Arimidex - Coping with the SE's
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jan....I take my Arimidex with my synthroid in the morning too. It says take with fluid so I take them (and lipitor and BP med) with a LARGE cup of coffee. I take arimidex in the morning to avoid hot flashes and insomnia in the evening. So far it has been working.
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Jan-I take my arimi about an hour after my synthroid. Synthroid on empty stomach-arimi after breakfast. I still have hot flashes at night though.
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Hi ladies! I just got back from a fabulous beach vacation (which is a good remedy for just about anything!). Here are a few tips that helped me with some of the issues raised on the last couple pages:
* I do a yearly DEXA...you have to request it, otherwise they will do it every other year
* exercise helps with the aches, weight control, cholesterol, moods, and (if it is weight bearing) with keeping the bones strong
* daily serving of oatmeal for lowering cholesterol
* slo-release niacin (Walmart) for cholesterol. Don't do the 'flush free', not as effective. But with slo-release you shouldn't flush anyway. This should be done with your doctor's approval and under his/her supervision as you will have to play around with dosage to find what is effective for you.
* prunes; a daily serving is great for your bones and should take care of any constipation issues (also reduces risk of colon cancer)
* for minor arthritis (such as the bumps on the fingers) buy white raisins, soak in gin for a couple weeks (store in fridge) and eat 12 a day. Produces a natural cortisone effect
* 1-2 ounces of dark chocolate every day (must be at least 70% cocoa, the darker the better) can help reduce blood pressure (plus make you very happy!)
* plantar facscitis; go to Walmart again and stand on the Doctor Sholls machine that tells you what level of inserts you need in your shoes and then buy and use them (cost about $50). Always wear good supported shoes, don't go barefoot, until it clears up.....which can take quite awhile, months and months.
* hot flashes at night; sleep with a fan blowing right on you.
That's all I can think of for now!
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Is fatigue a symptom of Arimidex? I have been so tired lately. Slept 8 hours last night, took a 2 hr nap, and can't wait to go to bed again. I've been taking it in the morning, but decided to try switching it to evening to see if I have more pep during the day. I haven't had rads or chemo, so that's not an excuse.
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Initially I had many side effects on arimidex, lots of joint pain and especially pain in my hands and trigger finger in my thumbs (requiring splinting and cortisone shots in both of them) and then in most of the rest of my fingers. Over time these side effects diminished and now I'd say they're about 90% better... The trigger finger stuff is mostly gone and the joint pain is better. I now am having retinal troubles which may be related to the arimidex but this remains to be seen. I have been taking arimidex now for three years and four months.
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I don't know about the idea that the side effects should go away in a few weeks...the worst of my side effects (trigger finger, joint pain) lasted the better part of a year or so.
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ruthbru, missed you! So glad you had a great vacation!
wren, I have a friend that is months ahead of me on A and she is complaining of exhausion. It is so hard to tell what is what, isn't it? I had rads and am having lung issues so am on other meds besides A, and am so tired and weak. I am learning to listen to my body and realize that I need to just stop and rest. It will be interestiing to hear what others say. My body just needs lots of time to heal. Glad I have people to go through this with, because I start to feel kinda crazy. My emotions are taking a wild ride and I'm just hanging on.
yay! for mcgaffey the end is near!
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Mostlysew- thanks for the info on osteoporosis treatment. Do you know why MO chose Prolia vs. oral medication? Do you have any condition preventing you from taking oral biphosphonates such as stomach problems?
Welcome back Ruthbru. Glad you had a good vacation? Appreciate your summary of tips.
Sending healing energy to maccatacmy, kamico3 , Wren44, Jan-m, srbl62, vivirassele and all others suffering SE. Sending my spiritual intentions into the world for our freedom from pain and fatigue. Have a good weekend everyone.0 -
dobie--some MOs deal with the side effects of meds and some don't. My MO prescribes my arimidex and ordered the bone density tests, but everything else is done through my PCP (lab work, follow up on new pain or other new symptoms). My MO doesn't see breast cancer patients after hormornal therapy is done, some MO's see patients yearly after treatment is done. Some of this also depends on where you live and what the local practices are. Bottom line, we all really have to manage our own treatment to be sure we're getting everything we need.
