For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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Oh, please do dig up a picture! I always wondered how to get on that show--did you have to audition? Bring your own partner? Where is he now? Oh, so many questions!
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:Ducky, I loved "American Bandstand" and wondered how you lucky and talented kids got on there. Wish they had re-runs!!
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Yes! I second that to re-runs! I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE that show.Ducky! You great! awesome family.
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Jilly - though I take letrozole, I read this thread much more. My MO does an eeny-meeny type prescribing and I got the letrozole. I acted kinda shocked because I was expecting anastrozole and he said I consider them just about the same. I've had my pharmacy mark starting this month that I will only take the Roxane brand generic. Seems that it has less fillers even than the name brand, 8 versus 10 for Novartis name brand. Years ago - well like 3 - someone posted a table on the Femara thread that has since been removed. I copied it into Word but it is extremely hard to read or I would attempt to repost it. I've read it so much I can navigate it. Again you can go to this site to find fillers on any drugs.
http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/index.cfm
My pharmacy has bounced around from SunPh, Mylan and Roxane. It is my local grocer. Oddly enough they filled my last RX with SunPh again. I stupidly didn't look until I got home. Luckily between a couple of breaks in meds I was about a month ahead in pills. I just won't take it. Interesting to see when I go back prob. tomorrow (fingers crossed MO has OK'd the refill, don't ever know about them and timing) to see what happens with the cost. Should be the same.
And I know you know this but I would not trust Wikipedia to be the be all/end all of wisdom lol.
Ganzgirl - I hope you've gone back to your MO or your PCP with your pains. That certainly sounds extreme to me. I remember some pains but sleep no problem then. I conked out.
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DuckyB1, you are beautiful.
I am dreading going back on armidex in two days--the two weeks off are nearly over. I am also going to make an appt with my MO to talk about this drug heart-to-heart. I DO yoga--3x a week, bikram style--heat and humidity and 90" of stretching and holding poses--and maybe relieves some pain and stiffness, but my wrist joint caught so terribly yesterday that I yelled, the pain was so sharp. And BTW I have a high pain threshhold, which makes it even worse. I exercise like a fiend: I run, I hike (4 miles yesterday, AFTER bikram), I weight-lift, I spin. I eat about 1500 cals a day. I hate the 5-8 lbs I've gained because of the drug in spite of my lifestyle. I hate that research indicates that recurrence rates are reduced the lower BMI we are. How can we keep our recurrence rate down by taking a drug that causes weight gain no matter what we do?
and I hate the mood swings and depression that are now causing me to cry much more easily, see my counselor for CBT, and see my GP for MORE drugs (wellbutrin, one of the few that isn't contraindicated with our AIs).
I hate these HORRIBLE withdrawal symptoms I'm having now from stopping the 37.5 mg of effexor that I was taking for hot flashes caused by the drug. I'd rather have the hot flashes, in truth.
I thought I was strong and could simply push through any and all symptoms of this stupid drug. Stupid, yes. I know it's supposed to help us with recurrence but right now--this morning--I'd rather take my chances with my own destiny. A year ago I couldn't believe women would stop taking this and risk recurrence instead because of the side effects. Today I take it all back.
Claire in AZ0 -
I hear you Claire!! I gained 30 pounds on tamoxifen and it seemed like every time I turned around I was seeing yet another article glibly spouting the "just don't gain weight" advice to keep risk of recurrence and LE lower. WTH?
On the bright side I'm holding steady on the anastrazole. But I truly do hate the new body. And I hate the fact that this is not under my control. I'm doing everything "right" already, ya know? It just sucks.
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hahah
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still haven't filled my anastaz prescription. Talked to MO and she said it's the same as armidex. She also didn't even know what I was referring to when I mentioned the TEVA brand. I felt that was odd
I plan to ask cvs if they carry TEVA brand
Also did any of you NOT gain weight on drug?
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Hey, some days I'm surprised the docs even know there is a generic, much less who makes it. I don't use cvs, but Walgreens was more than happy to order it for me. But do check when you pick it up, mistakes happen.
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Florida, TEVA isn't the brand, it's the manufacturer - splitting hairs, I know. If I recall correctly some ladies have had difficulty getting Teva anastrozole from CVS. I've had no problem with Walgreen's. I also specified TEVA only and so far so good. I second what Spookie said about checking before you leave the store. I've been on it 8 months and no weight gain.
HUGS!!
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Ditto to it all........I am sitting right now, and my feet, back, and knees are aching so bad......I can barely get out of the chair.......I stopped letrozole and some of the SE's went awy..........stupid me decide to try Arimidex.....after 3 weeks every damn SE came back.....have been off for 3 weeks, and everything still hurts..................stopped it all.
So angry I started the Arimidex wish I would have stayed off it all, once I was feeling better..........I hate that pill, and I'm so sorry I ever started...........
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Florida, I don't think the doc's know the manufacturer's of generic drugs like we do......I get my Teva from CVS in Illinois. I called every pharmacy in my town t o find it....and it was worth it to get away from the SUN brand.
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Florida2015, I have not gained any extra weight on Anastrozole and I am in year 3.
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I did not gain weight, unless I ate too much and/or didn't exercise. Of the 6 ladies I know personally in my town who are taking or have taken anti-hormonals; the two who were skinny stayed skinny, the two who were overweight stayed overweight, the two of us who always had to watch it still had to watch it.
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Hello lovely ladies. Have been reading this thread throughout the day and I thank you all for the info and laughs
I am 2 1/2 weeks into BMX recovery and am just starting my arimidex research. I have taken this trip one step at a time, can't take more than that, LOL. I look forward to learning and sharing.
