For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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thanx lago for the links. I compared the fillers and they are a little different. I just don't know what that could mean in terms of SE's. I have accepted the bone pain but what really bothers me more is the emotional effects. I keep wondering is it just me not coping well or is this pill making me crazy.
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Hi Everyone,
Been awhile since I've been here. Been catching up reading all your posts.
I took some time out to get back to 'normal' following chemo. Back to work full time and just completed month 3 of Anastrozole. Side effects have been minimal, some joint pain/stiffness after sitting for period of time, some hot flashes, some headaches, but overall not too bad. Hair is beginning to grow back. About a half inch long so far. Still suffering from Taxotearing of right eye. Will most likely see dr to have tear duct cleaned out or stented as needed to alleviate this chemo side effect. Had hoped it would clear up on its own, but apparently not.
Trying hard to not dwell on the cancer--surgery, chemo--of this year. Its always in the back of my mind through. Can't help but worry about mets. Had first post chemo labs done this past Thursday and see onc. for 1st checkup this coming Thursday. Trying my best to look forward to I guess what is now the new normal. Doing my best to be optimistic that I am cancer free and living my life as routine as possible.
Best to everyone and happy new year to all! 2013 will be better for us all!
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Just wanted to wish everyone well in the new year. May you all have very, very small side effects! Happy New Year! AND Much Love.
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LeeA I just read on the Arimidex site that emotional changes can be a SE. Like I said last month I was wacky but for some reason it did go away. I hope the same happens to you.
sherryh16 it takes longer than you think to stop focusing on breast cancer. For me I feel I'm here to help others and I'm not thinking in terms of my cancer anymore. It's like I'm done. I think because all the surgeries and scans are done. I see my doctors at the most once a year. Even my port (after 2 years) is gone. I also noticed my nueropathy in my left heel isn't as bad as last year. (Still hoping it goes away completely bit it's not bad at all this year).
Give yourself some time.
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Happy New Year everyone. It's good to be alive! Isn't this great!?
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Jantanned:
I also experienced it itching SE from Anastrozole. Mine had no rash just the crazy mean itch. It continued for 2 months after I stopped the medications. Finally stated taking Xycal and that stopped it. On Aromasin now - no itch! Happy 2013. So glad to put 2012 behind me
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Mommacain - Thanks for posting. I was beginning to think I was crazy. I haven't spoken to my MO yet due to the holidays, but will call tomorrow. My husband was the one who figured it out. I had a small rash on my shoulder that looked just like the reaction to radiation, so I tolerated the itching and really piled on the lotion. When it spread to other parts of my body I knew it had to be something else. DH put it together and suggested the anastrozol as a possible allergen. I stopped taking it on Saturday to see if the itching stopped. It has slowed a bit but I still need an antihistomine to get through the day. On a positive note, my achey knees feel better!
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please excuse the sloppy typing. i have a new situation. i have had se's from arimidex, a lot of joint pain. five days ago i fell, slipping in the snow. landed more on grass than concrete. i broke my upper arm very high near the shoulder socket. the er sent me home in a sling with a referral to an orthopedic surgeon. i saw him yesteday and he said i have two separate but connecting fractures, making a 't' shape. as long as they don' spread it should heal in 6-8 weeks. i also fractured a toe. i had my baseline bone density scan in october 2011 when i started arimidex. i have to have a scan every two years, but now of course i wonder. i see my mo next month and of course will let him know. i am just really upset. this may not have anything to do with arimidex but i want to know. my mo is very unsympathetic about the joint pain, calling it a normal se. i was debating asking about switching to a different ai. now i am more confused. this is really rough, the pain is terrible and of course i am supposed to be on bed rest for the next two weeks. then i go back to the ortho for new x-rays and follow up. grrrrrrrr...............thanks for letting me rant!
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Justjanice, so sorry you had that happen. Heal fast!
