Arimidex - Coping with the SE's
Comments
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It's been so cool here that I still haven't taken it off!
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I don't have an answer as to why; but my oncologist is not starting me on Ameridex until I complete my radiation.
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Great advice. Thank you so much.
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Effexor is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor aka antidepressant). See Effexor.com for more info. Paxil (paroxetine) is also an indication for hot flashes. That product is marketed as Brisdelle (not Paxil). Again a look at Brisdell.com is helpful.
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I used gabapentin (Neurontin) for hot flashes, it worked great. It's not an antidepressant, it's an anti-seizure medication, also used for nerve pain. It's been around forever and is a very inexpensive drug.
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Agree with NativeMariner, Neurotin is a wonder drug. It also helps with sleep!!
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There used to be a site called: Gluten Free Girl and she has a book as well. You might check that out. Many baked goods have gluten.
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I decided to stop chemo aand my mo is thinking of putting me on this. Was on femera 4 years ago, when it stopped working went to infusion. Lurkinng re se'
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Blondiex46--keep
in mind as you lurk that many women do not have side effects that interfere
with their day to day lives, and such women rarely post on a thread like
this.Many women with severe side
effects find relief through various means or by change from one drug to another
in this class.Many of those other means
of managing SE's can be found here, though!Welcome to the club no one wants to join.0 -
thanks we will see dr. presented the information to me have to decide what I want to do.0 -
I've been on Arimidex for 7 months. The first two weeks I noticed a drop in my appetite. The following two weeks I could not sleep. Then the aches and pains started. And then extreme exhaustion started. On top of this, my depression got worse. I get night sweats and sometimes during the day I get extremely hot. I did not have to do chemo, but now, due to this pill, my hair has gotten extremely thin and have lost some hair on top.
I have noticed my private parts are very dry. I am not sexually active, but can tell the dryness.
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Martessa--Welcome to
the world of Arimidex!I, too, had some
hair thinning when I first started taking it, lasted a few months, then went
away.A couple years later during a stressful
time my hair thinned again, but for a shorter time.The hot flashes and night sweats are par for
the course, but they can be leveled off with certain antidepressant meds, or
with gabapentin (neurontin).Talk to
your docs about this and the depression.Depression is very common and you are in the peak time for depression to
kick in or get worse.I had depression
prior, wound up with an antidepressant dose 3 times what I was taking before
bc. The gabapentin was a God send for the hot flashes at night.The aches and pain can also be helped a
lot.First, try to keep moving.Walking is the best.Try not to sit in one place for too long
without getting up and walking around a little bit.Taking over the counter loratadine (Claritin)
helps a lot of women with the joint aches and pains, no one knows why.The dryness of the private parts is part of
the drug's work, too.There are
lubricants that can be used, both over the counter and prescription, and also
some women have talked about using coconut oil for that.I never did anything about it, myself, as I
am not sexually active either, but it did make the annual Pap test a lot more
uncomfortable!Hang in there, it does
get better, and when you are done with Mr. A, all this crap goes away over the
course of a few months.0 -
I was on Tamoxifin for 2.5 years then they switched me to Arimidex which I'm supposed to be on for another 7.5 years. I have been on Arimidex for 2.5 months and am trying to contact my Oncologist to switch to something else. Before Arimidex I ran twice a week, and was an aggressive down hill skier. Now I have trouble getting out of a chair my knee joints are so painful. I'm just wondering what others have tried to deal with the pain? I've tried acupuncture which didn't help. Any other ideas?
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deblsg, just seen this post. If youre still watching this thread, I found exercise definitely helps. Im not a fitness freak by any means, but to keep moving is what a lot of people here have found is helpful. Feeling like 90yrs old, trouble getting out of chairs is very common. For some of us, me included, the aches and pains tend to recede, though the timing can be different with each of us, the 4 month in area seems to be quite common. Hang in there.0
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What makes you think that your personal pain is less worthy than someone elses. Recognizing the positive points in your life is empowering but dont feel bad about what is real for you.
