For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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Wynn, it is hard to say if my aches are related to the meds. I ended my 5 years this past jan. and do not so feel any dif really. I am getting a bone scan in a couple of months (same time as my next mamo)
I did not consider not taking the med (mine was aromasin) but now wonder if it was needed or not but so far I am clear
do not assume you will have SE, make your choice based on it you and your doc feels it needed. I was 59 at diagnosis and just turned 65 so same age as you
I do go to my gym 4 or 5 days a week and feel that is a help
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Do remember that not every one has se's. I was on it for over a year with minor SE before the joint pain started. I'm on a month vacation, then will start generic from Israel.
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Ive been taking it since Sept. Basically no se. Knock on wood. Hopefully that continues the duration of the 5 years. Hot flashes Ive had for years so I dont chalk them up to the AI per se.
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Wynn, I have been on arimidex for 1 year now and basically se free... just now am experiencing some knee and foot pain but not sure if it is from the med or just our cold miserable weather, and of course my age.. I was 64 when I started this stuff. I was so afraid to swallow that first pill too, I had hot flashes already, so hard to tell if any are from med or not... all of this is a crap shoot. you have to do what you feel is right for you, as stated above, you can try it and if it is too much for you .. stop or switch to another. Good luck.
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Hi all,
This thread got bumped off my favorites, so I am behind..
I checked in to let everyone know that Arimidex Direct, the name brand drug, has dropped the price to $30 a month. I was paying $40, so that was a nice surprise.
Not many, or none...lol...with BC...I could pay $6.50 a month, ( generic @ Costco ) so I don't feel so indulgent getting the stuff mailed to me...
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I am new to this site but reading the posts helps. I am taking Anastrszole and feel awful. I tried Tamoxifen and it was worse. I'm an RN and there is no way I can go back to my previous job. With the se's I have I feel I can't work at all. I'm wondering how many others are unable to work. I feel guilty about not working. I do have some good days when I can't get some things done. But I don't feel confidant about trying to work.
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Catlover58 I know many others that had issues like yours. Some did switch to Aromasin and found the SE much much less.
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I have retired as no way could I do the sort of job I had and actually, lawyer is working on a workman's Comp case based on the chemicals I worked with for many years, whether they caused my cancer is not clear but the lawyer thinks we have a case
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wow, you ladies have been chatty. I have been away at my mom's (without internet or cell coverage) for the last 5 days. But when I got home I had a piece of mail stating that my meds from Arimidex Direct will now be $30.00 instead of $40.00 for a 30 day supply. Woohoo for lower prices, that is if I can stay on it the darn thing without all the crappy SE's!
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BosumBlues absolutely. Everytime I take a med I get another SE. Now I have to do something for my osteoporosis too. Fosamax gave me heartburn so now we'll try Prolia. Looks like I may try Aromasin and hopefully that won't make me depressed. I really don't want to take drugs for depression when we know it's drugs that is causing it.
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logo,
Aromasin gives me a buzz, then the best sleep I've had in ages. But I'm a bit weird. Zoloft at the lowest amount gets me high.
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High as in sleepy high. I'd hate it then. I think that's why I rarely drink. It makes me sleepy
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No, a crystal clear, crisp winter morning high. Actually a hypomanic high, just below a manic state.
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Interesting report on NBC nightly news the other night concerning the 'collateral damage' of BC and chemo. Research on 1,000 women, aged 55 or so and less, showed that 4 years later, 30 percent were not able to continue working after early-stage BC. Report didn't say if they also were on AI's, but I wonder...
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Good Morning Ladies!
I was on Arimidex for three years with out significant SE. At some point in the last year I was switched to Anasrozole. My SE increased rapidly. I thought I was making a crazy association. You all assured me I wasn't. My MO agreed that there might be a connection. I have been back in Arimidex for about a week. I think things are getting better already...maybe I'm crazy to think it worked so fast!? We'll see.
Two Questions for the Pros:
Any tips of what to say to the Insurance company to get them to help pay for the name brand?
What does "bump" mean
Hope you all have a no-SE day!
Virginia
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Vadre "bump" is posted when someone wants an old thread that is buried in back pages to ride to the top of the active threads page.
I'm wondering if your MO could write up that you are allergic to some of the ingredients in the generic. Gets me wondering if I should try the brand name but I really can't swing the $30 a month right now. Maybe soon if I land this job I interviewed for a few weeks ago but I can't count on that.
