Arimidex
Comments
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Hi, Guiness!
I've been on the Arimidex now for about 6 months. I do not have any nausea, in fact, I'm hungry all the time. I was trying to lose weight, but I'm finding I am very slowly gaining. That could be because I'm tired all the time and don't get much exercise.
I can't say that I am depressed, but I am tired and a little moody at times. But being that I just came off of radiation treatments, etc.,it is hard to know if its from the Arimidex or the radiation.
I do have some joint and bone pain -- hip, knee and feet mostly. But again, I had that before the whole cancer thing started. Strangely enough, all that joint pain was gone during chemo but returned aterwards, so I don't know if that is the Arimidex or just normal old age stuff.
Sorry I can't be of more help here. I can only say that none of it is bad enough for me to give it up yet.
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has anyone tried acai berry/ colon cleanse while on arimidex? i' m thinking of trying it in hopes of losing weigh quicker it seems the more i excersize the more the pounds come on from the arimidex? ihave
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Hi Ashley...I tried the acai berry and while on arimidex. It did NOTHING for me! Don't order it through the website either..I am fighting to get back my money..and also get taken off (which I have cancelled) the monthly 9.95 charge!!
Purple...I do think my fatigue was from the Arimidex. I didn't feel that tired on tamox. I was on the Arimidex for a good 8 months...so I really gave it a chance. Going off it...I have lost some weight..and feel more energetic! Allot of the pain has subsided, but some is still there...the stiffness.
I wonder ladies...how much GOOD these drugs really do. I also wonder if there are natural alternatives to these. We have to remember, Yes..our doctors want to do the best for us..and yes they want to help us when it comes to preventing the cancer from returning. BUT...I also have to remember...THE DRUG CO...they are the money makers...and market these miracle drugs...it really has me thinking! I know some EX-drug reps...who really got out of the business, solely because in good consence..they couldn't do it anymore...that say's ALOT!
For those of you that are experiencing depression and hot flashes...I know that the flashes are definately from the arimidex. I would ask your doc about effexor HR...it works wonders on the hot flashes and the depression. I know it's not for everyone..but I wanted to throw that out there.
I started on Aromosin just 3 days ago...I'll let you know how this AI does for me.
All the best to all of you!
xoxo
Lisa
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Hi Lisa, how long were you on the acai berry? I'm not on it, just wondering because I had thought of trying it. Sometimes things take weeks to kick in.
For the drug alternatives, I'm sure we can get loads of information at the 'alternative' thread. There's just so much information everywhere about everything - makes my head spin. For everyone who says one thing is good, there are 3 who say it's not. Drug companies are in the business to make money but so is everyone else. How do I know I needed 33 rads tx; maybe 32 would have worked just as well. Really, maybe they could have done 25 tx with 5 boosts? Or, 27 tx with 3 boosts? Arimidex has me giddy, I think. Hmmmm, sometimes I do think I may be depressed - Bipolar maybe? Is that a SE? Okay, I'm getting away from myself here.
Enjoy your day ladies.
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Patoo...I was on it for about 3 weeks....they said you would see results right away??
I know ...everyone is out to make a buck..or a million! lol I am not sure about depression being a s/e from Arimidex...it sounds like it may be. I was on effexor before I went on.
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thank you ladies, i did order it on the website it was for a free sample which i got in the mail yesterday i just paid the 5.95 s/h then i e-mailed them when i got it and told them to cancel it so i dont get billed for another month i will keep a eye out for that- if they do bill me i guess i will be fighiting just like you, when i got it in the mail yesterday with the colon cleanse that was free also i was wondering if i shoudl take it i got a little nervuos when i actually got it you were on it for 3weeks? i was going to give it a month since hthey sent a month worth of each . and if it didnt work at least i gave it a try. i do agree i feel lots of pain with this meds i often wonder if the treaments are worth it.an the makers of the meds are just out to get paid- makes me wonder!! last week i saw my oncolgist and told him every side effect i was feeling ( joint pain, especialy in my knees, fatique, hot flashes you name it i had it and i have been taking the med since Jan. i toldd him i stopped taking it for 2 weeks and i felt so much better i felt my age again im 37 my mood swings were diminishing. he told me he would like me to get back on it cause he is trying to save my life and doesnt want anything to happen to me he was nice about it and made me feel a little gility for stopping , i told him i feel like my way of life is slowly getting taking away from me (aches and pains) but i gave in and started the meds again on sunday im just tired of meds im taking the following: are you taking as much as i am??
