For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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BosumBlues,
Yes, I thought about switching drugs and discussed with MO. She has order some blood work to see if maybe thyroid is off. Platelets are low as well as white blood cell count so may be something else going on.
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Boy did I miss a lot of posts! Just catching up!
I switched to the brand Arimidex a month ago (through AstraZeneca Direct). Figured it was worth the $30/month to see if the side effects were better. The first couple of days I was almost pain free, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The hip and hand pain had me in tears, and I turned into an instant witch. I told my DH that I didn't think I could take it, and that it wasn't fair to him. I was going to call my MO because he offered to change me to femara, but I was really busy at work and kept forgetting. And after another week or so I realized that in many ways I was feeling better. I do get more hot flashes, and the "intimacy" side effects are more pronounced than with the generic. The other day DH asked me if I was still taking the "bitchy pill" and I said yep...he was very surprised! My mood had improved, and/or I can control my emotions better. So I think I will stick with it. I go back to MO in 6 weeks and will talk with him again, but I keep telling myself that if those side effects got that much more intense than with the generic, that it must be working better. My PCP changed up my BP meds some because my BP was on the rise, but it's much better now. I go for my annual physical with lipid profile, etc. later this month, so keeping my fingers crossed regarding that.
Now onto the more important subject.......gin raisins! I have heard about them for arthritis for years. Here's my question....do you take them in the morning or at bedtime? I would be concerned that I would have "gin breath" when going to work......
Now on to vacation......off to Rhode Island's awesome beaches!
Martha
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Take the raisins whenever you want.
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good grief no wonder no one stays on this shit i feel like i am just waiting for it to hit the fan....joint pain hot flashes AND hair loss!???
last night i had horrible dreams about recurrence....tell me this , with all these SE's happening with Arimidex, how would we even know if we have any symptoms of possible Mets?
as far as the raisins go...mine will be ready soon & i plan to take them after work & see how sleepy they make me
the beach? now that is the best medicine ever!!
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Notbuyingit not everyone gets hair loss. If you look at older women they do tend to have less hair than they did when they were younger. It's the lack of estrogen and genes that cause that. As far as some of the aches and pains. I know now that I switched to Examestane (G Aromasin) my aches are gone. I still managed Anastrozole for 3 years. It was the depression that set in year 3 which continued to progress that really got me to switch.
So if Anastrozole isn't right for you there are options.
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Well, across a span of over 7 years, I was on Femara at first, switched to Arimidex then Anastrazole. Had a lot of joint pain with the Femara, less with the others. I found my bowel movements got looser and looser, and I was going up to 4 times a day, sometimes almost explosively- I never linked that to taking those medications until I stopped taking Anastrazole two months ago- I had had enough. I made the decision to stop, although my oncologist has said they are still awaiting the results of the 10-year trials. I always thought the diarrhea was some interaction between magnesium, curcumin and other supplements I take, but it seems it was the AIs as now everything has returned to normal! I actually came on the boards to see what side effects people were experiencing after stopping, and found your post. Looks like that undesirable side effect can also be attributed to them...now, I am almost over the hot flashes, down to 2 or 3 a day from 10-15, am less "bitchy" as my DH would say...guess it is almost out of my system. Hopefully. But I AM cancer-free. Best of luck to all!
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I actually had a meal today without running to the bathroom & made it all the way home without having to stop. Of course I'm having to cheat on the little white pill in order to avoid the fatigue, the lack of appetite and the B D.
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Does anyone know if Arimidex can cause ovarian cysts? I've read their product inset, and I don't see anything but one study where a few women had pelvic pain. I've been on it for about a year and have done ok, once the joint pain went away, but I have a dull ache in my right side around where my ovary is. I've never had a cyst on my ovaries before, so I'm wondering if it is from the estrogen sucking drug (as Lago would call it) :-)
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It shouldn't, not having estrogen shrinks up the ovaries.
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estrogen sucking drug or ESD for short. Pbrain have you googled it yet?
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This article says in the first paragraph that Armidex can cause ovarian cysts
http://breastcancer.about.com/od/hormonetherapydrugs/p/arimidex.htm
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Yes I have read it a few places too but it doesn't seem super common
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Thanks guys! Hopefully this will resolve on its own...I'll keep you posted.
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Just finished a one month break from letrozole per my onc to see if it was what was making me feel so bad. I definitely felt better so she put me on anastrozole. It has been 1 week and I thought it was going to better until yesterday when I all of the sudden felt awful. Could that be it? I am having bathroom problems all the sudden which is unlike me. Had Bc in 1996 which was stage 3 and was way past it until a brand new stage 1 9 months ago! Chemo again but this time my hair is still really short. Cancer sucks. Good news is no more mammograms because there is nothing left! I love all of you out there.
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Hang in there Azalea23. I switched to Examestane (generic Aromasin) after 3 years of Anastrozole. It's been over 2 months and I'm doing much better. It's a bit different than Anastrozole and Letrozole. So you still have it as an option to try.
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I expect to be put on an AI after a course of radiation, to be started shortly. My oncologist suggested Anastrozole and Tamoxifen as two possible choices.
This may be a silly question, but are there variations in dosage given? I tend to need very little of a drug for it to be effective. For example, I had been on the lowest possible dosage of an HRT taken only 3X per week for menopause symptoms, but was told to quit when I was diagnosed @ a month and a half ago. I was very surprised at the power of the menopausal symptoms that have roared back since then -- hot flashes, disturbed sleep, creaky painful joints -- given how little of the drug I was taking.
I've scanned the posts on this thread and perhaps I'm only seeing the scary stuff. Anyone having a better ride on AIs?