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Good morning ladies. Had my Bone Density and PET Scan yesterday. I am now a member of the A Team not sure if that is good or bad. Starting my Arimidex today wish me luck. Thanks everyone for the comments and advice its good to know there is somewhere to come for support.
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tskaiser...we wish you luck with Arimidex for sure...you might be one of the lucky ones
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Arimidex vacations - I had to stop for 6 weeks 3 months after I started taking it. Those vacations really seem to help - hope it works for all trying it.
FATIGUE - think ASTHENIA - that's the first SE listed on the AstraZenaca site ( original brand of Arimidex) - I hd to google the word to get a definition, worth the google. You would not believe what it covers! The best definition I've heard, is a fellow member of the A Team, who when I posted the word for the first time, defined it as " Greek, for feels like crap."
Fatigue, exhaustion, asthenia, any way you look at it, YES. For me, it seems to come & go. Not a constant.
ONE BIG CHANGE: I now take my Generic Synthroid at NIGHT, with my Arimidex, etc. My acupuncturist suggested it, so I can start the day IMMEDIATELY when I wake up, with some protein ( I use hard boiled egg whites) - and WOW! What a difference, Much higher energy level. Also researched this online, and some very interesting information about being beneficical to take thyroid meds at night. Nothing "scientific" but worth it for me to try, and I am SO GLAD I DID. Has just been "routine" to have folks take it in the am ( empty stomach) - so I have my last food at about 6 pm - and go to bed at about 10. Think what's most important is taking it at the same ( about) time every day - will be interested to see next TSH tests, in NOvember.
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Sunflowers, interesting about the synthroid. I use to take it at night until I read the fine print on the package insert. It said that it culd cause insomnia. I had probelms with sleep so I switched to taking it about 5 AM which is one of the times I usually get up to use the bathroom. For me that helped, sleep comes easier. Funny how we all are so different in our responses to these meds.
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me too...been taking Synthroid for 35 years now and always in the morning.
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Wren44, Yes, fatigue is a side effect of arimidex. I used to take the pill first thing in the morning when I awakened. My MO suggested that I take it at night instead. Now, I take arimidex around 8:00pm. My fatigue is not entirely gone, but it has lessened.
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Elizabeth...the thing is, one of the SEs of Arimidex is insomnia so I find it better to take it in the morning first thing. I would rather sleep and deal with the fatigue, which isn't that bad so far.
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Ruth, welcome back glad you had a nice vacation! Always like your positive outlook and great advice. I started the prunes I had to begin gradual took one for a few days now I am up to 4 every morning and it has definately helped with the constipation for the A.I. and I'm sure it is helping in other areas, gastro dr. said good fiber! Having a colonoscopy in a couple weeks (routine, fun times). I will try the white rasin remedy soon. Trying to get back on track with exercise, good some days and not others, one day at a time and we all do whats right for us and works! All my blood work was good from my PCP so I have no issues with cholesterol or anything, I'm blessed
Have a wonderful Friday everyone, Ginger M.
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dobie - My osteopenia is milder than yours, but I've been really proactive at getting enough D, calcium and weight bearing exercise. Even so my MO will be giving me Zometa. It's by infusion and 2x / year. It's an older drug, but similar to Prolia. He's doing this for two reasons. My family history is laced with serious and deadly osteoporosis, broken hips. Also, Zometa and Prolia have been found to compete with bc cells in the bone and help to prevent mets there. I don't know the % of reduction this gives.
Oral drugs like Fosomax only strenghten the outer portion of the bone, while the inner part continues to weaken. Improvement in DEXA scan results only indicate that there is improvement in the outer bone and cannot determine that health of the inner. It's now advised to stop them after 5 yrs. I would refuse to take these drugs. I was very hesitant to do Zometa except that it also protects against mets.
My MO will be giving me the Zometa and ordering DEXAs. In general he's not great about giving me detailed results on what is normal on tests that come in after the appointment, so I ask for these from my regular NP (in place of a PCP).
It's a difficult but important decision on what to do about the bone density issue. Good luck.
Ruth - Love your comments.
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Dobie, Doxie's description of the Prolia/zometa infusion mirrors my understanding also. My MO felt it was much more effective in actually helping the bones remain strong, rather than giving a false positive as the fosomax drugs do. It is only used with post menopausal women. There's another version of the drug which is used monthly as a treatment for bone mets. The FDA only approved use for breast cancer patients just last year as I understand it. You do have to be careful to get enough calcium and vit D while on the Prolia. Apparently I will be getting these injections twice a year while I'm on the Arimidex.