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I've been away for the holidays and am just catching up.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one with a itchy rash. I started taking Anistrozole mid October. Within a couple of weeks an itchy scaly rash appeared on the bottom of one foot. My GP thought it may be at Athlete's Foot. I went through a tube of anti-fungal cream that did nothing to clear it up. About three weeks later two separate round spots about 1 1/2" across appeared on my torso. Initially they itched like mad. I applied an over-the-counter medication for psoriasis to those spots as well as to the sole of my foot. That stopped the itching, but the spots of red rash are still on my torso. The areas on my foot seem to heal, but if I scrape away the smooth hard scaly surface skin it's raw.
I was taking this in stride since the itching stopped. Is this complication something that should be addressed ASAP? My next appointments with oncologist and GP are 6 weeks away.
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Janis just wanted to pop in and say I hope you heal up fast. You've had quite the time of unpleasant experiences lately. Let's make 2013 an unevenful year, eh?
I haven't been on this thread lately either, but I follow along. I have been taking arimidex (easier to spell) for almost 8 months now. But I was having lung issues after rads and ended up on lots of steriods. I am finally getting better but had a hard time figuring out what SE was coming from which med. I am slowly being weaned off the steriods. I have to say I started to feel like I didn't know who I was anymore. In Oct, Nov I would just cry all the time. I have been going to a therapist and she called my PCP and I have been on an anti depressant and anti anxiety meds for a month now and I feel like myself again. It's not perfect, but so much better. I still have hot flashes and joint pain, but my emotional self is stable. I go to my specialists up in the city, but it is my PCP who sees the whole picture and treats all of me. I had what we thought was a yeast infection except it was on my c section line and under my good breast. Hard to tell if it was the steriods or the AI, it is gone now. We treated it both with oral meds and cream. There don't seem to be too many dull moments on the A train.
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Hi there, joining from the Rads group, just finished up before Christmas, and started generic form of Arimidex on 1/1. I've had a dry scratchy throat since starting, thought it was a cold brewing but no sign of a cold. Does this sound familiar to anyone, could it be a SE of the drug? Was told about possibility of SE ie: joints, bones, hot flashes etc. of course.
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heidismom, now that you mention this, everyday I feel as if I am coming down with something. My throat feels like I can't swallow and sometimes it feels dry and painful! One more S/E to worry about! Thank goodness my memory is going, this way maybe I won't remember all of them! LOL
Mena
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gargle with warm salt water
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Yours is the most recent post I could find! I am suffering with foot and leg pain and trigger finger! Makes me crazy! I am also experiencing hair breakage! Anyone else? Not sure if it's related or not! So happy to have any hair after chemo, but it came back so thin and is now breaking!
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I have this as well! In fact, I have taken to sleeping in a different room from my husband, as my dry throat makes me snore!
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I love you guys. I just logged on to this site and found so many women having the same issues as I! Makes me feel better already! My feet and legs are so painful after sitting for a while. Hot flashes? Ick! The only thing I don't see addressed is hair breakage. I finished chemo/radiation in 2010. I have some hair that is long, but a ton that breaks about 1" from the scalp. Anyone else? I wish good health and peace for all survivors in 2013! We beat it once...keep fighting!
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rocknesmom...I have been on Arimidex/anastrozole for 11 months now and I notice my hair REALLY thinning. It could be partly my age but until I started the Al, I wasn't really concerned. I don't notice it breaking off but rather just falling out. I find it all over the house. I never lost it to that degree before. It is VERY concerning!
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rocknesmom I had more stiffness the last year than this year. Difference is I'm exercising more. I'm still stiff in the morning but not as bad as last year. Also I sit all day at work granted I do get up but not nearly as stiff as last year. I actually don't notice it… but last year when I would sit for even just an hour I was walking like a duck for 30 seconds I was so stiff.
Keep moving and amp up with some with exercise.
I'm losing some hair (receding) but I was before chemo. Still looks better than before chemo. I use Minoxidil for women 1x a day. I think that's why I'm holding on to my hair. Was using before chemo and started again once chemo ended. It can take 3-6 months to notice a difference. A friend of mine had this issue with Anastrozole and started using Minoxidil. It worked for her too.
