Arimidex - Coping with the SE's
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It doesn't matter as far as effectiveness goes; I do it in the morning just 'cause it works better for me but you can play around with it & see what works best for you. One thing that helps me remember to take it is, I got one of those seven day pill cases and have it sitting out on my dresser. Best of luck! Ruth
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I have decided not to take arimidex for that reason. I took estrogen and progesterone for 15 plus years before they warned of the b/c. Can't help but think this drug is even more dangerous and hasn't been out as long. Of course they caught mine early with good prognosis. Might feel differently if it was more advanced and would perhaps give it a go.
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Here is a recipe so good and so sinful that you will forgot about everything else for awhile:
It's called 'Chocolate Stuff' and is from the book 'The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love'.
Beat 2 eggs with a cup of sugar & 1/2 cup flour. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
In the microwave melt one stick of real butter and 2 heaping tablespoons of Hersey's cocoa (regular Hersey's in the dark brown box).
Dump the butter/cocoa mixture into the other things & stir it well. Add a running-over teaspoon of vanilla. Stir it in. If you want to add nuts, use a whole bunch of pecans, chopped up fine.
Pour the Stuff into aa greased loaf pan, set the loaf pan in a pan of water & put in a 300 degrees oven. Cook for 40 to 50 minutes. Tap it at 40 minutes. If the top seems crunchy take it out.
You can put some whipped cream over the top if you want to be really, really bad when serving it!!! Enjoy!
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Ruth that sounds amazing. I think I'm going to make it this weekend, even though I've finally made it two weeks without sweets! This sounds too good to pass up!
I have a question for you ladies. I took Tamoxifen for 6 months, then had a hysterectomy and am now in my second month of Arimidex. My left ankle is very swollen and painful. Went to my PCP, had an ultrasound to look for a blood clot, nothing there. Also had an x-ray, it was clean. Could it possibly be the Arimidex? It's been swollen for two weeks now!
Thanks for your input, Tracye
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Hi Tracye, it definitely could be the Arimidex, but, we sometimes too quickly blame A for something that may have hapened anyway. I think your PCP should try and do mor tests (what, I have no idea) to rule out other causes, even if he/she has to send you to a specialist. You can also ask your med onc but you may find, as many of us have, that med oncs don't believe Arimidex has any se's. (yes, being facetious here but it's partially true!).
Others will be along who are much more knowledgeable than I am but thought I would just put in my 14 cents (inflation).
HUGS.
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Seems unlikely to be Arimidex to me; if it were achy or creaky, that would be different, but the swollen stuff sounds like a bad sprain to me. Are you icing and elevating?
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Thanks ladies! No, I'm not really doing anything except taking ibuprofen. No injury, it's just so strange. Of course my first thought was cancer, but from everything I've read that doesn't seem likely. It's on the inside of my ankle, especially bad right over the ankle bone, can't even see the bone.
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See an orthopedic person if it doesn't start getting better with the ice, elevate, wrap & rest routinue.
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Hi A-Team,
I'm back! I have been very busy at work and also got a new puppy. Boy does he keep me busy! His name is Baxter and he's a black mini goldendoodle. He's absolutely adorable! He's helped to take my mind of my joint aches, trigger thumbs, and hair woes. The biggest blessing is that I'm not thinking about bc as much. He distracts me and makes me smile all over my face. I've been catching up on all the posts since I've been away. Someone mentioned the racing heart. I've been diagnosed with AV node reentrant tachycardia. I was born with it, but it didn't rear it's head until I had chemo. I've had problems with it daily. My cardiologist put me on a beta blocker which made me feel exhausted. My other options are being hospitalized and being put on a calcium channel blocker or having the ablation procedure. I nixed both of those options and told my cardiologist that I would just keep an eye on things and if I had sustained tachycardia - longer than 15 mins. that I would get to the ER. It's scary when it happens and my heart races over 200 beats per min. For me it wasn't a SE of Arimidex.
