For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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Kathie 100 - if you read through the thread, you'll see we all have similar and yet different SEs.. for a lot of us the SEs get better after a short time... and then we have a different one to deal with.. after 7 months I think/hope I can deal with them... the first few months were the worse - fatigue and a flu-like feeling but now that has passed.. still have SE and will definitely be glad when this is all done.. I did go on a vacation for a week and didn't take the pills as I wanted to feel as good as possible.. when I went back on them it seemed easier..
Do what is best for you... but if you decide to just take a break from the pills and then start again, it may be easier for you too..
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Lago - you sound like the in-house expert on this topic so here is my question. My Arimidex ($50 monthly co-pay) says from United Kingdom. Probably not very different from India? Is Teva/Israel the original manufacturers? Why do people prefer Israel over other places? Thanks, Nisa
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I use walmart pharmacy, one reason is insurance dictates where I can, or can't go. Stopped by the other day to ask about my rx. I could see the pharm was foreign, never occurred to me to care. He's Indian. Said his parents are still there. He said even if the FDA sent inspectors to the sites, they would have enough warning to get their place and practices cleaned up to pass inspection.
Apparently his parents are in some type of medical field there.
He also said I couldn't get the Teva from Walmart because they buy in bulk, and we know they drive prices down. He said the medicine is the same for all mfg.s. The difference would be the fillers, or color, if any.
I am allergic to a carrier in Taxotere, not the drug itself, so that make sense to me.
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Isn't ++ having or not having++ ovaries part of the hot flash problems? Not just the med, but the ovaries also?
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I think people have a problem with their meds coming from India since there have been issues with the quality control on some meds manufactured there. Teva/Israel seems like a safer bet. However, after researching this issue a bit, I found that there are drug companies that make anastrozole here in the United states. My anastrozole comes from Roxane Laboratories which has a number of manufacturing sites here in the U.S. They do not have sites outside of the U.S.
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Maybe. I went through meno with one ovary, never knew when it happened. Everyone is different.
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NisaVilla I am not the local expert just vocal. It's not that Israel is preferred. It's just that India can have more issues with boot-leg drugs. Teva just happens to be in Israel and one of the largest generic drug companies in the world.
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-fight-against-co...
Spookiesmom my mom went through menopause with one ovary no uterus. It wasn't to bad for her either although I think my chemopause was had even fewer/less severe hot flashes. My sister not so lucky as we were.
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MarieK - I did a little checking tonight and Taro Pharmaceuticals has several locations in Ontario but I am thinking perhaps their generic arimidex is manufactured in India - they are affiliated with Sun Pharmaceuticals also - company is an Indian/Isreali merger that sometimes goes by the Sun name and sometimes by Taro - they are very cagey in their descriptions - they mention marketing a lot in the U.S. and Canada but I am thinking perhaps the drugs are manufactured in India - might be worth checking.
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Nisa - The brand name of anastrozole is arimidex and that drug is made by AstraZeneca.
I think that most pharmaceutical companies have manufacturing plants all over the world. Teva, for instance, is a global company with 73 production facilities around the world including the US. Israel and India. If we are concerned about the quality of our meds we can do a little research and ask the manufacturer or the pharmacist about the drug's origins. A large company like Teva should have the resources, interest, reputation and ability to deliver high quality generic drugs even if made in India.
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I need some information and this looks like the best place to get it. I was dx with stage IIa bc this past summer. I had a bilateral mastectomy with immediate diep reconstruction in August. I recently finished chemo which was dd ac and taxol. My onc will put on arimidex and a shot called zoladex (sp) to shut down my ovaries since I do not want them removed. I am believed to be perimenopausal. I don't really know since I haven't had a period in many months (even before chemo). I see the doctor on Thursday and I need information on both of these things. I took tamoxifen for 5 years and actually developed cancer while on it so that's out. I'm 52 years old. Thanks for any help.
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Ask for a blood test to check your levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This test can confirm whether or not you, indeed, in full menopause. If you are, you can skip zoladex.
A better explanation I found:
"Sometimes, elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels are measured to confirm menopause. When a woman’s FSH blood level is consistently elevated to 30 mIU/mL or higher, and she has not had a menstrual period for a year, it is generally accepted that she has reached menopause."
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2timer. Just an FYI. I was diagnosed when I was 49.5. My periods were regular but getting shorter before chemo.I was peri-memopausal. I did not want to go on Tamoxifen due to blood clot issues (my mom not me). My onc felt given my mom started meno-pause at 51, sister finished at 53 and I was peri that my cycles would not come back. I went on Anastrozole and she tested my esterdial (sp) FSH levels for 5 months. They were pretty low. I've been on it for almost 3 years now. I have a few SE but not bad. My last period was 2 weeks before my first chemo.
Another friend of mine is a year younger than me and is doing what you're doing. She was diagnosed when I was doing chemo. She didn't need chemo so she was still ovulating. She too is a 2nd timer just like you but had no nodes and didn't need chemo. She has been doing what you are doing for 3 years now.
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2timer...I was diagnosed at 50 and 51; BMX at 51 with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction. My MO put me on tamoxifen first for a year because I had been having irratic periods, then switched me over to Arimidex generic (why is a longer story) and Lupron, which in combination do the same to shut down ovaries even though I wasn't fully menopausal. I thought I had terrible joint pain SE and so went off of Arimidex for a few weeks. Turns out no SE, just beat up joints with wicked arthritis. Back on Arimidex now, menopause in full swing, no periods for almost a year and a half and no apparent medication SE.
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Does anyone know if Sun Pharma was one of the companies mentioned in the study, or where to find the study. My, too, is made at Sun Pharma.