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Virginia,
My insurance does NOT cover he brand name. That is true of a most insurance Co. Arimidex was very expensive for awhile...when there is a generic out, the insurance Co. are not paying the big bucks, for awhile Arimidex was over $300 a month..generic $6.00.
Now, you can buy it straight from the Arimidex people for $30 a month. They mail it to you. You can sign up online, or fill out a form...your oncologist needs to fax in the prescription.
I am happy to be able to take the real deal.
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I did 3 years of the regular & 2 of generic (generic was not available the first 3 years & it was EXPENSIVE). I did not have problems on either of them, and didn't notice the difference between them either.
I don't know where the not being able to work statistics came from. I (unfortunately) know many, many breast cancer survivors in my local area; most of us worked through treatment, and all of us continued to work after treatment. I don't know one single lady personally who was diagnosed stage 1-3 who couldn't/didn't go back to work (and I also know a couple stage IV friends who are continuing to work also).
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Ruthbru that has been my experience as well although a couple did have to change to Aromasin. But I too have seen statistics higher than I would have thought regarding lost wages and/or not being able to go back to work or having to change line of work. I don't know if it was due to endocrine therapy though.
This link on Susan Loves facebook page:
Receiving Chemotherapy After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis May Affect a Patient’s Long-Term Employment
Note that 50% of those not working were actively seeking employement (that would be me) and want to work.
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I just retired, I made a decision a while back that working was too stressful and was exposing me to chemicals that were contributing to my asthma and who know if it contributed to the BC diagnosis. I was lucky though as I was close enough and had saved and lived a pretty lean life so able to do it financially.
I am at the gym 4-5 times a week but do much less than I did prior to treatment.
So count me in the cancer treatment caused me to leave the work force. I was pleased to see the article on line
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I had been retired a few years before bc. I would not have been able to continue after finishing tx.
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I'm one of the not-back-to-work brigade.
My ability to multitask is gone and my short term memory is affected by Anastrozole. Those two things, along with serious joint pain and reduced stamina (even 3 years down the road from diagnosis) would have made continuing on in my profession unwise, for both me and my patients.
I'm loving retirement, so don't take early retirement as a complaint from me. It was just fortunate that I was able to afford to retire a year early.
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I am with you Kathy! I used to crash when I would get home at night, I drove 36 blinking miles up the NJ Turnpike everyday and by the time I got home was too exhausted for anything. My allergies and sinuses were a mess and my breathing....bad.
Life is too short and stress is not a help to this
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I saw that study and wondered about it. The summaries don't give us much indication of why but it's pretty scary to think about if you support your family or have years to go before retirement. Are women getting let go because of cancer or leaving stressful jobs or deciding to take a break?
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for me it is about leaving a stressful job and spending time dealing with regaining my health, life is too short to spend it in a car hauling my butt up and down the highway0 -
Proud, I think it was a good idea that you got out of there regardless of the reasons why....nobody needs that kind of stress!
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Only three months on Anastrozole, and it's hard to tell if I have side effects or not. Only minor stiffness that I don't recall from before. But nothing that stops me from doing anything I want. It's more like when you have been sitting in a car for a long time and then have to get out and start walkng. That always did happen, but maybe more exaggerated now. We'll see if it gets worse. But it can't hurt to try it out and see. It is mildly funny that I thought I was having terrible hot flashes the first night I took it. Turned out I had 102 fever totally unrelated. But I was ready to quit right then. Ordered special cool jan pjs the next day and still and glad I did even though the "hot flashes" are gone - actually never happened.
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Mimi, the stiffness on getting out of the car is pretty much the only side effect I have. It is sometimes a real pain, but goes away after a few steps. Last winter it flared up more than I liked. I decided it must have some arthritic component, so I slammed it with aspirin and it very quickly dropped back to a perfectly tolerable level. My onc insists that the side effects drop off after eighteen months. I'm hoping he's right!
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Virginia, no answers to your question on insurance, unfortunately, just wanted to say welcome. I graduated from W&M many years ago, still love the 'Burg! (And named my daughter Virginia!)
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I used to be stiff after getting out of the car, when I started working with a trainer at my gym, he should me some stretches and now I do them several times a week....no more achies when getting out of the car, consider a stretching thing
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