Arimidex
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horsegal13..
The reason that I have chose to cut out as much milk was the conclusion of a study by Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of preventative medicine over the course of 20 years called "The China Study" (also name of the book)...The authors concluded that diets high in animal protein including casein in cow's milk, are strongly linked to heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes..
I used to be a heavy milk drinker and since I have been trying to stay on a somewhat anti-cancer diet decided that I would give up as much dairy also....This is just my personal decision and what I am comfortable with...
I also want to mention that Walmart sells a brand called Spring Valley" calcium chews with vit d & k..They come in caramel and chocolate, these are a lot softer (melt in mouth) than the other chews that I tried that were hard and got stuck in my teeth...
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Horsegal, if you have a hard time with menopause symptoms, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, you might ask your gynecologist about taking a low dosage of Effexor. The drug has been tested and shown to help a lot of women. I am one of those women. I took HRT for years because the menopausal SEs were so bad for me. Now with total depletion of estrogen, I'm experiencing only mild hot flashes and no mood swings. Good luck to you on this journey.
Pam, I enjoy your little picture of the beach and sky and colorful umbrella.
Wishing everyone a good Monday.
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I'm a Canadian and we get our Armidex throught the hospital dispensary. Check big name pharmacies like London Drugs or Shoppers Drug Mart
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Hi
I live in Ontario. I got my Arimidex presc. filled at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. It is also available through Rexall and PharmaPlus pharmacies here - all legit and reliable.
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Marm, what's the price of Arimidex in Ontario?
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$502.04 for a 90 day supply. If ordered monthly there would be two extra $12 dispensing fee. That's name brand AZ. No generic available in Canada.
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No generic available in U.S. either. Earlier posts I think referenced India - I wonder if they are the real thing, although I think AZ makes them overseas as well. Just be careful, please.
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carolehalston-
My regular doctor told me the same thing, that they may put me on Effexor. I am currently on Prozac for anxiety, so I will have to talk to my gyn about that. If Effexor will help with anxiety, then I'm all for switching to it. I have been getting hot flashes now and then. Not too often, but when they come I want to take my shirt off right now! hehe Hubby thinks it's kinda funny, I'm usually freezing to death, even in the summer. I see my doctor next Tues. so will have alot of questions.
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At present I'm fortunate that our federal BCBS prescription coverage allows me to take Arimidex for $35 a month, the co-pay for premium drugs. DH worked for the US Corps of Engineers so we have the same medical insurance choices in retirement that he had when he was employed. But who knows what changes will occur in the future for retired fed. workers. I don't know whether I would take the little white pill if I had to pay an exorbitant price for it. We take it on trust, hoping that it will help prevent recurrence, but we really aren't certain of the benefits. At least I'm not certain. The treatment is relatively new. For all we know, it may turn out to be the same kind of miracle drug as some of the much-touted drugs for arthritis that turned out to cause heart attacks and strokes and were taken off the market after making zillions of $$$ for pharmaceutical companies.
Off to do my weights workout.
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Some meds are some aren't free. If I, living in Alberta get mine through the hospital dispensary they are free, if I get them at the drug store, I pay. In Alberta, cancer patients are considered in patients as long as the drugs are dispensed by the hospital they are free. So that's where I go
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Med care is free in Canada - all mixed in with taxes we pay. Meds you pay for, or are paid for thru private insurance, or government-assisted - all depends on your individual situation. I asked Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist what cost would be if I had to pay for them all by myself - he said $177 for 30 days.
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Carole,
We are operating on trust, aren't we? Wonder if I have a recurrence can I ask for my money back? Of course not :-(
pam
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KTG and Marm - Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into them and see if they'll ship to the US.
In the mean time, has anyone heard of/used: Big Mountain Drugs , MedStore International or planetdrugsdirect ?
On the subject or non dairy milks - I've been told than Almond milk is amazingly good and Blue Diamond (yes, the nut company) makes a good version.
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MTG,
These all appear to be online drug suppliers only. Of the three you mentioned, I found only one gives a "bricks and mortar" address and a Canadian Phone number. That's Big Mountain.
Planetdrugsdirect bars Canadians so I can't check them out. That in itself, makes me curious.
MedStore gives only an email address and 1 800 type of number. They could be located anywhere.
Big Mountain only sells AZ's product. The price is lower than what I pay. What worries me is they sell in packs of 28. Mine comes in a box with 2 blister packs of 15. That strikes me as odd. Their price is lower than Medstores price. Medstores also sells generic from India.
