For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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I have the Flu! I did not have the flu shot because of my fear. I am now on tamiflu....which is working,but I am completely drained and miserable! I feel like I did following my radiation treatments...what a set-back! I would not wish this on any of you ladies in recovery! Our immune systems are so compromised! Sorry to vent...I was hoping I would be so much stronger.
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sorry dear, try to rest, drink fluids and well, it will pass
I understand how lo the immune system is after all the treatment, me I got shingles 6 months after ending rads! do not assume the end is the end, take care of yourself
chicken soup time~~
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I guess everybody asks that, and gets the same answer. Your MO isn't blowing you off . That's why you have blood drawn, they look there for any problems. As long as nobody calls after a draw and says GET IN HERE assume it's working.
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Well, it's sort of the same as the teensy tiny birth control pill that is your best defense against unplanned pregnancy when you are young.
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I've been on arimidex for 2 months. I'd say I feel decent enough. I do feel a bit stiff and creaky, but I keep moving and I loosen up pretty quick. Almost 3 months from end of rads and I am on the upswing of recovery!
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ruth:
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Ladies, has anyone had problems with the glands under the jaw line due to Anastrozole? This is my second day with swollen glands (I think it is glands under the jaw line). I have been fighting an ear infection with antibiotics and since yesterday morning I noticed a big lump on the left-side of throat and now on the right-side of the throat just below my jaw line. Has anyone experience this. I know that one of the SE's of Anaztrosle is coarse voice, dry mouth and possibly severe cough. Your input is appreciated!
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Martessa - I responded to this question on the other Arimidex thread but I had another thought since then. I haven't had swollen glands in my neck for years and years but my DH gets them whenever he's coming down with some sort of ailment. They can be immediately under his jawline or further down the neck, just depends on which lymph nodes are dealing with the infection. Since you're already fighting an infection I would guess that's probably the culprit, but it would be good sense to check with your MO or your PCP rather than ignoring it. Let us know what you find out.
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Martessa, since about the fourth round of chemo I've had weird tongue problems and sometimes it feels like I have swollen glands but other times it feels like an earache. It's really strange (and annoying). I took a mini-vacation from Arimidex (5 days) when I had my exchange surgery and I noticed that this feeling that comes and goes was mostly gone during those days off of Arimidex.
I have wondered if either chemo, radiation or even the Arimidex could have reactivated Epstein-Barr virus. I had mono when I was a senior in high school. For me, it's always on my left side (which was the BC side) and sometimes my left eyelid is really dry as well.0 -
Has anyone had skin breakouts while taking Anastrozole?
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no
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Hi all,
I've been on anastrazole for about a month, after being on tamoxifen for 2 years. I am having the darndest time sleeping, waking up 2-3 times a night and having trouble going back to sleep. I know that insomnia is a side effect of this drug, but my question is does this side effect level off over time? I'm not a big pill taker, so really don't want to go the sleep aid route, and I know with Tamoxifen my side effects from that leveled off after a few months.
Thanks - Pat
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Pat, I was on ARimidex for a year, then switched to Aromasin. The insomnia and sleep problems have never gone away, with either drug. My docs have tried several sleep aids, and I'm now on Klonipin, pretty high-powered durg, but it works beautifully for me. I can't take Ambien and that type of drug, tried and liked Ativan but it was deemed too addictive for longterm use, tried Rozerem dor a while, tried Melatonin, Gabapentin, too. So, that's a long way of saying my sleep problems never got better.
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I was having trouble sleeping too, with hot flashes night sweats. MO put me in low dose Effexor sleep problem gone, hot flashes much less
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pat01 if you are taking the drug in the evening ask your onc if you can take it in the morning. That may help. I find wearing a sleep mask helps me fall back to sleep when I do wake up. I don't find this SE goes away. I mean my problem isn't bad but before all this treatment I never had problems with sleeping. Now it's a bit more challenging. Don't know if it's because I went into chemopause or the Anastrozole.
denilynne no break out for me.
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denilynne - Acne has been one of my major anastrazole side effects. If you are prone to hormonally-triggered acne as I have been my whole life anastrazole can really aggravate it. According to my dermatologist it is the androgens (like testosterone) that cause acne, not estrogen. So when we squeeze the last drops of estrogen out of our systems with hormone therapy the small amount of androgens that women have can gain the upper hand and acne can flare up. Boo!
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Thank you for your replies. I have had breakouts for about 3 weeks now. Also, a small portion of my face feels rough. I'm not worried, just wondered if anyone else had the same.
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denilynne--------I have been on anastozole for a couple of years. First I had a couple of whiteheads on the top of my hand and a couple on my face. I never had problems growing up (a zit?,pop it,put alcohol on it,next day ALL GONE). I now have several of these on my face,hands and feel like my arms are going to pop out all over with them. The doctor said I needed to exfoliate,it is just dead skin, BSBSBS. So maybe this is a side effect of HOT FLASHES caused by all that we have gone through.