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spendygirl
my feet swelled a LOT duriing chemotherapy - and my oncollogist was concerned that it might be a heart related circulatory problem - as long as your pcp isn't concerned - the best thing I can suggest is : R, I, C, E = Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. I use an ace bandage for the C compression part.
Also note what you are eating - if I eat anything too salty - yikes, you wouldn't believe what my ankles look like - all this since chemotherapy - don't know if Arimidex akes it worse??? But I really do have to watch my salt intake.
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Rocket - sounds like you have your hands full with the new puppy, congratulations! I rescued a chihuahua mix 2 months after my bmx and we really enjoy him. He is 6 years old tho and mostly a lap dog.
I am starting arimidex on tuesday. found out from my opthamologist yesterday I have a cataracts caused by chemo and need surgery to get rid of the blurry vision. I hadn't heard of this SE of chemo but did some research and found out that the steroids with the chemo can cause cataracts! I am so upset as I thought I had all treatment behind me except for the arimidex but now have to postpone going back to work for eye surgery! I hope I can tolerate the se's of arimidex and hope you all on this board can help!
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Enjoy the puppy! A little one pound stray kitten showed up on my doorstep a couple months after I finished treatment. It was the best thing that could have happened to get my mind off things, and get some laughs, fun and snuggles.
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Sisters,
Ran in to a gal that went through rads with me...found that they decided later to put her through chemo. Her feet from her toes to her arch are numb and she is convinced it is from the chemo. What do you experts think ? Possible ? If you have had this problem or heard of anyone who has what do you do for it?
I asked if she had a blood sugar problem...maybe nueropathy...no on the blood sugar problem. They checked that.
Any info would be appreciated.
Have a great week. Teri
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A pretty common SE of Taxols is numb & tingling extremities
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Permanent nerve damage is a well known side effect of many chemo drugs.
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mersmom - I went through 4 treatments of TC - ended up with neuropathy in the feet. Numb from toes to arch as well. Tried several remedies and finally gave up and started taking neurontin. So far, after one month, see an improvement.
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I have been fighting neuropathy in the hands and feet since my first Taxol infusion. By # 7 I could hardly walk so after 2 weeks of deferral I was switched to Taxotere for the last 3. Goal was to just get though it and move on. Neurontin caused too much fluid retention so I have been using Cymbalta. Over time it became a little better but not completely gone. I was referred to a neurologist who did an EMG and LOTS of blood tests. Turned out I was VERY deficient on vitamin B-12 and no serious nerve damage. have been taking B-12 for 6 weeks and am MUCH better. Once I complete rehab on the knee from surgery (due to one of my many falls), they will send me to occupational therapy for the feet. Bottom line is the B-12 has made a huge difference and B vitamins support the nervous system.
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Nancy
thank you - do you take the little B-12 pills you put under your tongue? What is the dosage you use? I still have some numbness - it tends to come & go - not nearly as bad as it used to be. Acupuncture seems to be what has helped me most. But as I don't eat much meat, I wonder if I should be taking more b-12. Thanks.
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Thank you ladies ...will pass the information on. I knew you would have an answer for me.
Love to all,Teri
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I need to vent. I just got the results from my first yearly DEXA after starting Arimidex. The bone density in my hips is down 5% from last year. This still leaves me in the osteopenia category however which is good. My onc wants to start me on twice yearly Zometa. There is an in for Zometa (with insurances companies) without having an osteoporosis DX if you are on an AI and have osteopenia. I'm not opposed to this in spite of knowing that Zometa has it's own set of SE. I am having an issue with a tooth, and don't know if it might possibly need to come out which of course is a contradiction with Zometa. My other option is to try Tamoxifen.
I know that I will be able to make my decision as soon as I wrap my head around all of this, talk to my dentist, and stop feeling sad. I've been a runner for over 30 years, and even though I knew being on A could cause these side effects, I wasn't expecting such depressing news after only one year. In my opinion 5% in one year is significant.