Happy Memorial Day. God Bless Our Troops.
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Hi Marian, thanks for your earlier greeting. I don't understand all the crazy discussion over the generics either but perhaps that is because we are looking from the other side of the border and don't have an option to choose something manufactured locally. I was on the brand name Arimidex for 3 1/2 yrs before the patent in Canada lapsed and I was switched to the generic by Taro. I noticed no difference at all in the pill, not in the feel or the taste even (I have to chew or crush pills to get them down)
Last year when the 'filler' discussion came up once again I sat down and checked the listed non medicinal ingredients listed on online labels, I spent hours on this researching what each was for, what each did, bottom line was that each ingredient had a purpose and in almost each case the lists for the generics, Taro and Teva included, were identical or nearly so to the list on the Arimidex label. Ok so we can't know the exact amounts in the formula, but it is a bit of a stretch to go from here to demand a pharmacist provide a certain generic just on some person's sayso without more to go on than that. < ok rant ended >
Anyway Marian you asked me once if I was still on anastrozole. I actually stopped early last summer a few months into my fourth year, but as I wasn't one hundred percent sure and kept reviewing the studies I didn't really want to mention it. I started on hormone therapy June 2010 so my five years are all but up. And Ducky thinning hair was pretty near the top of my list, I just looked in the mirror one morning and said DONE, enough. I'm 71, never was really concerned about local recurrence just mets.
And I didn't gain any weight on anastrozole either, lost 20 with chemo and kept that off too.
Kathy
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I lost weight on arimidex, swithched to exemestane (aromasin) and gained 10 pounds in 10 weeks, swithched back to arimidex and lost again.
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I lost weight as soon as I started arimidex. Because of side effects, I switched to exemestane (aromasin) and gained 10 pounds in 10 weeks. More side effects, so I swithched back to arimidex and lost weight again. Currently trying to lose more. Sigh.
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Thank you so much for all responding. That is first thing I did this morning was tocheck this board for some answers. It's been wonderful to get some.
I will call and find somebody that carries it.
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My MO does not feel the manufacturer of the generics makes a difference in side effects. He was however very willing to write my prescription for "TEVA Preferred" and Walgreen's supplied it right away (they had both in stock but had switched me to Accord). He also told me if they weren't willing to get it for me, just to take my prescription and go somewhere else. Usually he uses the e-prescribe system but gave me a hard copy one so I could shop around and find the Teva brand, if needed. I had been on Arimidex since summer and got joint pains in my feet about a month or so after switching to the Accord brand in December. I've been on the Teva one for about a week now and I think I'm seeing some improvement in the foot pain. Bought new walking shoes so that might have helped too but I'll stick with the Teva!
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I started Anastrazole (Accord) one year ago. My only SEs seemed to be hot flashes and thinning hair. Since I had been dealing with both of those issues before BC, I didn't really "count" them. Last summer I had some foot pain which I attributed to new shoes. The pain lessened over time but never really went away. I think I got used to it because it wasn't severe. This spring I realized that I have been having pain in both feet for months, ranging from mild to moderate. I finally realized that it could be from the Anastrozole, so a few days ago I called CVS Caremark (mail order) and asked that I receive the Teva brand. They said they needed a call from my MO. I left a message for his nurse who made the call. I then had to call CVS Caremark back to confirm it all. Anyway, from now on I will receive Anastrozole made by Teva. My first pills will arrive in a couple of weeks. I sure hope it makes a difference. I wonder how long it will take to notice?
By the way, no one (MO's office nor CVS Caremark) even questioned why I wanted to make the switch.
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I argued with CVS for days about getting TEVA brand and they 1) acted like I was speaking a foreign language and 2) didn't get it for me. If I decide to stay on arimidex after having a heart to heart with my MO on 6/19, I'll have her fill it at Walgreen's and ask for TEVA.
Geez. Can you believe all the s**T we have to go through after going through what we already went through?
Claire in AZ
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CVS and their bean counters are getting toooooo self important. Just another reason I don't go there.
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Yah, they are. And CVS just bought OmniCare which does the drugs for my hubby's nursing home PLUS specialty drugs for diseases that have only a small number of sufferers. Probably TEVA won't give them the same price break as some of the other manufacturers. I haven't been a fan for years. I use Walgreen's but wish my plan had my grocery store's pharmacy as a preferred provider - they really "get" me. Oh well. At least I can get what I want from Walgreen's at a great price.
HUGS!!!
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You'd think that CVS and CVS Caremark (mail order) would have similar policies, but I guess not. I haven't had any problems with either of them, so maybe it depends on the individual pharmacists?
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love my Walgreens pharmacist, she knows all about my allergies and keeps me out of trouble!
not really sure if the price is the lowest as I have not checked
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I just started Arimidex a few weeks ago. I gained 20 on Tamoxifen and between the stress and pain and nausea of the new diagnosis and side effects of Arimidex, I've lost 10 pounds. I think it's mainly stress and nausea though. But I am in general eating much healthier due to the mets diagnosis plus I lost my craving for sweets and alcohol.
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I'm going to say its corporate bean counters. They only give a hoot about the bottom line and the stockholders, as is the case at many companies.
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The anastrozole I was getting from CVS Pharmacy for almost a year was always manufactured by TEVA.
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very interesting. I was just handed a prescription so basically can get it filled anywhere I will call cvs who has all my prescriptions and if they give me a problem I will call Walgreens!
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