arimidex, zometa, zoldex, vitimin E, calcium/ vitmin D, multi vitimin, high blood pressure meds, advil, i just started taking Glucosamine today he said i can take that to help aleviate the joint pain, my purse looks like a medicine cabinet! unreal--
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Ashley...at least you cancelled right away...I didn't. They sent me another 3 bottles..at about 80.00..then I called, cancelled. When you cancel..you have to first cancel the membership, then cancel the shipment...and whatever you got seperatly. I cancelled both..and have not had one refund yet. I also keep getting billed for the membership!! it's very fustrating! They owe me about 200.00 now! I saw allot of complaints about this company!
I take, aromosin, effexor hr, multi womens vitamin and extra calcium D. nothing else right now. why are you on bp meds? was your bp high already?. it's crazy I know!
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I have been on the lovely
med for about 4 months. I take mine in the AM. I don't recall anyone saying I had to take it at night. I have had some sleep issues, but didn't attribute it to that. Definitely the hot flashes!!! are getting worse but the joint pain I have worked with a natureopath on, using supplements to alleviate the discomfort. I was also given 20mg of melatonin forn the doc to help with sleep problems. Supposed to help as a cancer fighter too. 0 -
Yes, Lisa, there are natural alternatives to arimidex. We have discussed them a lot on the alternative threads. Check out our discussions about iodine, I3C and DIM, and natural girls. I declined to take arimidex and go the natural route. All my blood and urine tests are looking good, and I continue to monitor and make changes. My estrogen levels dropped a lot by diet and exercise, and my cortisol levels did too. Dim or I3C helps to block the estrogen receptors exactly as tamoxifen does. There is a lot of information on this. Google it and you will be surprised. All I can say is that at 55, I feel like 25 with my new health regime. I did not want to have all those aches and pains with armidex, and as I began to do more and more research, I realized that alternatives were just as effective. I do not worry at all about bc returning because I know I am a lot healthier now, at the cellular level that I ever was before. Yeah, it is a lot of work, but well worth it to me.
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I read with interest your comments on Arimidex. I also decided not to have chemo after an oncotype of 17. Not sure I made the right decision at the time but feel better knowing others did the same. Arimidex scared me too when I read the side effects. I've been on it since March 09, one month after my R mastectomy. I have problems with depression, sore joints, and Insomnia. No hot flashes. I'm 63 and walk 2 miles every day. Helps with the pain. For depression I take celexa (which I took before being diagnosed) and Ambien when the sleep problems get really bad. I'm trying not to feel sorry for myself because I'm so lucky (no lymph nodes involved and no chemo/radiation), but the pain in the arm, shoulder and back as the nerves regenerate is almost unbearable. Any suggestions. Traveler63
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Hi Ladies , I was diagnosed at 45 and was afraid of Tamoxifin so I had my ovaries removed and went with Arimidex. I have been on Arimidex since 1/07. I had joint pain for the first year and that has subsided. My hotflashes lasted about 8 months, went away, but have recently returned. So far my bone scans have not been affected but I take 1500 mg of calcium/ with vit. D daily which constipates me. I take enough fiber to choke a horse but doesn't seem to help. My main complaint is insomnia. I take my arimidex in the morning. I have had trouble sleeping now for 18 months and it is so bad now that without sleeping medication I can only sleep 4-6 hours a night. With sleeping meds I wake at least 3 times and up to 6 times a night. I am exhausted and a person I don't recognize. My patience is short and my temper is fierce. I have had to go to a sleep disorder clinic in order to get sleeping medication because my primary care physician was scolding me for taking sleeping meds every night. Sex is a four letter word. Anyone else out there dealing with extreme insomnia????
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Just stopping by to read the thread on Arimedix. I am going back on it after trying two others. I tried Femara and the hot flashes were terrible and joint pain sucked. Then I tried Aromasin and the joint pain was bad and it affected my sleep. So I am going back on Arimedix. The SE's were less than the other two. The joint pain is what bothers me. I walk every day but just to get up and down out of a chair hurts. I really don't want to be on anything but that isn't one of my choices. I had a lumpectomy in Sept '09 and finished with rads in March. Chemo was done in Oct/Nov '08.