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I tried the minoxidil for a couple of years but it didn't help me at all. My hair has thinned to such a degree that I now have to wear a hairpiece all the time. After everything we have been through, it's hard to cope with such significant hair loss.
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Before I started the Anastrozole, I spoke with a woman who said she lost more hair on the AIs than she did with chemo.
So I armed myself with a bottle of Biotin and started taking half a 1000 mg tablet every day with the Anastrozole. (I started taking it in September 2012.)
Unfortunately, I still shed like a big collie dog in the summertime!
We were on vacation, and my hair was everywhere.... I felt sorry for the daily cleaning crew.
When I got home, I upped the Biotin dosage to the full 1000 mg a day, and soon the hair loss stopped completely.
My MO said I might see it return for a very short period, but that this is one SE that seems to be cyclical, rather than constant.
It is weird, though, to blow your nose and see your NOSE HAIRS come out!!!
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schatzi ditto on the hair loss here. it is making me nuts too as it is all over the house. the bathroom sink is scary when i comb my hair out. i can't go near the kitchen without pulling it back. now of couse with the broken arm off kitchen duty, but the bathroom sink doesn't lie. i have been taking biotin for over a year and does not seem to help.
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janis...hope the arm isn't giving you too much trouble. Hair loss is hard enough. I googled Biotin and it said there was no scientific evidence to prove it helps hair growth. I know many on here have had good luck with it...the question is...would they have had the same results without it? I decided to not bother..just my luck I would have a reaction to it. LOL
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I have been on anastrazole for 6 months...so far, no hair thinning. Achy joints, hot flashes, aka "personal summers", as well as insomnia. Despite, all of the S/E's, I still feel it's manageable given the consequences.
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Now gals remember using the lint roller when your hair fell out from chemo. Back when this happened to me (2010) they didn't have a sticky buddy but now the do:
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lago, you crack me up! I need three of them! One for home, one for work, and one for the car... I am shedding everywhere.
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lol lago. with two golden retrievers and three cats i need them by the case.
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Hello
I am not sure if this thread is still active, but I joined this website when I spotted this subject on Google... thought I would add my 2 pence (I am typing from London, UK)
Anyway, I have been on Arimidex (or rather the Teva generic Anastrozole) since 25th Feb 2011, so about 23 months. My side effects have been life changing and devastating, but there are no alternatives for me here.
Main SE of course is hot flushes. Chemo launched me into a (bit early) menopause at age of 45 and within 3 months of starting Anastrozole I was having 15 - 20 per day (short, intense ones).. the odd night sweat but my biggest problems have been insomnia (always been heavy problem-free sleeper so this was v.difficult for me); very, very, very painful joints, tendons and muscles and painful sex.
The pain has gradually increased so that now, when I get out of bed I waddle duck like to the bathroom as the joints between my feet and ankles don't work for a while and I am unable to pick up the kettle or a cup until I have had a hot bath or shower. Ouch. Also, have developed tendonitis in practically whole body which has me under the care of a rheumatologist who gives me steroid injections so that I can work, study, type and write. I am now taking 50mg (low dose) of amitriptyline (anti-depressant) to help with hot flushes and sleep, and this works quite well for me, and if I accidentally run out I can't sleep at all, wake up every hour, etc.. so I am quite dependent on these pills, which I don't like but it has also lifted my mood a bit, although I find exercise does this best. I find if I have 8 hours sleep all SE are reduced, and tiredness, stress, worry, etc.. make all SE worse. Great. Another very bad side effect, though this may be menopause is very painful intercourse (without dryness)... yes I can't work that one out either, but this has ended a rather nice casual sexual relationship I had for a few months post-chemo with an old friend. I am single and do not consider myself physically capable now of having a relationship whilst on hormone therapy. Roll on 2016. Never mind the mastectomy and pending reconstruction, that is easy-peasy to deal with compared with a red hot poker like effect of intercouse!
The only thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that if this pill has such a dramatic effect on me, it must be working? Right!!!
