For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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notbuyingit, it really helps with the pain I was having under my arm and where they cut the muscle...I was off for several weeks and the pain came back. I only have one or two hot flashes a night since I got back on it and it does seem to help me slow down at night. I like taking it because it reassures me that if I start having more aches and pains it will help. So far, I think it does.
I've been postmenopausal for since 8 or 9 years but after getting off the HRT and they returned. I've had a lost of memory and cognitive changes over the last few years and have decided to get off Crestor. It can cause a lot of the same symptoms of some of our drugs so it will be interesting to see if I get better in the coming months. I read statins cause neuropathy so if any of you are on one of them you might look into talking to your doctor. The benefits don't outweigh the SE even though we are told differently. Oh well. Drug companies are in charge. They don't want cures...they'd be broke!
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Put the raisins in the fridge after adding the gin.
My sister, who has never had BC, has had terrible hot flashes for 12 years.....she also has lots of cognitive issues, which are caused by the statins she takes for high cholesterol (which she knows because she went off them without doctor's permission for awhile, her memory came back fine but the cholesterol went back through the roof.....so she is back on & back to being very forgetful..... it drives her crazy). I think it is important to remember that Arimidex might NOT always be the ONLY reason for some of unpleasant things that happen as one ages. Boo Hoo!
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I agree, we all blame the dang
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I know I seem to blame all pain and memory issues with my exemestane. It couldn't possibly be aging?
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that is what i am hoping with the Gabadentin - help with the aches & pains -new & old - but i just started Anastozole & want to have an idea of which SE's go with which drug -if that's possible. The Nueropathy pain is tolerable for me &, of course, i am still hoping it will go away on it's own...so i think i will wait a bit & then try it as prescribed - 100mg 3 times a day.
thanks, ladies, for all the info
it's hell getting old but think this has to be harder on the younger ones! like getting old too soon
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I think if you are younger, or have been on hormone replacement therapy, it is an especially hard adjustment because instead of gradually sliding those hormones down the hill (with your body having a chance to get used to it), you are throwing them off the roof (CRASH!).
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good analogy! My hormones crashed.
Ruthbru, how long an you keep the same raisin in gin in the refrigerator for? Will they go bad? I made a HUGE batch, and the gin never evaporated. Maybe I used too much gin.
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what is the raisin and gin for?
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I was on a 1/2 dose of Effexor (1 pill taken in the morning) but it wasn't helping with the hot flashes so my MO upped it to a full dose (1 pill in the morning, 1 in the evening). Now I can't fall asleep at night. I go to bed at 10:30pm and toss and turn until 1:30-2am. Then I get weird dreams. I've been on the full dose since Thursday and last night it didn't take me quite as long to fall asleep and the dreams weren't quite as weird. Is anyone else having these issues with Effexor and will they subside as my system adjusts to it?
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I took those darn HRT pills right up to my DX. Then my PCP, who was still having chemo for BC, says she meant to get me down to a half dose of the Estradiol. No chit Sherlock! I know what research is saying but I swear I believe they didn't help me with this disease. So, yes, I agree. All kinds of stuff can cause a lot of our aches and pains. But, sometimes if we notice something out of the ordinary you can always talk about it with your MO.
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what is Effexor for? and the gin & raisins?
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I'll repost the raisins and gin recipe. Don't worry if all the gin doesn't evaporate & it shouldn't ever go bad in the fridge.
Here is my mom & aunt's (and many other people's) ' White Raisins In Gin Recipe'. They used it many years for arthritis symptoms with great success. Some people have found that it helps with the achiness of Arimidex as well.
*To prepare gin-soaked raisin, first empty one box of dried white raisin in a shallow container. Only white or golden raisin should be used for this recipe. Then pour enough gin into the container to cover the raisin.
*Cover the container and keep it covered for 7 – 10 days to allow the raisin to steep in the gin.
*Allow all the gin to evaporate to leave gin-soaked raisins in the container. These raisins keep well when refrigerated. Take nine of these "drunken raisins" every day. Most users report improvements in arthritis symptoms between 1 – 8 weeks of using this remedy.
Why it works:
1. Golden raisins- the ONLY type of raisins worthy of the recipe- require sulfur or sulfides in their processing to make them golden. Sulfur is an active ingredient in 2 effective natural arthritis supplenents: glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. Golden raisins come from sultana grapes and are cultivated under the name Thompson seedless grapes in the United States.