Perhaps someone out there has been in this position? Thanks for letting me vent!!
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wennweb - Prior to being diagnosed with BC, I was diagnosed with ostoeopenia. Took Actonel for three years and just before the BC diagnosis stopped taking it - no specific reason - moved and did not have a new doctor and also did not like how long it took my mouth to heal from a pulled molar. I finished chemo in June and had a DEXA in August - good news, no ostoeopenia. So now I am on Arimidex and will have the DEXA retaken this coming August. Not sure what I will do if the results are bad. I am not a runner so that is even worse :-( Do you take cakcium and Vitamin D? Both of these are supposed to help maintain bone strength.
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Char2010
I've been taking calcium since I was 30 (I am now 56 ), and started with the vitamin D after my BC DX. I have heard many say they have had much improvement to their bone status from the D, perhaps I need to increase the dosage. Was it just a matter of a longer healing process from the pulled molar and the Actonel? Thanks for the response.
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wenweb - Yes, it took forever for jaw bone to fill in around the hole. But seems to be OK now.
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Hi, my mom has been in arimidex for 10 months but the joint and bone pain is very bad but the worse is the depression. She is a great strong women, she endured the chemo, the bilateral mastectomy and the radio, she is 64 and normally has a lot of energy. Now she is cries all day, does not sleep well and has a lot of anxiety. The Oncologyst said that it is all related to the arimidex and that there is nothing she can do. I was reading about Cymbalta. Is anyone taking cymbalta plus arimidex? Thanks!
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Well, Arimidex can be contributing to it, but it certainly is not ALL related to Arimidex; I'd say chemo, surgery, rads and the WHOLE cancer experience taken together is an enormously exhausting experience both physically and emotionally. Definitely she should see someone trained in anti-depressants, join a support group, see a therapist, tinker with the medication (there are other anti-hormonals she can try if Arimidex is giving her a lot of trouble), add exercise to her life if she's not active (helps with joint pain & depression both) whatever she needs to do to get her bearings. Don't let that stupid oncologist get away with saying there is nothing she can do; because that is not true!!!!!
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svitola: yes I am on cymbalta plus arimidex and i don't think the cymbalta works right on the arimidex. I have really struggled with depression, irritability, moodiness, etc. since being on the arimidex. The radiologist had warned me that many other drugs, anti-depressants, cholestorel lowering meds, etc. don't work when on arimidex. So maybe if he hadn't told me that I wouldn't be experiencing it! lol!
Not sure what I am going to do about this....just see if it will get any better; been on arimidex for 3 months. Your mom should definitely discuss with her medical doctor and ask if anti-depressants will work with arimidex. Her oncologist should not have said that there was nothing she could do.....I kind of sensed my oncologist blowing me off on stuff after the chemo was done...maybe that is happening with your mom too.
Hope she can find some relief soon!
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Svitola - I agree, you need to get your mom back to the doctor...don't accept the oncologist blowing her symptoms off. Maybe go with her and describe what you are seeing and press them for some help. It may have to be in a variety of forms...anti-depressents, a support group, therapist, etc. I am sure it is so hard to see her in this condition. She has been through a lot and there is definitely some post-tramatic syndrome things that could be happening to her along with all the side effects of medications. I also made it through the diagnosis, surgery, chemo, and resconstruction in a strong and postive fashion but had a much more difficult time emotionally after everything was done ( ups & downs, moodiness, sadness, etc). Tell her she is not alone!
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I started Cymbalta last week. I definitely have less bone pain. My hips are not aching at night. Still a little earlier to tell, but it is worth a try for your mom.
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bumping for "arimidexhelp"
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wenweb, I'm also in the osteopenic category and just started 2x/year zometa. My onc made me get out my wisdom teeth before she would begin the zometa, and I wasn't even having any problems with them. So I think you should deal with your tooth issue first.
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