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Well, it is now two weeks off anastrozole for me, and no light headedness since the first few days. Off tomorrow to have a stress echo cardiogram to rule out heart issues as the cause.
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It's not Sun Pharma that does the bootlegging. It's the bootleggers that may try to mimic a manufacturers products. I am not sure if Sun was one of the ones mentioned.
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It looks like Accord Healthcare Pharmaceutical does not have a facility in India. However, they do have a facility in the U.S. that produces anastrozole. If you check out their website they have a list of countries where there are Accord manufacturing facilities and there is a list of products made in each country. http://accord-healthcare.com/products.php?gid=1
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Hi Folks, I haven't posted here before, but recently found out some info that has pissed me off in re: the drugs given to me during treatment for BC. I was almost killed with my one and only chemo. Taxotere was the culprit. I "failed" all three AI's b/c of s.e.'s. All of this could have been avoided had my MO paid attention to the Cytochrome450 genetic testing. Of the six genes tested, I have abnormalities in three. All are major players in the drugs I was given. Had I been tested, it would have been known. The drug choice and /or dosage modifications could have been made
Rather than rewrite the details here The link below will take you to a thread that has the posts that I have written in the last few days.
I'm not trying to sell Genelex. Other laboratories are doing genetic testing. But Genelex is the only company right now that provides the application of the genetic results to the drugs we are taking. Other companies, I'm sure are trying to build the same business model. It's the future of drug administration.
Why? Patients will no longer except being experimented upon with drugs that can harm them. If the docs won't do this because it's the right thing to do it. Then we have to PUSH them into doing the right thing.
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B.Blues,
I really do not think one drug is better than the other. It is all approved by the FDA. But we read that there is not as much regulation in India, or it's corrupt. I am presently taking the stuff from India. I will switch, as soon I can find out if I am going to get the name brand from the Arimidex Co. ( Supposedly they will mail it to you for $40 a month ) If I can't then I will find out which pharmacy in my town carries the Teva manufactured Anastrozole.
I realize, I am a little crazed right now, stage 3 with lots of cancer in my axillary. With my insurance I paid $6.30 at Costco. That is cheap. My insurance will not cover the Arimidex brand, but I can definitely get the Anastrozole from somewhere else, that carries Teva.
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I get mine which is Teva from Walgreen's
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B.Blues I agree with Holeinone. I don't think it's the manufacturers as much as it's the bootleggers that manage to impersonate the legit companies. India seems to have a real issue bootlegging granted this is just my take on it.
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Does anyone know if AIs affect the heart valves? I've been dx with an aortic valve stenosis and was so much in shock I didn't ask a single question of the cardiologist. Of course I will talk with my MO ASAP but was curious if anyone here knew?
Thanks,
Peggy
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Janet if you look at the USA section on the Accord webpage you posted and check the product insert link you can see that the anastrozole is manufactured for Accord Healthcare in NC by Intas Pharmaceuceuticals in Matada Ahmedabab India...but so what? As you noted this is an American FDA approved product.
Just as the anastrozole sold in Canada by Accord Canada with a DIN drug identification number in the top right hand corner is a Canadian product approved by Health Canada.
Lago I agree with you. I read the NY Times article and didn't see any real concern about legitimate RX drugs being manufactured for pharmaceutical companies. the FDA has a mandate to inspect these facilities and finally got around to doing so. It is not as if the FDA has not had to come down hard on facilities in the USA on occasion too.
Kathy
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Peggy, did you get a Muga test before A/C ? Of course I do not know what the stenosis is..
Hope it's nothing serious.
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Kathy - You are right! I didn't see that. However, I did go back and check more thoroughly and found that my anastrozole from Roxane Laboratories,Inc is not imported but manufactured in Ohio. So if we look closely enough we can find inexpensive anastrozole that is manufactured closer to home (Canada, USA, etc).
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BBlues,
The Muga scan is a test given to women that will be getting the chemo drug Adriamycin. It is interesting, as they mix your blood with some radioactive stuff, inject it back into your arm. You then lie on a table for 20 minutes or so and they watch your heart function. My hubby watched. It measures how the left ventricle functions, I think.
Did you get a port?
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My cardio scoffed when I told him they did the MUGA. I don't remember mixing blood with theradioactive stuff The hardest part is not being able to itch your nose.
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Spookiesmom,
So, did you get the impression that he thought the test was unnecessary ? Or that the test was not reliable? I, of course had never heard of it before I was dx. My test came out normal, I have no issues, with blood pressure or heart function.
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I'm new at this posting so please forgive me. I have been on Anastrozole for a little over a year and am experiencing tingling/burning in my feet. Was wondering if anyone else has had this side effect?
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Hi all,
Thanks for responding! I did have the MUGA test before chemo to see if my heart was strong enough for the Adriamycin, known to be hard on the heart. I had chemo before surgery so I was still in panic mode and never mentioned the slight leak from my aortic valve before the test. Anyway, I passed and did receive the ""Red Devil."
During chemo my onc heard the aortic leak sound during one of my exams. He asked if I knew about it and I said yes. He seemed real pleased with himself for hearing it (he was narcissistic, one of the reasons I later fired him). I was so weak and sick during that exam from the chemo, again I didn't ask about adriamycin's effect on the valve. I was totally focused on getting through chemo.
I was simply going for my five year check up of aortic valve when I got the news about how much the defect had increased. Knocked me flat on my ass. Another surgery?!!! I am now going to get a second opinion from a cardiologist who specializes in valves. This time I will have my questions ready.
The chemo definitely did NOT cause the valve problem. It may have made it worse though; I won't know until I meet with the second cardiologist and my MO. Definitely will ask about Arimidex, which also has effects on the heart but I have no idea whether they know if it affects the valves.
Will keep posting as more becomes clear.
Hugs,
Peggy
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