For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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fluff--I used to get lo grade headaches when I was working, I used to name them they were so common! Then the nurse at my gym asked me if I was dehydrated...you can be dehydrated without knowing it. Now if the headache comes, I drink a good bottle of H20, if it goes away (which it does for me often) then you just need water.
Told that to my peace corps neice when she returned from Haiti.....she had limited access to clean water so she got into the habit of not drinking much. Try it and see, you can always reach for the pill if the headache is still there
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I've been on Anastrozole since mid-June. I cannot stand what it is doing to me. I have become a totally different person and my hubby and friends wonder where the "real me" has gone.
I don't have any of the expected side effects like joint pain etc. No, I have become short tempered, b*tchy, no patience, often nauseous, constant scratchy throat and dry cough. Add to that the the insomnia during the night and the constant fatigue during the day all I really have to say is "another FIVE years of this" ????.
I don't know if I'm going to make it five years...
Please tell me that these side effects DO go away eventually!
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DonnaD57, we are so sorry to hear about your terrible negative side effects. Have you talked with your oncologist about what you are experiencing? Perhaps they could alter some things, including switching medications, or adding something that could help you feel better.
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Donna - the SEs may or may not go away. I had fairly bad trigger thumb in both hands that resolved by itself over 3-4 months. Occasional bouts of fatigue, some foot stiffness (and of course dry lady parts). If your SEs are really debilitating you need to talk to your MO about switching to another AI medication. There are at least 3 or 4 other choices available that may not cause the same kind or severity of SEs. Don't despair quite yet, k?
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Donna, I can totally relate. After one month on Anastrozole, I was near tears most days, exhausted, had no appetite, did not sleep well and was on the verge of depression. I took a month break and switched to the brand name from Arimidex direct and fared a bit better. But my hubby still said I was not me. I stuck it out for a year, but finally switched to Aromasin. If you are on the generic, you might want to try the brand name. Many women find their SE's are much improved on it. If that does not help, then by all means talk to your MO about switching to another one until you find the one that is a better fit for you.
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DonnaD57
I don't have many SE's but I, too, was *itchy and crying all the time. My Onc put me on the Venlafaxine (generic of Effexor) and within 2 weeks I was back to my old self!
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Thank you all - I am SO glad I joined this forum because now I can "speak" to folks who actually understand!
My onc pushed up my next appointment from December to the end of September and persuaded me to stay on the pills til then. I will do that because we are taking a 3 week vacation in "backwoods" Vermont (probably because hubby doesn't want me killing anyone during the time...)
During my vacation time I will actually take the time to document exactly how I am feeling both physically and mentally and if by the time of my appointment things have not changed I will ask, or in my heightened state of emotional distress, demand, that the onc put me on a different medication
I see that there are a lot of different options.
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proudtospin,
My husband gets awful headaches if he is even slightly dehydrated.
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Donna, I do think that the doc will give you a chance on trying a dif med, mine did! best of luck and enjoy Vermont, don't kill anyone up there!
Janet, isn't it amazing how just being dehydrated can cause such a problem? Glad your husband knows to guzzle the H2O!
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This is from the 'Let's Post Our Daily Exercise' thread......thanks Ruthbru!
Here are some interesting facts I just read about WATER!
WATER
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 30%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
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wow, thanks0 -
Geez, I forgot about that one myself.....signing off to get a glass of water!!!
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DonnaD57 I was on Anastrozole for 3 years. The first year wasn't so bad but the last 2 I became increasingly more depressed, sleep issues and back/neck/shoulder pain that was bad enough for me to consider going for PT. (I have a high tolerance to pain). I went off the drug for a month and I was back to my old self. My onc switched me to Exemestane (generic Aromasin) this spring. I'm doing great! I've even lost weight. My onc said she didn't think the depression was from the drug… but my husband was there and he admitted I was so much better once off it. You might need to try a different drug in the same class like I did.
Water… I try to drink as much as I did when I was on chemo. It's great for your skin too.
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Yes, skin is another one. I think we could probably double that list with scientifically proven benefits of water without too much effort. Imagine - a simple glass of water being kind of a wonder drug. Definitely one of the most under-rated health benefits around.
