Arimidex - Coping with the SE's
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Thanks ruthbru and NativeMainer. I have a little less than a year to go and it will be nice if I get back some of those things, concentration, less stiffness, etc.. SE's were harder at the beginning but seemed to level off and became manageable. Will be nice when finished to get it out of my system and find out what really was the culprit, arimidex or just getting older!
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I've heard from a lot of ladies on BCO that did much better on an AI after a break or a switch. Many swear by accupuncture, many by Vit D supplements, many by using claritin to lesson the side effects.
Patoo, I continue to be surprised at how much better I feel as my time after arimidex lengthens. And I AM 5 years older, to boot! So there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
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I was wondering if anyone's pharmacist has given them the generic brand of Arimidex, and if the oncologists are OK with this. I remember years ago my doc was not too keen on me switching to a generic brand of some med I was taking.
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I'm taking the generic at my MO's suggestion.
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A sharp prickly pain in scalp was brought up at one time. Mine is on the left side of my head and it itches. Has this happened to anyone else? Is this a side effect of the Arimidex?
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i have only been taking arimidex for two and a half months. muscle and bone aches. had a pet and ct scan before lumpectomy, and it only showed possible arthritic changes to my ankles. and since my pelvic floor also lit up, had to see the onco gyno. i was aware at normal menopause that i had uterine fibroids that would shrink after menopause. i am highly estrogen positive, still after menopause 8 years, and still have the fibroids. dr assured me that they were shrinking already from lago's 'estrogen sucking drugs" but wants me to see a rheumatoid arthritis doctor to see if she can help with the side effects of arimidex. 3 months from now. i am only 53, and my work always involved heavy lifting, remodeling houses and building exhibits at museums so thought i was in really pretty good shape, small boned and thin, and then post dx dexa revealed slight ostopoenia in hips. never felt this bad before tho.
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I've got monster fibroids discovered during my PET Scan, too. They're going to just let them sit there and watch them, though, as they're causing no symptoms.
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I haven't noticed any difference with the generic. Most of my meds are now generic
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I seen my onc today and my vit D level went from 52 to 57
I had my second prolia shot today. He told me all my blood work looked good see him in 6 months. I could not ask for anything better than that. 2 years and 9 months more on Arimidex. Life is good ....Nancy
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My insurance only covers generic.
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I use mail-order for a 90-day supply of my Arimidex (Anastrozole), and the last time the doctor's office mistakenly checked a box for "no generic." My co-pay was $1,200!!! My MO is fine with Anasttrozole and, given the price difference, so am I!!!
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Today marks a year on arimidex. Doing okay so far but I do have some tingling in my neck of late. Going for my 4 month checkup next week. I feel the anxiety building. I take the generic version and my doc assures me it is as effective. She said her mom takes generic too.
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I went off Tamox and onto Arimidex because I now get Zolodex (like Lupron) to stop ovaries working. As my 4 week needle approaches I find I am getting PMS symptoms and pain in the ovary area. I have only been taking it for 3 months and am wondering if it takes a while to kick in. I couldn't find any recent posts on ovary suppression and am def. getting sore bones from Arimidex.
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Back on Anastrozole Monday night after a few weeks off. To be honest I only took it for about 2 weeks but I felt so terrible after surgery that my MO took me off it for awhile. So far so good but she wants me to keep a journal. I don't think we get a choice here~~generic and since it is paid for by our provincial cancer agency I am happy. Well as happy as I can be to be taking it at all! My bone density test came back normal for spine but slightly osteopenic in right femoral neck.
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I was on the generic for Arimidex.
I have been off Arimidex now for a week and feel a whole lot better. Bone pain is almost gone, fatigue is completely manageable. And the pain that I was having in my left arm/shoulder, which was exacerbated by the Arimidex, is almost gone. Yes, I realize the risks but my quality of life is really important for me. I live a very active, crazy, creative life and losing any of that is very hard on me.
