For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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I also have Blue Cross (HMO), and pay the $10 copay a month. I do anastrazole, tho my MO is open to switching around if it causes a problem. Have been lucky so far (sound of me knocking on wood) that my insurance so far has covered everything. I go this week for BRCA testing. Had a dexa scan a month ago (came back normal) as a baseline.0 -
I'm on Anastrazole and get mine mail order through Express Scripts for $25 for a 90 day supply.0 -
I have Blue Cross/Shield and pay $15.oo for 90 day supply at local pharmacy.. I dont get all this insurance difference! They seem to know how to confuse us all ways. I am on arimidex.0 -
Insurance can be very frustrating. The specialty pharmacy didn't tell me how much it will be but once they process it they will call me. So I wait.
I need to have my bone density test done for my baseline soon. However I am waiting until probably next week. I am having surgery in two days and am really excited. I am having my tissue expander exchange surgery on my right side and my left breast lifted to match. Yay, I won't be lopsided anymore.
It is really nice to read that a lot of you are having minimal side effects. I would love to have weight loss as a side effect, I do not need to gain more weight!0 -
me on aromasin, get it at pharmacy local as no dif if I were to do the online way and easier for me
I pay $50 for 3 months of the dang pill for now
my health ins at my company stinks but loosing my job so now looking for new plan as my ins was tied to my job and all is so confusing now0 -
I get mine at Target and pay $0.00 that's right $0.00 and have BC/BS kad2kar0 -
there are many different plans in each company. DH and I have different co pays with Humana. Different plans.
I WONT do mail order any drug, don't want it sitting in mailbox in the heat or cold. Just something to think about.0 -
Teresa_G: congrats on the upcoming exchange/lift surgery - how exciting!! Soon you'll be on the squishy side
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Thanks Sweet! My expander hurts!!!! I am not small at all and this last fill is killing me. Even to shuffle cards hurts, everything uses that muscle. I know I will hurt from the surgery, but my implant won't be as hard as a rock like this expander.0 -
I am posting this again for all you new gals. If you want to get the brand name, you can get it for a max of $40.00/month from Arimidex direct.0 -
This is so kind of you. I've been procrastinating but I'm going to do it now that it is right in front of me. THANK YOU!!!0 -
Teresa - I was pleasantly surprised after my exchange to need no pain reliever at all. I had just a little internal pain that was like a bruise (PS released a bit more pec so lefty would rest a little lower). Hope you have the same lack of pain0 -
momof2doxies - I am so sorry you found another primary lump. I hope you are doing alright.0 -
Hi All!
I'm almost 3 weeks into my trial of Anastrozole and thought I was doing ok - no real side effects or so I thought.
Today I had a weird sensation in my vagina - it's like a burning but not hot - just a sharp spasm of "pain"?
I'm sorry this may be TMI but I'm wondering if that has something to do with the drug or maybe something new and wonderful I'm experiencing? Does vaginal atrophy hurt for no reason (without sex I mean).
Also yesterday I walked from one end of our local shopping mall to the other and then back and felt like I was walking through snow drifts on the way bak. My hips and legs were so stiff and difficult to move and I felt tired. This is crazy and caught me off guard since it's not a big mall and I've walked farther without trouble before. Ok maybe not since I've been on this drug.
I'm achey in the morning but that goes away after a few stretches and once I get going I'm fine. But is this heavy legs and hips feeling another side effect?
I see my MO next week to follow up on how I'm doing on the Anastrozole (thought I was doing good) but now I'm not sure what to tell him...
Marie0 -
Keep moving, moving, moving for the stiffness....it took a couple months but my body eventually adjusted (in part, because I did keep moving....at least that is what I believe). I don't know about the burning. I don't think that vaginal atrophy hurts unless you do have sex. If it keeps up be sure to check with your doctor, you could be getting a urinary tract or bladder infection.0 -
I was just watching a 90 year old woman on tv and I turned to my husband and said "she walks just like me!" He nodded.
It sure sounds like side effects to me although not sure about the vagina. I do get strange shooting pains all over the place. I never thought about the pill causing them. Does anyone else get that? I was told that when you get electric shocks where the breast used to be it's the nerves growing together again. but these are not there. They seem to happen randomly, everywhere, like getting stabbed by a poker. It just lasts a second but my mind immediately goes to the worst possible scenerio.
whatever we have happening, I'd rather think it was a side effect!0 -
I get the electric shock feelings in my new girls every now and then. I'm glad because I also think that's the nerves regenerating. No vaginal pain except with sex. I did have odd pains in my left hand several days ago. Just on the outside edge of the hand, an electric shock sort of thing. I figured I had something outa whack and a nerve was being stressed for some reason. It's easy to blame everything on this horrible, wonderful pill but I'm sure I'd be experiencing many of these aches, pains and other strange physical happenings just from living as well.0 -
I got sharp pains after finishing rads. Doc said it was all the tissues still healing. I remember going to the gym and coming home with my boobs just aching so I needed to take a tylonel (big deal for me) but after a few months it did subside. I am on aromasin and have been lucky with no noticeable side effects but I have been doing gym time from the beginning and upped it after ending rads and now have increased my stretches, huge help0 -
I had 'zapping' in the boob area for several years. It's the nerves growing back. I still, very rarely, get an occasion jolt even now.0 -
Pain in the vagina might be a yeast infection. I had a raging one after chemo. My OBGYN treated it and he advised me to take a good probiotic, and not rely on yogurt. Makes sense as all the drugs I had been taking must have knocked out most of the flora in my gut and our guts are the basis of our immune systems.