You might want to talk all this over with your PCP since your MO doesn't deal with this.
Hope that helps.
On another note about osteoporosis, I always knew that walking was good exercise (weight bearing) but also read last night that you need to add a bit of stomping to your weight bearing activity (unless you're already dancing etc). You can do this by adding a few jogging steps or running in place steps along your walk. My friend and I did that this morning. It was kind of fun. Probably looked a bit silly, but anything to help these poor old bones!0 -
Just checking in on a Friday night. . . . And wow the information is fantastic. I am one month into my time on the A team and can't thank those of you years into it enough for all of your wisdom...
Ruth - welcome back. . . Always nice to hear from you. Hey - my raisins may be ready!
Mcgaffey - congratulations! You are such a positive voice!
I just saw MO's NP this week. . . Blood work all good. . . . Got my typical lecture on food And exercise, she hadv no suggestions for my moodiness or depression (yeah, gets bad..) . . . I am now walking about 40 min / day about 6 days / week. I start out a bit stiff but definitely am warming up as I go. I need other exercise suggestions - something easy! Any thoughts on quick, easy things I can start incorporating?
Oh - I am taking A at night, thankfully with no insomnia hitting (yet- gulp!). Synthesis is AM on an empty stomach! Working so far!
Hope you all are thriving! Thanks for being there....
Kelleyod0 -
. . . .ok, Ruth..... Just dug out my soaking raisins from back of fridge. . . . Wow! Didn't realize how strong they would beg. Hahahaha.....guess I may sleep well. . .
Speaking of alcohol, I would love to know what advice / guidance other A team members are getting. . . . Partake? Abstain? Care to share?......
Take care y'all...
Kelleyod0 -
Ruthbru-glad to hear you had a wonderful beach vacation and thanks for the great info.
GingerM/Kellyod-good to hear your tests results were a.o.k.
Kellyod-you may try adding some lunges while you're walking-we do a lot of those in my pink ribbon fitness class.
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Kelleyod, that is a great question to consider on alcohol. I love my glass of wine with friends. I will continue to have wine but I am going to keep it to two glasses a week. I can't handle any more than that at my age! My mother was a breast cancer survivor to age 98, but she had two bouts with and lost two breasts and never had any other therapy. She loved her cocktail every night of the week. I think there is a connection between estrogen positive gals, alcohol and cancer. I may be wrong and I am not one to cut it all out because there are benefits for alcohol as well. That is my personal take on it. Moderation with a capital M.
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Thank you all for your input on bone health management. It is helpful to get a few different perspectives. After dx of low bone density 3 years ago I declined fosomax and started taking vit D 3000u per day and calcium citrate supplement 500 mg 2x daily with about another 600 mg in my diet daily. I either bike, walk or do yoga most days. I recently started strength training 3 x weekly. Despite this my bones continue to deteriorate so obviously I now need some pharmaceutical help. No hx of fractures but mother has osteoporosis. I have done some research and reading and am aware of the studies showing some benefits of Zometa in contributing to decrease in reoccurrence aswell as long term effectiveness in reversing bone loss. I have read that fosomax is only effective for 2 years and i am in this for the long term so I have your experiences and copies of the studies to take with me to discuss with my PCP to make a plan. Don't cha love to be a pain in the neck for our doctors!
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Thank you all for your input on bone health management. It is helpful to get a few different perspectives. After dx of low bone density 3 years ago I declined fosomax and started taking vit D 3000u per day and calcium citrate supplement 500 mg 2x daily with about another 600 mg in my diet daily. I either bike, walk or do yoga most days. I recently started strength training 3 x weekly. Despite this my bones continue to deteriorate so obviously I now need some pharmaceutical help. No hx of fractures but mother has osteoporosis. I have done some research and reading and am aware of the studies showing some benefits of Zometa in contributing to decrease in reoccurrence aswell as long term effectiveness in reversing bone loss. I have read that fosomax is only effective for 2 years and i am in this for the long term so I have your experiences and copies of the studies to take with me to discuss with my PCP to make a plan. Don't cha love to be a pain in the neck for our doctors!
