Arimidex
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I drink coffee, tea & soda with caffine. No leg swelling and mild hot flashes in the evening. I take the Arimidex with breakfast. I have one more refill for 90 pills with my insurance and then they will cost $900.00. I will not refill them at that cost. I will have to wait until next year for my insurance to kick in again.
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Maybe you Dr. can get you some samples to hold you over until the new insurance year?
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DENTHOMAS,
In addition to getting samples, you might consider buying Arimidex from Canadian pharmacies. The price is lower than the full cost here in the US. One website I investigated has brand Arimidex made by Astra Zenica in Turkey. Here is the Arimidex page from that website:
http://www.planetdrugsdirect.com/Drugs/Arimidex/1348/
The Canadian price for brand Arimidex is about half of the full price here in the US. The generic Arimidex is even cheaper but my doctor said not to take the generic for at least the first year or two. I've only been taking it for three months.
I'll think about the generic in another two years, God willing
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For those of you who cannot afford the full cost of the Arimidex, you can go to the website and there is a place where it says they can help you with the cost. I don't know if they pay all of it, or what your insurance won't pay or what. It's worth checking out, though.
Someone mentioned increased hunger a few posts back. I have noticed that I am craving sweets something terrible, and I certainly don't need to gain any weight. I have to lose so much, and being hungry all the time is just the pits!
The side affects have not been that bad for me. Some joint pain, but not that bad that I would give it up. Sleeplessness is there, and sometimes the sweats. The sweats have calmed down a bit in the last month or so. Also, the black cloud has lifted somewhat. I hated that part. So maybe if we stay on this long enough, our system will adjust and bring us back to some kind of normal. Things have not been that bad for me that I would think about quitting.
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Here is the support page on the Arimidex site:
http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/help-affording-your-medicines/
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Re the $900 price for Arimidex - you need to find another pharacy. I get mine from Walgreen's and it's $320 before insurance. I currently pay $80 and when I reach that platue where I'll have to pay I"ve purchased the Walgreen's discount drug plan so that will help until I reach the point where my insurance will pay for it again.
Re generics -- there are no generics for Arimidex - Astra Zeneca has the patent on the drug until at least June of 2010. They are the sole manufacturer of the drug and has not, at this point, released a generic. Wish it was available but maybe they will release something next year. Maybe we all need to contact them and try to get them to do that.
I checked out the assistance on the Astra Zeneca site and you need to be spending at least 3% of your family income on perscription drugs before you can qualify for assistance. If you qualify, the perscription will cost either $25 or $35 depending on your perscription to income level.
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I only pay $95 for a 3 month supply. I have one more refill this year at that price then I'll be in the "donut hole" and the insurance will charge $948. One more refill will get me through this year. I'm only taking 4 a week.
Thanks
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tntnmomma ~
I am going to check with CVS (pharmacy I use now) and Walgreens. My plan is thru Express Scripts and I looked it up there and that's where I came up with my copay of $426 for 3 months. The retail price is $864.92 for three months.
What quantity do you get at Walgreen's for the $350?
CVS said they get my meds from Express Scripts per my insurance. So I thought it was all the same?
I have private insurance, 52 so not on Medicare yet. I work for myself. It covers hospital and doctor okay but only 50% of prescriptions.
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hi tntnmomma ~
That is not what AstraZeneca told me. They told me if I had insurance at all, I could not get assistance. I am not complaining because my Mom's onc has told me I will get it all thru samples. Her onc has told her I should get from my onc (same practice) and if I don't I will switch to my Mom's onc.
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Hi, I have been on arimidex for 4 years. I have always taken my arimidex in the morning. I have the joint and bone aches and pains. I take glucosamine/chondroitin and msm and they have me pretty mobile again. Still have aches and pains sometimes but they are doable with motrin. I take motrin at bedtime to help me sleep. I also try to keep active and exercise to help with sleep. Hope this helps
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I am sorry that you ladies are paying such high prices for your meds!! That is insane! I feel bad, I just threw out about 15 pills. I took myself off of this drug almost 3 weeks ago. Saw my OC yesterday, and she said to give it one more week...and then she gave me 3 mos samples of Aromasin. I will see if I tolerate that any better. I feel so much better being off the drug, but still have a few small side effects. I hope Aromasin is an easier one for me to handle.
If I hadn't thrown out the 15 pills, I would have gladly asked if any of you would like them mailed to you. I just can't believe the amount of money!! It's just sad! I have good insurance, mine are only 20.00 a month. I agree with unique...ask you oc's if they have samples to help you out.