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Hi JBirchem, sorry to hear of all the troubles you are having. I haven't seen anyone complain of the extreme insomnia that you are having. I wish I had an answer for you. I've only been on it for 3 months without significant se's yet. I even take it at night without a problem sleeping. I wake 2-3 times a night but that predates BC. I have started to add weight and I think that's from the arimidex; I always want to eat and it's not the good stuff.
I would think the sleep disorder clinicians would be able to make some suggestions. Maybe some of our sisters here will have some ideas.
Blessings.
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JBirchem-Insomia is totally caused by low hormones which are blocked by armidex. There is nothing you can do to overcome the insomia without hormone balance. Even if you have totally blocked out all your estrogen, you may till have a hormone "inbalance". It is the lack of progesterone that causes all the menopausal/arimidex symtoms. I would advise you to read Dr. John Lee's book "What Your Doctor May NOT tell about Breast Cancer", how hormone balance can help and save your life. It is one of the best books I have ever read on BC and it is explained really well, what our hormones are, why we need them, and how we need to balance them. I got all of my estrogen, and cortisol numbers down really low with diet and exercise, but since I am post menopausal, I still produce no progesterone, so even though my estrogens are low, I may still be out of balance. I can sleep okay, but now the way I like to and I am considering hormone therapy. Dr. Lee explains why HRT has been given a bad wrap, and he does not recommend it, but he has had wonderful results with these symptoms by using bioidentical progesterone, and estriol, which are both protective hormones. He explains very well how HRT and BHRT are two totally different things, even though people tend to consider them to be one and the same. I really advise anyone who is having problems on arimidex to read this book. If you decide to go this route, there are more and more doctors who are working with BHRT. I found a doctor who use to be a gyn, but now specializes in hormones and aging because she believes in it so strongly. As more and more success comes from this, I believe it will become a standard of care soon. The evidence is starting to pile up that this is a safe alternative. The problem is, drug companies have the power and the money to fight it.
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VIVRE, thanks for the info. I have been suffering with this and thinking it was due to the lack of estrogen and my sleep doctors has ageed with that but now after coming to these discussion boards I have to wonder if it is not the arimidex. I still have to take it until 01/2012. I am going to start researching my options.
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Hello Jo-5
I left you a message on another board, Topic: Arimidex Withdrawal.
I look forward to hearing from you regarding your experiences with 'withdrawal'
I just stopped Arimidex after 5-Plus Years; was told by two oncologists "no benefits for staying on any longer". Would love to hear if anyone knows differently.
Bless You All, Stay Healthy, Francesca
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Hi everyone, I have been on arimidex now for about four months with no big problems, but lately I have been feeling achy, in particular in my hands and fingers. I'm also having trouble with the knuckle joint of one of my thumbs being very stiff. Have other people had this type of problem?
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Hi kamico3..I've been on arimidex for 3 months and about 2 weeks ago my hands (the tops of them) started to ache. The hand ache which progressed to wrist and arm ache lasted for about 2 weeks. It seems to have stopped hurting about 5 days ago. I'm trying to keep a daily record of how I feel so when I see my onc I have a record and don't need to rely on the ever diminishing memory!
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I've been on the Arimidex since January now, and I'm trying so hard to figure out if there is any pattern at all to the side effects. I can't yet figure out why some nights I have those horrible sweats and other nights I don't. Maybe it's something I eat. . . . or don't eat. . . . I don't know.
But I have figured out the daytime hot flashes, etc. Whenever I get aggrivated, nervous, or tensed up, they start really bad. Like today. I had to go for a chest x-ray because I found a new lump at the mastectomy site. Feels like something on one of the upper ribs. But this had made me nervous, and being in that x-ray office just made the possibilities so much a reality. I felt the sweats coming on, and before long, even my hair was sopped!
I really think there are triggers to some of these symptoms. Maybe that's why it's different for some of us.
All I know is, I'm sleeping with ice packs!!!!! And I would like to get rid of those!