This is where I ask did I have a BMX or 2 ULX? That was Aug2010 & DEC2010.
Maybe a facial would help it would probably be relaxing-------kad2kar
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Same here kad2kar! Never had a problem with zits but now I'm suddenly getting them. They even pop up on my scalp. Weird.
On another note, I'd like to know why the docs & nurse practitioners feel that they must BS us. Or when we tell them what we KNOW is a side effect, they act like we are from the dang moon. The first time I was scheduled to see my MO, I was telling the NP that I have an extremely dry mouth and throat and my surgery side arm tingles all the way down to my thumb. She looked at me and told me that neither was a known side effect of anastrozole. Now, I am NOT stupid, I have done my research and know that dry mouth & throat is IS a known side effect! Gosh, I hate that, treating us like dummies. How can I beleive what she says if she BS's me like that.
And since I am on a rant now, I have something else that just tees me off to no end. I was scheduled to see my MO and I fully expected to see her. Well, I never saw hide nor hair of her. I saw her nurse practitioner! What is with that???????? Why didn't my appointment sheet say that? I thought I was paying to see my DOCTOR. If the NP's do so much, what the hell do our doctors do? For something as serious as cancer, I want to see my doctor! Makes me feel like the doc didn't think I was worth seeing. I know I am npt her only patient and I am better off than most but PLEASE, never bullshit me and if it's the NP who will see me just say it, damn it!
Ahh, I feel better now. Didn't mean to offend anyone.
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denilynne - I think they think they are helping us by minimizing the SE.. but, yeah, it makes us feel like why the BS.. LOL..
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Denilynne: Last May (my six month post-chemo visit), I had an appt. scheduled with my MO. I was armed w/a million questions. I go to the front desk, and they say, Oh...your appt. will be with the NP, not your MO. Needless to say, my BP rose immediately. I went to the lab, ranted, then went to the scale and ranted more. I said, I made my appt. with my MO. How would you like to make an appt, with your hairdresser, and they say..Oh, she's not here, you're going to see some other person. It's BS. They totally agreed. Said I was being billed for the MO, not the NP. Guess what? The NP came in, did what a nurse usually does, but the first thing out of her mouth was, I understand you are upset because you're not seeing the doc. Well, the doc now knows that and she is coming in as soon as I am done. My next appt. in November rolled around, and I saw hide nor hair of the NP, only the MO. They must have marked my chart. LOL
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kjliberty, now that is encouraging! The next time they will hear my voice. I don't know what the medical profession is trying to accomplish but I am NOT going to take it! Cancer is hard enough to get through without the extra stress. Stress feeds cancer.
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Good for you, Karen!
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Thanks! The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
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I'm having some breakouts. I always had oily acne prone skin. I finally found the perfect routine about a year before diagnosis. Chemo made my skin perfect with little effort. The few months of Zoladex and arimidex have resulted in chin acne. But now my skin is normal to dry. Time to put the effort back in!
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My onc works with a NP. They schedule my appointment with both of them, simultaneously. At first, I thought this was an error, and called the secretary, Apparently, I will always see him, but may or may not see the NP for part of the visit. Thus far, I've only had two appointments, and have yet to meet the NP, but I tell you, having the two of them scheduled and no idea who I will see when is highly stressful.
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Thanks for your responses. Went to bed at 10 last night, and woke up at 2:30! Much trouble falling back asleep, then wide awake at 5. Sounds like this may be my new normal. I am going to hold off on trying a sleep aid for a bit, and see if getting back to regular exercise will help me sleep better.
lago, I do take my pill in the morning. I got a fitbit for my birthday last october, and one of the things it does is measure sleep patterns. I wore it a couple of weeks to bed, and it showed that I generally sleep straight through the night, so I stopped wearing it in bed. I'm thinking I should try it again to see how my sleep patterns have changed.
Pat
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kjiberty, I want to personally thank you for your comments. They spurred me to call my MO office and tell them that in future appointments, I only want to see my doctor and not the NP. That I was surprised that the last time I went in, I was seen by the NP and not my doctor as stated on the appointment.
I also complained that my bone scan is still not posted on the patient portal. It has already been read and discussed at my 1-24-14 appointment. On a side note to this, I emailed my doctor asking her to please post the scan results. This email was answered by the NP, who wrote back and told me, "They will automatically be posted at an appropriate time." I'd like to know when the 'appropriate' time would be!
BrooksideVT, I agree with you, it IS highly stressful in an already stressed to the max situation! From now on, I am going to speak up!
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pat01 - exercise will almost definitely help your sleep patterns. I actually have better luck with my sleep when I take the pill at night rather than in the morning, and I also noticed an improvement in my daytime cognitive function too. Apparently the brain-scrambling effects are happening when I sleep now instead of when I'm awake and need every brain cell I still have to function as well as possible.
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DebDylan, I did not have to have chemo but any of the treatments that we have had can do some weird things to you. Some of them seem general to many and other effects seem to affect fewer people. It truly shows how individual these treatments are for every unique individual!
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