Lisa
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I am hoping we can reform health insurance in the U.S. ~ I think no matter what they come up with it can't be worse than we have now! I pay $600/month for the two of us and it is *pretty* good but falls down quite a bit on pharmaceuticals. My sister has a $6000 deductible per person and $8000 per family and that's from her husband's employer. So far it not paid ANYTHING and it costs 600 a month also.
I would be happy if they just set some rules for the insurance companies now such as a sliding scale for premiums based on income, choice of doctors, no things not covered that a doctor orders, etc. But they have to do something.
My husband was on Medicare for the year he had his brain tumor and it worked well for us. They didn't have part D so we were paying $2500 a month for his prescriptions though.
Alright, I get off my soapbox now.
I think most oncs will give samples if you ask - I am going to pay for one 3 month script and try to get the others as samples, because we are in fairly good shape financially. They say they tend to run out later in the year giving them out to seniors in the donut hole, so I don't want to rob the seniors.
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Actually, AstraZeneca has a help program for those under $30,000 a year. We have a little bit more than that in income, so I'm not eligible. We do okay on what we have, but have to be careful not to go into my IRA too far to pay for things.
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I've been on Aridimex for 3 years, and do feel the joint pain in my feet and my knees. This stuff has also done quite a bang up job on my teeth, weakening the bone causing chipping and cracking. I can't wait to get off this stuff. I also dislike taking Boniva, which feels like bone blasting. A friend who also is a breast cancer survivor just reached her 5 years and within 4 months of being off Aridimex feels relief of the joint pain.
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I have been off the Arimidex for almost 4 weeks now. I can't believe how much better I feel!! I spoke with my OC and told her that I quit taking it. She is starting my on Aromasin at the end of this week...see how I tolerate that. She said they are now believing that staying on th AI's for 10 years is the way to go! OMG!
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I am at my 7 week mark and feel like the mild SE's I was having are starting to fade away. I do have some joint pain but it is very managable. Exercise is helping with that. I have also noticed I have lost about 5 pounds in the past 7 weeks. I'm sure it's a by product of the exercise. I was so afraid I was going to gain weight on this drug...but so far so good. I am really hoping that this continues...like chemo....this is doable at this point. If they come to the conclusion that 10 years is the standard...this is about the most SE's I can live with.
My3girls....please keep us posted on your progress with the aromasin...my onc offered it as a next solution if arimidex was too dufficult.
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my3girls....I came off arimidex to femara and came off that about a month ago and went to the aromasin. I did not take a break in between just one to the other. I hate to brag but the aromasin has been a tad easier so far. I have found out though that the year and a half on the femara my knees and feet are a mess and am getting ready to get the synvisc shots in my knees and will probably have to go with knee replacement before it is over with. My xrays from 4 years ago to the ones they just did show a horrible mess. I had arthritis but since starting on these pills I have gone downhill FAST.....I think some of it could be from the weight gain also as I have gained ALOT of weight since starting these pills and I would say because mostly because after awhile on them I could barely move.
Good luck with the aromasin as I think it may be easier then the other 2.......
God Bless jude14
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Unique - I have a question to you. I know Arimidex is given to postmenopausal women, but you are still very young, so why doesn't your doctor put you on Tamoxiphen instead, which also has a cheaper generic? -- elisheva.
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Regarding Arimidex.........I have achy legs most of the time. I even wake up in the morning with it......esp. my right leg. I can't say it's right in the knee, but a generalized ache. Do any of you have aches that aren't exactly right in the joint?
Nancy
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I too have achy legs. Also achy shoulders and neck.
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Oh yes Nancy...I did. It was not just in the joints..but also my shins..or even just in my calf muscle. I was on Arimidex for 8 mos....I gave it a good try..but am hoping that the Aromasin is easier.
Thanks Jude for the info. I am hoping you are right, and that I agree better with this new drug. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain..but the headaches..etc.everything compiled was just too much! I think I got almost every side effect of this drug. So...here's hoping this one will work for me.
Alo...you are very lucky to have lost weight. You are the first I have heard of. Most people gain, if only just a few lbs. I only gained a few. I am surprised your s/e's are lessening after 7 weeks. Mine just started to get going about week 4-6...and just never got much better...the same, and new s/e's.