If you try asking on the Canadian thread, you might find someone from Vancouver who knows of this company (Big Mountain) and if they really have a Canadian office. What I mean by this is, I have a US address, with a street and suite number. Then my shipments are mailed to me here. So I have a US address, although I don't live in the US. Big Mountain could do a similar thing - so you might not really be dealing with a Canadian Pharmacy at all. If they are not a Canadian Pharmacy then their product could be coming from anywhere in the world.
With international and online shopping, the reason I like to know the business address is about having somebody to hold accountable if there are problems - eg misuse of your credit information, no shipment - or inferior product, etc.
If you or anybody does buy from Canada, our product would be bi-lingual - English and French.
If Shopper does ship to the US, they would be a good source. They have stores on every corner here. Their head office is north of the city.
I hope this is of some help to you.
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It appears that I'll be on Arimidex and after reading about all the side effects I'm really nervous about taking it. I already have diabetes, back problems/sciatica from time to time, have seasonal allergies and sometimes have to struggle keeping a good sleep pattern.
I never experienced the effects of menopause, so it's scary to think that now I'll have to go through that. Taking that drug sounds like I'm going to be one miserable, unhappy person. Oh, yes, I'm already battling high blood pressure and generally try to avoid any meds that cause fatigue or tiredness, for that'll be me.
I'm used to a high activity level. Have always loved walking, taking dance classes, gym classes like body pump, a little yoga. This med which is supposed to save my life seems to me as though it will end my life as I know it. Do people ever decline to take it? Or put it off until one gets back into shape after surgery? I'm also, on a series of chiropractic treatments and would certainly like to get that issue cleared up. It's greatly improved, but had to stop treatments when I had surgery.
At first I felt taking A. would not be that bad. Now it sounds absolutely horendous! Are there supplements to help alleviate the side effects?
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Niteowl,
Please don't be afraid to try Arimidex. There are lots of women with no bad side effects out there. Plus, high physical activity does seem to be the best offense against the drug so you should keep up your activity and might find you have no trouble at all.
What would you do to ensure you didn't have a recurrence? I would do almost anything and put up with a lot to avoid a re-peat!!!
Good luck and cyber hugs.
pam
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JO is correct. I have been on Arimidex since 3 Sep 09. My SE really hit me at the three month mark. I thought I was going to die, but starting by the fourth month the SE started to decrease. Now I only have very slight SE. I kept thinking anything is better then the cancer and this &*$@#&* drug is my best chance of not getting a recurrence.
SO HANG IN THERE......and keep moving.
kim
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Hi all~ I have been on Arimidex since Jan. 1 and have had SE's sore sore muscles and joints. So I recently started limiting my sugar intake ... I am on day 8 and I really see a difference. I am staying away from anything processed. This is really hard to do...OMG it is the hardest thing ever...but I am seeing results so I feel good about that. I should say refined sugars which means anything processed. However I still do eat granola which is homemade. Take a look~sugar is in everything, Today was really hard , I brought in a Birthday cake for my sister who is also my coworker...so lunch time was hard and I know everyone said oh its a birthday just have some, but I have to get my habit going and if I relapse so soon it just is not going to work. I want to know if the no refined sugar thing is going to work....plus I know it has so many health benefits. Ok my class is coming back I must get geared up.
Positively,
Balsie
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Joyce: I had a lumpectomy, TAC chemo then radiation. My Oncotype DX score was 42.
Balsie: have you ever tried Larabars....No added sugar, it is not processed, no soy, etc.
kim
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I come from a different mindset because my first pathology reports came back triple negative. I cried tears of joy when it was rerun and came back estrogen positive......I can take Al's and really reduce my chance of reoocurence. Knowing how it feels when they say, "We'll do chemo, and then it's all a matter of luck as to whether or not it comes back," I am so, so grateful that I can take out this insurance policy! (and those of you who are ER and PR positive have even better odds that it will work for you).
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balsie- I've been doing no sugars all through treatment and it gets a lot easier after a bit! Sugar is addictive so the first few weeks you really want it but if you really stay off it, the cravings go away.
All- hi. I've been reading this topic because I start A. soon but haven't had anything to say b/c i'm not actually taking it. Hopefully I won't have anything to say and it'll be easy! we'll see. But thanks so much for all the info...
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jessamine~ I am interested in what you eat. If you could give me some good ideas of what is out there that is easy or might be new to what I do. Thanks
Kim~ where do you get larabars, haven't seen them but will be on the lookout for them. Point me in the right direction.
This is helping I do feel some better today~ It is very hard to give up the treats but I just have to find new treats.
night everyone
Balsie
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Jessamine & Balsie - I'm trying to give up processed sugar and sodium. Basically, that leaves out most manufactured food. One thing I have been trying, is using unrefined sugar in my cookies, but that is still addictive. Starting to get used to dark chocolate and trying to eat fruit when I have a craving for sugar.