2. Sultana grapes contain proanthocyanidins which are thought to help fight infections and reduce inflammation. Grapes also contain resveratrol, a powerful anti-oxidant that is being studied for many of it's disease fighting properties.
3. Gin is flavored with juniper berries and juniper berries contain Terpinen. Terpinen has anti inflammatory properties. The essential oil that is in juniper berries contains more than 100 compounds including myrcene (an anti oxidant), catechins (anti-oxidant), and flavanoids (anti oxidant). Test tube studies have shown that juniper berries can inhibit prostaglandin synthesis. Prostaglandins help mediate an inflammatory response and increase the sensitivity of nerve endings to pain. By inhibiting their production, a reduction in pain can occur.
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Effexor is rx'd to help tame hot flashes
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great info ruthbru! I'm going for some of those little raisins right now
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no wonder you have such a big smile, Ruthbru!! I will definitely have to try it
thanks, Spookies, does it have it's own SE's?
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I didn't have any se's with it, slept ok, wasn't depressed to start with. Since I switched to the Teva from Israel I haven't needed the Effexor.
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Hi everyone! Catching up with posts. So I read a thread out here about different manufacturers of our pills, etc and thought it was interesting - here is a little story.
My MO wanted me to try Arimidex for 30 days before calling it in to express scripts so I had her call it into Walmart. After a couple of days, I had some mega hot flashes that then subsided and went away after about 7 days. Then my tummy was upset all the time and I thought, shoot, this is an SE and I hope I will be able to take them.
I had my MO call in the prescription to express scripts and AS SOON AS I STARTED on that prescription, no more upset tummy. So it must be a different manufacturer, etc.
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There has been a lot of discussion here about the generic from India, or the one from Israel. I was on the fence about it, until the bone pain became unbearable. Walgreens has the generic from Israel, I'm on it, feeling 100% better!
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Spookiesmom,
Did you take any time off when you switched brands?
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Not really. I was on a 30 day vacation anyway. Was trying to switch to Aromasin, Humana squashed that. So went back to the Indian brand, then to Isralie brand, so far it's MUCH better.
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It's the same amount of same drug, just the filler/carrier/manufacturing cleanliness is different
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oh brother so pills from India are bad??? Just started Arimidex and sure enough Zydus is the manufacturer. Called walgreens and they have Teva. From Isreal. Gonna switch up with next batch! Good thing I didn't get 3 months of that batch!!!!
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Not ALL meds from India, just this one for some reason.
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Today was a very happy day for me!! I had an appointment with my MO to review the results of my quarterly scans... "No new activity seen anywhere! There is even a 20% reduction in the size of the new area of activity found on the last set of scans!!" My dear MO was all smiles as was my husband. You all know how I felt! So the switch back to the name-brand Arimidex seems to have done the trick for now. I don't know for sure that the switch back to name-brand is what got things back under control but it sure looks that way & my MO agrees. I'm just glad not to hear "new activity" again!
Virginia
PS I apologize that this is going to be repeated on several feeds. You may end up reading it a couple of times...but it will still be good news. 😃
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You can not tell good news too many times! Congratulations!
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Vadre so happy for your good news. Relax and enjoy
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Vadre post it as many times as you like. This is awesome news for you and for all of us. Knowing that the meds work gives everyone hope!
I also agree that meds from India aren't bad. The reason why I try to stay away from meds from companies based in India is I feel they have a higher chance of their brand design (logo, etc) being used by bootleggers. Even Teva brand might be manufactured in India. Our drugs are manufactured all over the place but I feel some other countries have better control over their brand.
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well I agree, post good news all over! Hip Hip Horray for you!
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Vadre - happy, happy day for you! Congratulations! No one can truly appreciate the exact way you feel except you, but the rest of us on our own versions of this journey certainly have a pretty damn good idea!
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Vadre, so happy to hear your good news! Lago, just to pop in here and let ladies know that my change from Anastrosole to Tamox was not a smooth one, due to manufacturers. My first three months went well on Tamox with the manufacturer being Activas and then my second three months supply is by Teva. I had such horrible SEs with the Teva, I am on a vacation from it until the pharmacy gets me back the stuff from Actavis. Just a little proof that manufacturers do count! BTW, this is my third day without the med, and I am reminded about being normal....ahhhhh.
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