Here's to everyone able to tolerate this drug or whatever AI you are put on. There are times...like Jude said....you wonder about all the "damage" they do to other parts of our bodies.
xoxo
Lisa
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I'm glad I checked in here. A lot of good info. I started out taking Tamoxifen because I wasn't menopausal until I started chemo and the onc said we needed to wait a year before I was officially menopausal. The Tamoxifen was horrible and I took myself off it after only two months. The joint pain was so bad I could barely function, could not get out of my chair without help, couldn't kneel down or bend over without being in tears almost. He finally put me on Arimidex, although he wasn't hopeful the pain would subside since it is known for joint pain more than Tamoxifen. I have trouble differentiating between what is from the drug and what may be a se of being menopausal since all of this happened so close together. I have never been able to tell what might be from treatments, surgery or hormonal therapy and what might be the menopause. I can't tell for sure about hot flashes because it is so warm here and where I work they keep the heat up and most of us are too warm. At home I am usually comfortable at the same temp as my dh so I don't think I am having trouble there. I take my pill in the morning, but still had trouble sleeping at night until I started taking my calcium supplement at bedtime instead of in the morning. Sleeping like a baby now. The pain I had from Tamoxifen subsided almost immediately after I stopped taking it and didn't return on the Arimidex until recently. Still not as intense. I also lost 5 pounds in one week after I stopped the Tamoxifen, must have been retaining water. Recently have started having more joint pain which never subsided completely but is manageable. All my joints hurt in the morning and my toes and fingers feel swollen. Am considering going off this one too and sticking with some of the diet and nutrition recommendations on the alternative link. I have a cousin who went that route six years ago and is still cancer free.
Alice Jean - to answer your question about swelling, yes I have recently noticed the same thing on my left leg. It is about an inch bigger around in the calf than my right leg. Probably will call the doctor on that one, one of the Arimidex web-sites said to report any swelling to your doctor.
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I believe the weight loss is due to some very strict eating habits. I read so many posts about people putting on weight and was very scared! I am a bit obsessive about my weight...I have not fluctuated more than 5 pounds in the past 15 years. I walked away from pizza twice last week and it was not easy! I hope I don't end up with those SE's you ladies are talking about....I really want to stay on the aromasin....my onc really believes in it for me. Here's hoping!!!
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I believe the weight loss is due to some very strict eating habits. I read so many posts about people putting on weight and was very scared! I am a bit obsessive about my weight...I have not fluctuated more than 5 pounds in the past 15 years. I walked away from pizza twice last week and it was not easy! I hope I don't end up with those SE's you ladies are talking about....I really want to stay on the arimedex....my onc really believes in it for me. Here's hoping!!!
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I'm on Arimidex and SE are the achy joints and stiffness. Yesterday knees and hips. Today - almost no aches/stiffness anywhere. Tomorrow? Who knows! I think I've pretty much convinced myself to consider this an adventure - will I or won't I have to walk like a 100-year-old today; will my thumb joints be the only ones that ache today? I'm sure I'm not the only one on this merry-go-round of what's going on.
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Oh, I forgot to mention the fatigue and loss of strength. I work out three times a week and can barely drag myself there some days and I'm struggling to lift boxes at work that never have been a problem before. I'm only 51 and a long way from retirement. I need my strength and energy.
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haykat do i really empathize with you!.......I have similar SE's and there are days I wake up and wonder if I will need a cance today or not...Or will i be able to even make a fist today....I had been on Arimidex for about a year now.......I sure hope it gets better.......I hope all you ladies feel better soon...Someone said to use glucosamine condroitan for joints...It takes a couple of months to work but i think I will eventually go on that too.....
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I asked my onc about the difference between Tamoxifen and Aridimex. I see some posts where women believe Tamoxifen is only for menopausal women. I don't think that's true. If the tumor was estrogen/hormonal fueled, and you are menopausal, then you are prescribed Aridimex. Aridimex STOPS the production of hormones in your body, thus, hopefully, preventing a recurrence. Tamoxifen is a HORMONE BLOCKER, meaning, your body still produces hormones, but the receptors in your body block the hormones from fueling another tumor.
If I am wrong, I'd like to know. Susan
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Jan, I feel the same way. Some days no problems and other days I feel like I was hit by a truck. We have a hot tub and that helps with the joint pain. Unfortunately I hear the hot tub is not good for lympadema. Is that true?
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unique,
Sorry this has taken so long, I've been tired from the rads.
I get a 30 day supply and according to the Astra site, my Medicare part D is apparently not considered insurance.
I will hit a platue where I will have to pay the entire cost so I think I'm going to speak with my onc to see if I can get samples at that point. He was GREAT when it came to some of the meds I had to take during chemo. One of the things I experienced was a blood clot from the port and stress and I had to do a daily shot for a blood thinner. When I went to have the Rx filled the cost, with my insurance, would have been $1600 for 8 days of shots. I spoke to his office and they got me the shots for free.
They also gave me samples of Emeden (sp??) throughout the treatments.
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