For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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Nynn, welcome! We're glad you found us. I hope you don't have SEs also. Remember that not everyone gets SEs. With those that do, sometimes changing the manufacturer of your anastrozole can do the trick, sometimes the SEs ebb over time, sometimes a change to a different AI is needed, and sometimes nothing much helps. Please help us help you by filling out your profile and making it public via SETTINGS. And tell us where you live - we could be close by. Best of luck!
HUGS!
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make sure it's D3
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I've also been diagnosed with osteoporosis recently and started the Anastrozole 11/1/16. My MO prescribed Prolia but I haven't gotten insurance authorization yet since I was sent for a dental clearance first. Apparently, the jaw complication can occur if you have an extraction or any other invasive procedure while on Prolia. Lucky me, my dentist just found two questionable areas that may require extraction/implants so I have to wait before initiating any bone med. The MO only would discuss the Prolia and she was a little dismissive when I mentioned my concerns about my chronic dental issues plus the fact the I need bilateral knee replacements is soon as I'm up to it. I just finished radiation a couple of months ago so I want to be 100% before I schedule surgery.
I want an MO who can help me sort out my options regarding choice of bone drug and give me some direction about my knee surgeries in the context of my breast cancer treatment status. I scheduled an initial visit with a new MO who specializes in BC and I'm hoping he'll be more informative and supportive. This is overwhelming.
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Marcella pa.....you pretty much hit the nail on the head. this is "overwhelming" It's doable for sure, but overwhelming and exhausting is really more like it. sometimes I think the shock of how it would feel after "kicking cancer's ass"
I am deeply grateful, but that does not in any way diminish how life altering the diagnosis, treatment and after effects are to someone's life. everything is different, and it can seem that it's all at the same time...not to mention that it's for the rest of our lives. I will admit though that merely typing it or saying it aloud helps. kinds gets the elephant out of the room.. never goes away.....but each day is finding a new normal in terms of finding and adjusting to our new way of life..........0 -
Bjb01, you have articulated things that have been swirling around in my head for a long time. I fought the idea that life would change after dx and treatment, or that I would change, but the attempt was ludicrous. So, thank you!
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Peggy, I got a call from my Dr.s office and the Prolia had been approved, but she wrote for the reclast instead.. she was very apologetic, so I get my shot on the 30th
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Judy, great news!!
HUGS!
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strongenough....i don't think it was ludicrous at all. i felt the same way. we merely had no way of knowing that the end of the cancer battle would really be the end. i really fought for several months even saying the words. I was NOT gonna give in. I went through chemo and 33 rads and only took 1 day off work. so of course, I win. right? hahaha! maybe not
either way, i start each and everyday hoping that this might be a better day and that my body might give me a break. usually doesn't happen.....but we are here to speak about it. merry CHRISTmas 0 -
Hi Nynn and welcome! I've been on anastrozole since Feb. The only effects I'm having are neck muscle spasms and some forgetfulness, mainly around words and tasks. I really rely on to-do lists these days. I manage the spasms with a cannabis-infused cream. But, if you're not in a state where that is legal, I found that the essential oil Deep Blue helped as well. I also try to stretch and do relaxation meditation daily.
I'm having to have the infusion counterpart (Zometa) to Prolia for my osteopenia. My insurance wouldn't approve the Prolia unless I had tried Zometa and couldn't tolerate it. But, the only problem I had with that was flu-like symptoms about 36 hours after.
Happy Holidays, everyone. May they be joyous and filled with peace.
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Peggy, I'm not sure I understand you. What is filler and how do I ask to change it? The bottle of AI says Anastrozole so I should ask for Amiridex instead? Sorry, I thought they're both same.
Also, I figured out myself that the back of my left and right arm pain may be from stretching my arms above my head during radiation(30 or so minutes). The back of the neck kind of improve by adjusting the pillow. The only other thing is joint of my hands which feels weak at times, and legs that feel stressed when I get up from sitting in a chair too long. Does anyone have similar symptoms? Thanks.