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Nelia, I get night sweats according to my PCP because my sugar drops too much in the middle of the night ( I get up with a headache too).......I don't do this every night either .....I have found though since I am no longer working that my day time sweating has gone way down.......Now I am on antibiotics because of a swollen node in my neck...We hope this goes down with this if not then I will have to see my oncologist....If ain't one thing it's another!.......
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My fingers and hands ache. I have trouble getting up and down from a chair. Once I get up and moving it eases a little bit. Maybe the longer we are on this stuff the SE's get bad then maybe just maybe they will go away after a few more months. I can always hope. I've got needlework to do and it is just sitting here. My fingers hurt too much to work on it. The "sweats" haven't been to bad as they were on Femara. Trust me I have tried them all. So back on Arimidex again. Joy
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Nelia, I laughed when I read your post because I too think that my anxiety level can trigger a hot flash. I have been on Arimidex for about 6 weeks and the hot flashes started immediately. I notice that when I get anxious or upset, I bring on the hot flashes. If I awake at night in a nightmare (which seems to happen more and more) as soon as my eyes open, the wave of heat travels my body. My sleeping is terrible. I ususally lie awake for a few hours before I fall asleep and then wake up several times during the night. This causes me to be exhausted at work. I can't imagine the SEs getting worse but reading all these posts, it appears they will. Oh well as long as my tumors are shrinking, I will suck it up.
Debbie
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Coffeegirl, I like that attitude - "as long as my tumors are shrinking, I will suck it up". I think our attitude will go a long way towards how we feel overall.
Of course I've only been on it a little over 3 months myself - may have a whole different "attitude" in a few months.
Blessings to all on this journey.
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I started arimedex 3 weeks ago and since yesterday my arms and legs are fool of Little bumps like cold bumps, my joints are very sore....I can't even open a door because of the pain...is all this from the arimedex or last SE from taxotere?
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If all these SEs are from arimedex should I ask my onc for Tamoxifen?
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Chiquita, se's affect everyone differently. I have no significant se's yet and may never have anything I can't handle. Remember many of the people who are on arimidex successfully are not posting. Here we see our sisters who are on it, or on others, and are having significant se's and so need support to get through.
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I saw my oncologist today and he is taking me off of Arimidex for a month to see if my side effects will lessen. He wants to be able to tell exactly what side effects are caused by the Arimidex. I've got morning headaches, body aches & pains, trouble sleeping, tiredness/weakness, hot flashes, weight gain, depression, bad concentration, memory loss, numbness/tingling/swelling in my hands, & stiff muscles. I was worried about bone loss, but he said it takes years and years for that to occur. I take 1200 mg of calcium daily - so not to worry. He also put me on an anti-depressant now to help with the side effects of depression, sleeping & hot flashes when I go back on medication. He told me the estrogen blockers are MORE effective in stopping reoccurrence than chemo is. So I guess the bottom line is - we will have to live with side effects - just try and pick your drug of choice with the side effects you can live with for 5 years!
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WB-Are you taking any magnesium? Not only does it help with calcium absorption, it also makes a huge difference in your mood, and helps with sleep. Vit D is also essential. Not only is Vit D antioxidant, it really improves energy.
If any of you have not checked out the iodine/thyroid thread, please do. There is increasing evidence that low iodine levels may be as much a cause for bc as anything. There are lots of links on that thread to books and websites that explain it. Check it out!
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Yes, everyone is different. I have been on Arimidex 2 yrs as of July 26th. The only SE I have is hip pain, take some Advil and it is gone. As for the hot flashes, I had them B 4 I was dx so those are not new to me.
If the drugs that are available now where around when my mom was dx, she would still be alive. God do I miss her.
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Hi Vavoom10,
I read your post and immediately connected, as I've just started Arimadix 3 weeks ago and I'm having a lot of the same side effects you had. I wake up and can't seem to get moving, as every joint and muscle aches. I do notice when I get up, shower and start moving it lessens, but I take an Aleve and that seems to help. I did not want to go on Arimadex and my oncologist suggested I try it for one month and see what happens. I hate putting yet another chemical into my body, but try to reassure myself that it's for the best. I was a pretty active, on the go person, but now I feel like I can hardly move without pain. Wondering if you have had any new side effects since you last posted.
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