance, iodine supplementation, etc, etc. We have links to lots of the facts on the alternatives threads. I am 55, and I feel better now than I did before bc. I have so much energy I am doing things I have not done in years. I lost 40 pounds simply by committing myself to a good diet and daily exercise. I have found a doctor who understands hormone balancing and has taken blood and urine tests to check my levels. There is no need to suffer. Menopause is the best thing that has happened to me. I hope you will all look into this if you are suffering. I know it is not as easy as taking a pill, but it sure feels great!
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Thanks Vivre. Altho I may have had se's they were either so insignificant as to only be mentioned on these boards in passing or it could even have been that I had started rads at the same time so that may have been at work instead. The weight pre-dates arimidex as I had lost about 30 some years agon on WW and put them all back on. Menopause is not the culprit because I had full hysterectomy 14 years ago and had finished menopause. I have also started watching my diet and begun exercising and fully expect to start losing weight. I get an occasional hot flash now, probably arimidex, but it passes within minutes. I can't really say that I'm suffering but I have browsed the alternative boards and will keep them in mind if needed.
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mawhinney, if you google "carpal tunnel" and "anastrozole", you'll get a lot of hits. Here's one example. It's from a pharmaceutical website (www.rxlist.com) that provides the full package insert and prescribing information for all prescription drugs. This is what it says about Arimidex (anastrozole) and carpal tunnel syndrome:
"Carpal tunnel syndrome was reported more frequently in patients receiving Arimidex than in those receiving tamoxifen in clinical trials; carpal tunne has also been reported during post-marketing experience with Arimidex. The majority of these reports occurred in patients with identifiable risk factors for the condition."
The most common and most significant risk factor for developing carpal tunnel syndrome is heredity, so those of us who have family members with CTS are at greater risk anyway.
I also read a clinical case report about CTS in patients taking Arimidex; but it's not in my e-file where it is supposed to be, so I can't cite it.
otter
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Has anyone had leg swelling on Arimdex? Just one leg...not both!
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Hey Gang... Curious to find out if any of you are "no caffine" ladies - no coffee, no tea, no soda, etc and if you are getting hot flashes/night sweats with the Arimidex.
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I have some days where I go without any caffeine...sometimes for a week at a time and I really do not feel any difference. I get minor hot flashes either way. On a positive hot flash note....I was reading in a cancer magazine that women who experience hot flashes while on hormone therapy are less likely to get a recurrence. I can't remember the %....maybe it was 30...chemo brain.
No leg swelling here.....
I do notice my wrists hust by the end of the day...I wonder if I should take my dose at night instead of morning.
Now that my hair is coming in I'm concerened about the thinning I read about....are there any veterans out there with positive hair stories while on this. I want my hair back so bad!!!!
SO far the SE's are very managable (only 6 weeks out).....I really can't wait for my hair!!!
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