Would love some suggestions also.
Kim - do the larabars have artifical sweeteners in them?
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molly and balsie- I'm on a pretty restricted diet, myself. I'm not eating pretty much anything even remotely sweet or fatty, and even though I've gotten used to it and was pretty healthy before all this I don't think I can maintain to this degree forever. Just about the hardest thing for me has actually not been giving up foods, but not being able to eat out or pick up a snack pretty much ever because, as you say, EVERYTHING has bad stuff in it!
But I can offer sweetener ideas- maple syrup has a much lower glycemic response than sugar and more minerals.(the gl. response being a big part of what makes sugar so bad) You can totally make cookies with maple syrup (just use a little less of whatever liquid you're using). it's more expensive though. But if money is no problem, dry maple sugar is even better than sugar! So good! Succanat is better than regular sugar but less good than other things. Agave syrup is all over the heath food stores these days but NOT actually better so don't bother. Stevia is really good for you but tastes AWFUL. Honey is good for you. I like maple syrup best though.
Also, eating cinnamon lowers your blood sugar spikes, so is good to have with any sweets.
I could go on forever- I've learned more enough about nutrition to write a book in the last 6 months. So ask awayif you want but i'll try not to go on too much...
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Balsie: I am interested too in what you are eating.
I have been diligently taking my Advil, 2 every 4 hours as suggested by Onc. as of last week.
Surprisingly, my leg pains are getting better.
Will continue to read the posts.
Sleep tight all,
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I'm reading the posts on diet and nutrition with interest. I try to avoid sweets with refined sugar because I, too, find that sugar is addictive. When I indulge at a major holiday, like Thanksgiving, I immediately find myself wanting something sweet. Eating fruit helps ease my desire for sugar. Whatever is in season. I use Splenda as a sugar substitute even though I think it would be better to learn to enjoy cereal, iced tea, etc. without the added sweetness.
For those about to start Arimidex, I read this thread before starting, too, and was very afraid of getting all the SEs mentioned. But so far my SEs have been very tolerable. Ditto to those who recommend "keep moving." Try to go about your normal life as you did before Arimidex. One SE that concerns me is high total cholesterol. Or I'm thinking it's a SE since I haven't changed my diet and lifestyle since starting Arimidex.
Good health to all of us.
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Thanks, Jo. I don't remember that post. Which is not to say I didn't read it!!! My memory is a sieve. My D level was normal when tested last year so the only D supplement I take is included in the calcium pills. I'm probably wasting my time taking a calcium supplement because I also take Protonix for reflux and I read that the meds for reflux block calcium absorption. Catch 22.
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Since Arimidex raises cholesterol, one needs to pay attention to HDLs. HDLs should be 50 or higher. 55 is really good. How does one raise HDLs? There are two ways with the first being exercise and the second being SATURATED FAT. Yes, I nearly fell off my chair when I read that. Unfortunately, I cannot find the link.
When I had my levels checked after a strict low fat - low calorie diet, my HDLs had dropped to 42 and my LDLs were the same as previously. When I added a moderate amount of saturated fat and got retested six months later, my HDLs were 50. My doctor agreed that diets too low in saturated fats could result in lowering HDL. She also said that LDLs below 130 were within normal range for women. She based this on European studies that were done exclusively on women.
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Every morning I have a fruit smoothie made of all kinds of fruits, I put it in a vita mix and poof...yummy treat and so full of nutrition. We also add cinnamon to that. This is not a change for me ... we have done this for years and years. We often have a veggie smoothie in the evening too..just made of all veggies and we used to put V8 juice in it but not anymore. I really had to get used to that one...not the best tasting but so good for me.
I don't snack anymore between my meals unless it is a piece of fruit , dates, raisins etc.
I find that I don't need to snack ... it is just a bad habit. It is amazing to me to find out just what all has sugar in it. WOW
This is a learning curve for me, but I am willing to do it if it helps with the discomfort and it is helping so I am going to keep doing it.
I will see my oncologist on Monday and will ask him what other advice he has for me.
The hard part for me is giving up the cookies and the sweet treats! So very hard.
best of luck to all in this new venture....any idea would be great!
warmly,
Balsie
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I had a lumpectomy, chemo, staph infection. Started "A" in January '09 then rads in Feb '09. Some aches and pain but seem to be getting better. My joints are stiff when I sit too long so I try to get up and move every hour. I walk the dog twice a day and go to a center for exercising 3 times a week plus work 40 hours. Keep moving and keep the attitude!
I do love my sweets too but have noticed when I eat sweets I get the "flashes". So I eat fruits and limit my intake of dairy products.
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