I'll see my onc in a month and we'll discuss it from there. He is sending me to a "cancer rehabilitation" specialist, who is someone who can help with fatigue and recovery after cancer. Curious to see what he says. I will see him next week.0 -
Went to see my PCP this week and he gave me a prescription for Ambien. Doesn't want me to take every night (body will get use to it). Also went to my dermatologist because of my autoimmune skin problem. My scalp has had prickly pain in it and the skin issues behind the ear are worse. She seemed to think it was a nerve issue. She gave me some new creme and also Gabapentin for pain issues. When you have more than one issue, it is hard to figure out the cause. Right now I just want to get some sleep.
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I've been on Arimidex for 2 years. Just found out from my PCP that my DEXA scan shows osteoporosis and she is recommending the annual Reclast infusion. Kind of frustrating as I've been taking great care of myself, exercising daily, eating well, getting enough calcium and Vit D, etc. Now I'm afraid to do anything as lumbar spine shows increased risk of atraumatic fracture. I'll see what my MO says in two weeks. Ugh....
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I'm concerned that they don't want to do another dexa until I've been on Arimidex for 2 years. I had osteopenia going in.
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Claudia, the Gabapentin will help with sleep, too. In fact, for several years it ws all I used for a sleep aid, 300 to 600 mg a night.
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Life, I had a cancer rehab pt. She was wonderful. I learned do much from her. The biggest thing I learned? TAKE YOUR TIME GETTING BACK TO YOUR REGULAR WORKOUT. You really can't jump back in. She was always slowing me down. She said that you dont want to go so fast you get hurt, because it will take you even longer to get back up to speed. So listen to them. Much love
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1marmalade1--I switched from brand name arimidex to generic a little more than halfway through my run and my MO had no problem with the change. I didn't see any difference except for a much smaller copay. If you like pharmaceutical trivia here's some for you: Each pill in a bottle of prescription pills does not have exactly the same amount of active ingredient. When all the pills in a manufacturer's bottle of a medication are tested for the amount of active ingredient the average per pill has to be within a range set by the FDA, which for some drugs can be as much as 30%. For Arimidex, that means the amount of arimidex in the bottle of pills the manufacturer sends out can be 0.85 mg to 1.15 mg. Some name brand drugs are manufactured with a smaller average range so the amount in each pill is more consistent. For some drugs, like anti-seizure drugs and some psychiatric drugs this can make a noticeable difference in a person who is rather sensitive to the active ingredient.
Kyliet-I did 4 years of lupron and arimidex. I could tell when the 4 month appointment was coming up, I would get more hot flashes, and generally feel PMSy. The stiffness and joint pain really started after about 6 months for me. The feeling old stuff peaked at about 1 year and then stayed pretty much the same, with some ups and downs here and there after that. Hang in there!
Lifeonitsside--Wow! Wish there was a "cancer rehabilitation" specialist around here! Finally someone is noticing that there are special needs after treatment is done!
TinaT--you can do everything right and the arimidex will still melt the bones. That's one of the side effects of the drug. The choices we have to live with. . .
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WaveWhisper, I hate to have to take something for sleep but lack of sleep isn't a good thing if you have to function the next day. They gave me a shot for my skin rash and I can't believe how much it has improved in 2 days. The burning pain and itching weren't doing a whole lot for my sleep either. It seems like I put out one fire and something else pops up. I am glad I have women on this board who have been through so much and can give me some guidance.
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Wave, I was on ambien and my MO wanted me to get off of it I was on it off and on for the past 7 years and whe I ha my dx, started taking it every night. My body got used to it and only provided me with 4 hours sleep. I started neurofeedback for sleep issues in January and have not taken one since that time. I still have some issues, but not to the extent they were before. If I have problems sleeping, I pop a Midnite (OTC which contains meltonin) and it helps.
I, too, have achiness and joint pain, but what I have found is if I keep on moving--not sitting for long periods of time, it really does help. Yoga, weight/strength training, walking has helped me tremendously as well.
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KJ, how does neurofeedback work???