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Like Bren and Iago, I was miserable on Arimidex. i stuck it out a long, painful year then switched to Aromasin. A new woman (well, still old and crotchety but I can MOVE).
There are options!
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my former PCP showed me a simple trick to see if I was dehydrated. Pinch the skin on the back of your hand. If it goes down quickly, you're ok. If goes down slowly, get some water. He said 3 liters a day. I laughed and said I'd be sloshing. But have increased my intake, no more headache.
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Almost 10 years ago I stopped buying soda and started drinking water instead. I still do have an occasional soda at a restaurant but we no longer keep it in the house. Drinking water helped me get through 5 months of weight watchers and I lost 50lbs! [sadly, all the stress from cancer and the meds caused me to put 20lbs back on
] I really think drinking water also helped me from getting fatigued during chemo and radiation. I even convinced my boss to put a water cooler in the back of the office to get staff to drink it instead of soda! 0 -
I've never been a huge fan of soda. Don't like the fizz/carbonation (folks think I'm weird because I prefer it 'flat') and also don't like the bloated feeling I get from the fizz. Also don't like beer or wine or other drinks unless they taste like Koolaid so that limits my alcohol options (don't care for getting buzzed anyway - what a freak, huh?). So - bottom line is I've been a milk, juice or water girl for years and years (pretty much since first pregnancy). Mostly water and 2-3 glasses of milk a day and juice once in a great while.
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my mom made the best ice tea in the world! it is still my drink of choice as option to water. Dang but water does get boring so it is ice tea for me. Mom once to me to the docs as she thought I must be sick with something as I drank so much ice tea but it was just as I loved it! we never had soda in the house
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I gave up soda about 30 years ago. I really got annoyed paying way too much $$$ for watered down flat Coke. It's water or iced or hot espresso for me now
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I'm an iced tea girl, too. I probably drink way too much. I was getting vertigo while getting up from rads table and the girls told me to hydrate and keep my eyes open. Worked!0 -
Oh, yeah, I've never learned to like coffee either (the smell alone used to actually make me sick to my stomach) and tea is in the same category for me too. I guess I have basic tastebuds that are pretty easily pleased......
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also like my ice coffee but limit myself to one cup in AM....well it is a big one~~but only one!
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I am an iced tea snob. Has to be brewed, and clear! I used to drink a lot of soda. I love fizzy. I have coke zero at the movie theatre, and if we eat spicy food. Fizzy just seems to go better with it!
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One year on Arimidex this month. All in all, not so bad. But it did get bad before it got better. I started out with pain in my feet and by about 5 months was actually a little bit crippled. I was still getting Herceptin and my NP told me to hang in there, it will get better.
And it did. I have a few very mild hot flashes each day, not terrible. That let's me know it is working. Other than that, no big side effects. So stay the course. You may be like me where once you get past the worst of it, you will not even really know you're taking it. The only thing I worry about is the DEXA next year. I had normal, beautiful bone density at my baseline right before I started Arimidex, so I hope I'm staying that way.
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I hope so too Pbrain. Today was my first day on Anastrozole. Is there any kind of estimate as to how long before it starts kicking the cancer's butt? These enlarged lymph nodes from my clavicle and up my neck are painful.
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Dunesleeper, the Aromasin doesn't really kick the cancer's butt so much as it starves any stray cancer cells that want to feed on estrogen. I think you need to have your enlarged lymphs biopsied to see what is going on in there. Why did you decide on no treatment? I do find it interesting to hear other's thoughts on that since I struggle with the fear that I had too much treatment with all my neuropathy (and sometimes late at night, I worry that I didn't have enough)...
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I believe for Stage IV ladies, the goal of anti-hormonals is to shut down the 'food source' (estrogen) the cancer in their system is using to grow; therefore 'starving' the tumors and hopefully slowing down, or better yet, halting their ability to grow.
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Ruth, I think you are correct.0 -
Yeap, absolutely Ruth, but what I've read about the estrogen receptor blockers (Tamoxifen) or the estrogen production blockers (arimidase inhibitors) is that they are are second line of therapy to prevent a recurrence (or even a new occurrence--I know some of the drugs are in front of FDA now to be considered for prescription in women who are at risk for breast cancer, but don't have it).
However, they are second line, not first line like surgery, chemo or rads.
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