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Kelleyod - I am taking a "Gentle Yoga" class at a local yoga studio. Geared to people who are recovering from surgery or have limitations. I feel sooooo much better when I leave class. Mostly good stretching and meditation. I'm also taking "Zumba Gold", sort of a scaled down version of Zumba. Zumba is great because you can go easy or give it all you've got depending on how limber you're feeling that day. I also do sporatic running in place during my walks every day as someone else mentioned.
Both my MO and my GYN have recommeded a limit of 2 glasses of wine/week.
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kellyod: There is a strong correlation between alcohol intake and breast cancer. In addition, alcohol plays havoc with triglycerides: the first glass of alcohol will raise your triglycerides for about 4 hours. The second glass raises them for 24 hours! This is one reason that people who drink get fat around their middle very quickly. For those on AIs who already have that SE to contend with, adding alcohol to the mix can make things tougher.
There is a lot of study going on about the microclimate of cancer cells, and sugars (which alcohol converts to) are one of the fuels of cancer cells.
I'm a wine collector, and I still collect, but I don't have it as frequently as I used to (I used to have a 2-3 oz glass with dinner 3-4 times a week). It's a lot easier to keep the weight off, without it, is one benefit. I am a foodie and specialize in food and wine pairing, and I still enjoy entertaining and love to share my collection with friends. At first, reducing felt like a significant lifestyle change, but it hasn't been that big a deal, really. I just savor it all the more and appreciate great food shared with great company. My RadOnc, btw, is an international wine judge and lectures publicly about the antioxidant and other health benefits of red wine - we used to have great weekly meetings during my treatment, discussing what we had each discovered that week.
So, I recommend you enjoy it, but in moderate or light measure.
Susan
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Dobie - My baseline bone density scan prior to starting treatment showed a little osteopenia. My docs have NOT yet put me on any prescriptions for calcium, bone loss, etc. but I take 5000 units of D3 plus 2000 units of calcium daily.
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Hi everyone,
I am with Susan, and enjoy my wine. It really is one of the pleasures in my life, although I had better watch out for the Zweigelt. I was reported to be in "rare form" by the wine bar wait staff when I tried the new release. We have such amazing wines here in Washington State, and wine is always an adventure to me. I got my surgeon into big trouble as no one else in her group got wine as a thank you!!
My triglycerides are low regardless.....in fact my HDL number is higher than they are.
I am an exerciser. One thing is to work exercise back into your life. We have been too successful in removing the need for any physical activity. I do crunches and weights each weekday. I noticed the benefit yesterday when I carried BOTH my new printer and supplies into my apartment and didn't require two trips. I do almost all my grocery shopping on foot.
Kelly: the Y has classes sponsored by LIVESTRONG for cancer survivors, so might be something to look into. I do all my stuff at home or "on the road" as cycling is how I stay fit. The weather looks good for my 25 mile group ride planned for later today (with a stop at the Strawberry Festival for SHORTCAKE!!). I will get to see one of my cycling buddies who has been doing a graveyard gig of tech support plus test out my new back tire and brakes.
Tomorrow, I am planning a metric century which will take me to an area on my bucket list to visit, plus expose me to routes to share with others. I didn't want to explore this area by myself so a cycling event is the perfect excuse. Right now, I am planning the 76 mile route, but may skip the extra loop which would make it more like 60.
At a certain point, we all need to do muscle building exercises, and this has nothing to do with having had cancer. Same is true with enough stretching of some sort to stay flexible. My routine covers that too. Then good stuff like balance and self-confidence.
One sign of the latter is I feel just fine wearing spandex. Just ordered new capris on eBay.....I really do wear out stuff. I need to order fleece tights too, as those have seen better days. I have also been upgrading my business wardrobe to reflect my expanded role in one of my consulting gigs. I am having a lot more meetings at this point and I need to represent my client well.
Going back to wine......I recently got a major toast at the wine bar when I showed up with my new cycling jacket (and bicycle) following a video interview for a fitness article. I was toasted as THE WOMAN WHO DARED ROCK SPANDEX IN A VIDEO INTERVIEW. Some of the women were 30 years younger than I am.
It doesn't get much better than this. - Claire
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Dobie
Have you had a vitamin D blood test? In order to get my levels into the 50's - I have to take at least 6,000ius of Vitamin D3 daily.
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