I send you a cyber hug.
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Check out breaking news at top of this page. They're finally addressing depression, fatigue and neuropathy as legit issues for BC survivors!
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WaveWhisper...I saw your post on another thread but I still don't see an article. Did you post an article?
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Ladies, saw my shrink today, a routine check-in regarding my sleeping med and Cymbalta. I've been on Cymbalta for a few years now and wanted his take on it's effect with Arimidex. I'm not really having any SE from Arimidex yet. He thought the Cymbalta is probably keeping some of that in better control which I was glad to hear. My PS keeps me on the Gabapentin which I think is helping as well. The aches and pains I do have are ones I had before and the ones associated with the reconstruction is being treated well with PT. So far, so good! Just hope it lasts...
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Ive been gaining alot of weight. Started the anastrazole last
Sept. Started effexor about 5 months ago. Have gained 12 pounds in the
last 6 months. Admittedly, am not eating as well as I was or running
like I was, but jeez!!! Am getting pretty bummed about how fast the
weight is going on. I had lost 35 lb the year before I was dx, so its a
double bummer.0 -
Oh my, I just started Arimidex on Sunday and have had a lot of test that I thought might make me lose weight but I gained. Thanks for the heads up.
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Aloha ladies,So happy I found this thread. I am still trying to navigate this site . Can anyone tell me about the ignore button? I think I am defiantly missing something. Have been on arimidex a little over a month. Still Trying to work out all the kinks with the se's. Effexor for hot flashes...works well. Ambien for sleep and psycho stimulant for brain fogginess/lethargy and of course exercise. But none of it works perfect and of course there are side effects to the drugs taken to counteract the side effects of AI.
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MeMa 4, I know how you feel...I was thinking of only taking a half. As it stands know I only take it five days a week.
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Take it right or it isn't going to do you any good. You will just get the SEs without the benefits!
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Lihuejan--the
Ignore button lets you block the posts from someone whose posts you do not want
to see, whose PMs you do not want to accept. When you put someone on Ignore
when they post to a thread you see a message thatthe post is not being shown because you are
ignoring this person.You can take a
person off "ignore" status any time.Basically, it's a way to not be speaking with someone here on the
boards.0 -
Native Maine Thank you...I hope I will never have to use that button.
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I finished radiation 3 days ago and started Ameridex about a week before radiation ended. I am tired. I am working from home now; but tire from 11am or if I am lucky I last until 1pm. At this point I don't know if it is the radation or the meds. I am continuing meds until I get a better idea of what is causing this. Of course it could well be both. I would appreciate feedback from those who finished radiation and are taking Ameridex to see what their experience was. How long before you started to get your energy back post rads? I had some joint pain in the shoulders the first week of meds but that appears to be gone. Of course increased "warm" flashes. Thank you for your input. It will help me get through this. I had surgery May 7 and 12, no chemo. Very early Stage 1.
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Well, at your point of the game, it is really impossible to tell what is causing the fatigue. Probably a combination of the rads, the pill, the surgery, the diagnosis itself. It is just all catching up with you. I know that the direct radiation effects are working in your body for two weeks before it clears your system. After that you should start to feel better, more like you are healing. But it is a long process to feel 'normal'. Try to get a little exercise; which is probably the last thing you want to do, but really does help you feel less tired & helps with the creaky feeling.
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More on that creaky feeling:
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Thanks Ruth. That is helpful. The two weeks makes sense.
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Something I once read said to take the time you were in 'active' treatment (for you, from surgery to the end of rads), and expect it will take you that amount of time again to feel 'normal'. Of course, you feel better and better as more time goes by, but I would say for me to feel really, really, really 'normal' took double that amount of time. I would definitely recommend to get back into exercise (or start if you didn't exercise before), that is what helped me the most.
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