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Plimsolls...right! Welcome!
Your SEs are horrible. Can you get Claritin there? It is an allergy med. Many of us here have taken it for aches and joint pains. I am almost a year into Arimidex and just changed over to the generic version. Eventually they lessened. I still walk like a crone after sitting for too long. Moving makes it disappear.
For me the worst SE is hair thinning and loss but then again I am 69. As for the painful sex...I can relate (believe it or not lol). You mention the problem is NOT dryness. Did I understand that correctly? I would suggest you see an OB/GYN in that case because if the pain were caused by dryness they could give you a cream for that. If not, I would have no clue.
I also have insomnia but that is the norm for me for other reasons totally unrelated to BC. I guess you just have to persist until you get answers. Can you get Femara there? I know some gals get really good results from that drug. I hope you are able to get some relief soon.
As for the "casual" relationship, don't despair...hopefully with a change of meds or some new ones, that problem will solve itself.
Please check in and feel free to vent or just chat...you will have some other opinions as well. Good Luck!
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Last March, I finally found relief from the horrific fibromyalgia pain I'd suffered from for ten years. Turns out, I was on a gluten-free diet...and it worked!! My pain went from a 9-10, with me frequently crumpled on the couch or in bed, suckin' down the Vicodin, to a 2 or a 3.
Of course, losing weight helped, as did staying active. Eventually I was power walking for an hour, riding my adult trike for 45 minutes, or doing 90 minutes of water aerobics in a 94 degree therapy pool at the local rehab hospital.
But that all came to a grinding halt last August.
I had my Exchange surgery, and with it, a whole slew of restrictions. (I had a ton of pocket work done.) NO pool for me...the heated water could be harboring organisms that could get in my still-healing incisions.... nothing that would raise my heart rate
, no reaching, lifting, pulling, stretching...you get the picture.My incisions took a long time to close up for some reason. No pool for me!
Then I fell and ruptured the bursa in my right knee. That was good for a month off.
I started to recover from that, and a display fell on me in Best Buy, cracking two toes on my left foot. That STILL hurts, and I'm supposed to stay off of them. Now it seems like the joint is fused in one of the toes.
Then I got really sick with an upper respiratory infection and bronchial asthma. Couldn't stop coughing.
Well, the point of this pathetic litany of complaints is that the joint and muscle pain is back, big time!!!
I've been on the Anastrozole for four months. I take a daily Claritin, as well as a daily Aleve. Since the pain was keeping me awake at night, I was taking a Benadryl and a Valium to sleep, and that really helped. (I do have a scrip for Elavil; I used to take four a night to get to that restful sleep place with the fibromyalgia.)
I'm thinking that rather than the fibromyalgia coming back, I am just suffering the aftereffects of stopping exercise altogether. I was going back to the pool last week, when I found I had a "spitting suture" and once again, my incision opened up. Once again, NO POOL FOR ME!!!
I am hanging on to the hope that once I can start moving again, this muscle and joint pain will go away. I certainly don't intend to go back on the dozen or more prescription meds I was on last year!!!
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Blessings, I am so sorry to hear what you are going through. You worked so hard to feel better and then all the crap happened. I wish I could say something to make you feel better. As hard as it is, I hope that once you get the ok to go into the pool again, that you will bring yourself back to that better place.
I would like to blame the cyst (I think that is what it is) on my spine on Arimidex but I had this happen once, about 9 years ago - before breast cancer. What I find though is that because now I can't exercise, it is affecting me negatively both physically and emotionally. I spend too much time cooped up in the house by myself. Winter is hard enough. This makes it worse. The hair loss is devastating. I don't have words to describe how bad it is. I've been taking Biotin for 3 years and I don't see any change. My acupuncturist suggested I up it to 6000 mg. day from the 2000. Since it's not terribly expensive I bought enough for 2 months and if I don't see a difference I will stop.
Arimidex really destroys QofL but I had my ovaries out and my bc was still 100% ES+ so I have to take something and this is better than Tamoxifen.0