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Wren44, Wavewhisperer, Jankc and Nativemainer - thank you so much for your comments! I started taking Anastrazole at night and at first, it seemed to help a bit. My body must have been confused! However, the sweats, breathlessness and out of control heartbeats (arrhythmia) got much, much worse. I went to see a local dr. last Tuesday and he said that "something" was sending too much adrenaline to my heart and that I should have been taking betablockers for the past couple of years ... Now, I am thinking that it was the Anastrozole that has been forcing my adrenal glands to work overtime and sending everything into a tizzy. Why didn't any my onc. ever tell me about this?
Anyway, I have been taking something called Atenolol (a betablocker) and though my night sweats and nuclear bomb hot flashes are the same - my heart and pulse have calmed down and I have been getting more than a few hours sleep every night for the past 6 nights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This after more than two years of suffering ... The last thing I wanted was yet another med. to take, but - it is helping and I have more energy than I did last week ... I sure hope it continues because I have been told in no uncertain terms not to take melatonin because it doesn't combine with warfarin ... Sweet dreams, everyone!
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SoLinda--Arimidex isn't well known for heart problems, not the way Adriamycin is, but anyone can have any kind of reaction to a drug! Gald you are getting some relief. Did you have any heart testing before or after chemo?
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Hello NativeMainer! Thank you ... Yes, I actually had various heart tests before, during and after chemo! I had never had any heart problems or other health problems prior to the whole cancer ride! I thought I had read somewhere that anastrozole can in fact damage the heart, as well as adriamycin, which I had in my chemo cocktail. And the wildly beating heart showed up only a couple of months after I started taking anastrozole. I thought it was psychological and did my best to ignore it (duuurrrrrr!!!) until now when the symptoms are completely undeniable and unbearable. After all, my onc. ignored the symptoms, too! I am more or less sleeping again and am so excited about it!!! The bed and my jammies are still soaked, but I am sleeping with a big smile on my face! Just call me Sponge Bobbette! For me, the other nasty side effects (trigger finger, joint pain, etc., etc.) pale in comparison to not being able to sleep!
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Not sleeping is terrible. My sister-in-law and I had a conversation last night. When I started into menopause my sleeping problems started and have continued. I have so many back, feet and neck issues that I really don't know what is causing my pain. I went to my dermatologist for my skin condition and she gave me a shot to clear it up (which it did). She also gave me Neurontin for pain. I started taking it about four days ago. I know one of the side effect is causing you to be sleepy. I think it has helped me with my sleeping. I don't stay asleep all night but I am getting more sleep. I will take any help with sleeping. I have tried every home remedy and I do take Ambien 3 days a week. My doctor doesn't want me to take it every night since my body would get use to it.
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Claudia: When I went thru natural menopause 10 years ago, my PCP at the time had just come back from a conference and they discovered that Neurontin helped with hot flashes. She put me on it for about 3 years and it helped considerably...Fast forward to Arimidex/Aromasen that I have been on since January 2010 and back come the hot flashes...really? I remembered about the Neurontin and asked my then ONC for a script and she wouldn't do it. She "never heard of such a thing" so I asked my PCP who is a cancer survivor and he gave me the script...(and I fired the ONC - lol) That drug is truly amazing for helping with hot flashes, at least for me. What keep ME awake at night is just being hot...so this has helped me for sure. Also, as Lowrider54 mentioned at the very start of this thread, I am also gluten free and have NO joint pain unless I ingest gluten. For me gluten = joint pain.
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Ritaz, I never had hot flasher during menopause (my sister-in-laws hate me for that) and so far none on Arimidex. Not sure what causes me not to sleep except most women who are going through it or have gone through it have had a problem with sleep. I believe Arimidex can cause sleep problem and I have a lot of stress (working on it). If Neurontin works I am thrilled. I have been going to a Physical Therapist for my back and neck pains. She said the Neurontin should help with this as well. People look at me funny when I start talking about all my problems. All of mine have been diagnosed, dermatomyositis, scoliosis, rotator cuff problems (had surgery), foot issues (bunion surgery and they came back) and then cancer. I feel so blessed that I have been able to get help with these conditions. I don't want any kind of back surgery or another foot surgery so I am going to physical therapy. I have a son who went through 3 back surgeries with the last one being a fusion and now bone overgrowth is causing him major problems. I am just taking one day at a time.
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