Also you might be very dry there. Quite a few of us have been after chemo. Sex hurts for many of us and requires lots of extra lubrication.
I did see an interesting thread somewhere on here about a ridiculously named lubricant called "Scream Cream" that many women were saying worked beautifully for them. It definitely needs to be renamed, but my doctor looked at its list of ingredients and said they were fine, that there was nothing harmful in it. It can not be bought off a shelf. It has to be compounded by a pharmasist. I have been thinking about getting some, but haven't so far.
I just found this post by our Moderators and added the opening page of the thread. The page is amusingly called:The solution to painful intercourse!!!!!! Yipeee!
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Oct 14, 2013 06:27pm Moderators wrote:
Lifeafter, there's a thread on the Stage IV forum where there has been much discussion about Scream Cream, compounding pharmacies, and the formula. Although the forum's reserved for Stage IV members to post, of course anyone can read. You'll find the formula quoted on page 7 of this thread.
Best wishes!
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Posted on: Oct 11, 2011 05:15pmReport this Post
[img alt="Baby_mommy_smile" src="http://community.breastcancer.org/images/avatars/0001/8999/baby_mommy_smile.jpg?1320444596">Midway, Ky Jan 2008Posts: 704
LivingIt wrote:
Like so many of us, chemo, hormones and surgery have made my marital relations very very painful. Since all this started my DH and I have tried a total of 4 times over 2 years. That is soo sad I know. But it was so very painful I bled for 2 days after try number 3. Then I decided I wanted to try again cause Im so crazy about this guy. We had a date night and I did two things that ended up making me feel like I was 21 again (or a newly wed or however you want to think about it).
1) Scream Cream (thanks K-Lo)
2) 5% Lidocaine Ointment.
The first brings blood to the area and hightens sensation like you cant believe. The second makes the tearing pain DISAPPEAR!!!!
To get scream cream I brought this page to my onc and he wrote the script and I paid about $30. The lidocaine was perscribed for my neuropathic feet so it was free/insurance.
I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could tell everybody who ever got chemo. I hope you try it if you have this problem.0 -
Hi everyone,
It's been awhile since I've posted. Been dealing with ongoing hip pain and of course, thinking the worst, bone mets. Had X-rays which indicated mild lumbar spine spondylosis, which apparently is quite common. GP prescribed anti-inflammatory, hydrocodone, massage therapy and then prednisone all to alleviate pain and inflammation. Nothing seemed to work, so went to onc as I feared it was bone mets. Underwent my first PET scan, which indicated a hot spot on my left hip, but it could not be determined if just arthritis or was in fact bone met. So then underwent MRI on hip and pelvis areas. Got results of MRI late Friday afternoon. Report stated, "there are no aggressive features or enhancements to suggest this represents osseous metastatic disease". YEAH YEAH YEAH. I would be jumping for joy, but hip really hurts. LOL Apparently I am suffering from femoral acetabular impingement syndrome. My mother had both her hips replaced, so this could be hereditary. I return to oncologist this coming Thursday to discuss results of all tests--which I already have. Looks like I will be referred to an orthopedic surgeon as the only way to correct is by surgery. Glad to have an answer to the ongoing pain, and am definitely breathing a sign of relief. This surgery is going to put me down for 4-6 weeks, but I can handle this knowing I am NED and will be back to "normal" soon. Hugs to everyone.0 -
Sherry...glad you have an answer. Hip surgery is tough but knowing it is not more cancer...well good.
I would take the doc up on the suggestion of massage, feel better0 -
Yay sherry.....what a relief! So glad you got good news and are able to be pro-active to resolve the hip pain0 -
Save the jumping for after the surgery
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All I can say is YAY no mets!0 -
Isnt it amazing how such a diagnosis can make you happy? When I had my bone scan the dr called with the news that I had a tremendous amount of arthritis, throughout my body. Sooo happy! Well, if you get new hips, no way to get mets to hip, ever, right?0 -
Timbuktu you are too funny0 -
hi girls, I almost feel guilty for not posting in awhile but I' m feeling pretty good these days and feel bad for those of you who don't. Since I switched from the generic anastozole about 6 weeks ago, no more hot flashes, rarely any bad nerves and anxiety, sleeping a little better and much less bone pain. If you can, switch to the brand name of whatever your taking (I am on arimidex) much less side effects but your prescription has to say no generic or you will pay a lot!!
Anyway, I am proud to say that today My family walked with me in the "making strides for BC" walk - what a beautiful site about 5,000 people ( mostly in pink) walking the boardwalk by the Atlantic Ocean in ocean city NJ. This was my 2nd walk and it is so uplifting. Ok I'm all tired out now so here's sending hugs to all you BC. Sisters, sweet dreams....0 -
Hi 5LuvBugs congratulations on the walk. I know several folks that walked this weekend. Our Strides walk is next weekend. My 2nd as well. This year we are walking around Soldier Field by the lake. Last year we were up north by the lake. I won't be able to walk with my team though. I have to work but at least I will be in the Survivor Tent.
I'm still trying to make pacesetter.I'm getting close. Last year people were much more generous than this is year. I'm not sure if you know this but you can continue to get donations till the end of the year.0 -
Good job, LuvBugs!
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