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mortain my first 2 years weren't bad at all. Just last year I had the depression issue on the drug. Now that I've switched I'm doing fine… all happy me again!
And yes it's ones size fits all with this drug. I guess you need a certain amount to turn the switch on.
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I want to add my two cents regarding Anastrazole made by TEVA! I was just about ready to take my Oncologist's advice and switch from anastrazole to aromasin because the aches and pains were getting a little too much to handle on a daily basis. I had previously read about the difference between the anastrazole made in India and the one by TEVA made in Israel. I am not sure where the one I have been taking for the last two years is from, (Archer is the manufacturer) but I noticed that the new prescription I picked up from CVS was made by TEVA. So I said to myself " What have you got to lose, try it and see what happens"! Well I have been taking it for the last week or so and believe it or not, I have seen an improvement in my pains and aches. I originally thought that maybe my lack of sleep was causing all the aches, but in the last few days although I have not really slept well,
when I get up in the morning, I don't feel like a 90 yr. woman!
Maybe there really is something to it. Now to make sure the next time I get the same pills!
Mena
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Hi mortmain,
Anastrozole comes in one dose only and I think same goes for tamoxifen. I started anastrozole right before my rads treatment and have been on it for almost five months. The only side effect that I notice is some stiffness in my joints that I didn't feel before. It quickly goes away when I move or exercise. No hot flashes, sleep or mood problems. I was told by my nurse oncologist that side effects usually appear in the first three months and might get better after. So it is not as bad as it might appear from reading the posts on this board.
Good luck!
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I was having such hip pain on arimidex, even after a month-long drug holiday and a switch to exemestane, that my onc ordered a bone scan to rule out possible bone mets. Luckily, no mets. Instead, lots of arthritis in seemingly every joint that does not hurt, and nothing, absolutely nothing at all, in the hips. My onc, my PCP, and my physical therapist, all agree that the problem is bursitis, and not necessarily connected to an AI after all. Just started physical therapy and will let you all know how it goes. Apologies to arimidex for all my evil thoughts!
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i have been on anastrozole from CVS since March 2013...so 17 months. I am 61 and previously had osteopenia 5 years previously from parathyroid disease. I discovered the parathyroid problem due to achy thigh and upper arm bones when sleeping. Turns out it was due to early osteopenia from calcium depletion caused by bad parathyroid. It improved tremendously after that surgery but has gradually raised it's ugly head again. Normal bone density except for left hip in Feb 2014. I take citracal with D and magnesium. Also fosomax for 6 years now. Worst complaint from this med is stiffness in the morning or after sitting in legs and hands. After I am up and moving it is good. Walked 3 miles in parade on July 4 and ride the bike at the gym for 3 miles at a time. Not sure where mine are processed.
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Here's a "funny" hair thing. (grrr) My hair came back thick dark and curly, much as it was before. Took about a year to have a decent coverage and non-post-chemo short hairstyle. But like 8 weeks after chemo was done, my eyelashes and eyebrows thinned out big time. Not all the way gone but very skimpy.Now I am out just 2 yrs- and they are still barely there. I just did 9 weeks of Latisse and it didn't do a thing.So all hair is back OK (though pubic hair still much thinner than before.) I am thinking that eyelashes and eyebrows may be permanently reduced. However- no dental issues or neuropathy or lymphedema so that is good.
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Lisa why did you have chemo did you have a high oncodx? My cancer sounds similar to yours. I am in pain tonight from ai.
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my eyelashes & brows thinned on chemo. They started to fall out (but not completely) 5 weeks PFC. That's normal. The new hairs are pushing the old hairs out. They filled in nicely. Then went on Anastrozole and they thinned again. When I went on my 5 week vacation from Anastrozole they started to grew back.
BTW I powerwalk daily 3-4 miles when I was on Anastrozole and now on Exemestane. I am stiff for about a minute in the morning when I get up. It's gone by the time I reach the bathroom
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One week on the anastrozole and I am not sure about it. I think the letrozole was better. Getting ready to go to work but feeling awful. I so appreciate your feedback. I am new to this forum and decided you all have your own language! Have a beautiful day.
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azalea23 there is a link button to "help with abbreviations" on the left. It's under the nav bar and "jump to forum" search
PFC = Post final (or f*cking) chemo
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Hi ladies, I am new to this thread and I recently started Anastrazole after completing rads on July 7th, I have had increased hot flashes and notably more joint pain especially in my hands, wrists, ankles, hips and feet and it is now moving into more of an ache in all my joints as well. I had a F/U with MO. Last Friday and due to SE'S already they want to try me on Tamoxifen, I am 51 years old and I was well on my way to menopause before chemo and chemo defiantly thru me into full on menopause. Any suggestions or experiences with tamoxifen, I know I have to take one or the other due to E&P + and her2- Dx.
Thank's Shary.
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Vadre! WONDERFUL news and I agree, post it all over the place!!!!! So very happy for you
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Hi! I have been on Arimidex since June and I would say my feet and ankles are the worst but I walk it off. They feel very stiff when I first wake up so I try to stretch them. I am an admin so I think my wrists and fingers get enough exercise during the day!!!!!
I had a hysterectomy due to a cancer scare when I was 38 so my MO preferred to NOT put me on Tamoxifen. I will work through this and speak with her if it gets worse.
Sometimes I feel like I am just being a BABY!!!!!!
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Dogs, I know what you mean about sometimes thinking " what a baby." I have to tell myself every once in a while to stop complaining..I am sure some people get sick of hearing about all my aches and pains.. (Not as much as I am feeling it, I bet!!) It just sucks to go from someone who never had an ache or pain to someone with these damn SE's. I am going to talk to my Oncologist to see about switching, but I just hate the idea of switching some SE's for different ones..
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