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Houston, the brandname Arimidex and generic anastrozole have the SAME "active" ingredient. However, each manufacturer uses different ingredients to bind everything into a pill. Thus, you may have a reaction to the Accord anastrozole but not the Teva. YOU cannot change the fillers but you can ask for a specific manufacturer. I have always asked for and received Teva's anastrozole. Is that a bit clearer? And, yes, sometimes switching to the brandname will do the trick. Of course, sometimes it doesn't matter which manufacturer's anastrozole you take, you get SEs. Then it is worth trying another AI.
Your radiation sessions are THIRTY minutes? Wow. Mine were 10 minutes. My shoulders would have been screaming.
Some of your SEs could be leftover from your chemo, too.
Good luck!
HUGS!
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Houston, the 'fillers' are the dyes, additives to hold the pill together... my DH was allergic to the blue dye..
I have arthritis in both hands, thumbs... just found out i had to ask a neighbor to open a bottle of juice for me, first time i couldn't do it...
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Thanks Everyone, I would definitely ask the pharmacy about Teva manufacture. You're right, Peggy, some of my SE could be from chemo, it just happened the same time with Arimidex. My rads session feels like 30 minutes with all the setting up tugging back and forth, could be 15.
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Judy, this is what you need to open jars! I have one and it works like a dream even on pickle jars which I find very hard to open. Jar Opener Works on wine bottles that have screw caps, too
Houston, Good heavens your rad sessions are very different from what I had. Plop on the table, Put the foam form for my arms above my head, move me about a bit. It usually took just a couple minutes maximum. If you're uncomfortable though it can seem like forever. Also, it is possible that the Arimidex made your chemo-induced SEs more noticable. Anything is possible!
HUGS!
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Thanks Peggy! I just checked it out.. will definitely be getting one and you did miss our worst storm.. it was 2009-10 and a lot of buildings had their roofs cave in from the weight..
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Glad to help out, Judy. Also had bad snow storms (and ice storms) in Michigan. Not a fan
HUGS!
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Just a reading suggestion I'm passing on. I downloaded the Kindle version for my Ipad.
This was a great and fast read that really captured the experience.
Cancer Vixen A True Story by Marisa Acocella Marchetto
Merry Merry everyone...
Marcella
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I have not logged on in several months. However, I am back:)
I was diagnosed 7/2015 went through 4 rounds of chemo and started arimidex this past January.I am post menopause (about 5 years) but for the past couple days I have that feeling like I used to get before getting my period. the heavy thigh feeling etc. Last night I began having a vaginal discharge (no blood) although it was a thicker white at first and now it is thinner and yellow. (not much at all but enough to wear a panty liner and feel YUCKY)
did anyone ever experience vaginal discharge while on arimidex
Thanks Phyllis
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PNY - Probably nothing but I think it's worth a call into you GYN.
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Seeing new oncologist Tues (previous practice disbanded and my oncologist retired - new group formed) lets see what her opinion is on my deciding no aromatase meds at all.0
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Phyllis - I do experience discharge. According to my GYN it's normal while on Arimidex. I had it worse on Tamoxifin. However, she did also tell me the yeast infections are normal while on the drug and has written me a prescription for a cream I get refilled without having to go in everytime for an exam. You may want to make appt to be sure the discharge is not due to a yeast infection.
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After 5 years on Arimidex, my oncologist recommended another 5 years. I was hesitant, but when he asked about side effects, I had a hard time pinpointing them as it has been 5 years on, and that time overlapped into the chemo. So, I made the decision to take a break. Over the past 7 weeks, I have seen my blood pressure go down to the point that my internist is taking me off of my blood pressure med, I am sleeping better without restlessness tied to hot flashes all night, my cholesterol has dropped, my lymphedema in the arm and trunk has decreased, and my sex life has returned. The only thing that has not subsided is joint pain, but with arthritis running in my family, that is not a surprise. I ran across this new genetic testing when researching Arimidex and wondered if any here have had the Breast Cancer Index run? You can find info on it at www.answersbeyond5.com . It is a test done on the tumor tissue (hopefully saved at the hospital) that can predict the few people who might benefit from the 10 years of Arimidex treatment. Since stopping and seeing the impact it was having on my heart, I have very little desire to restart it unless I have a very clear reason to.
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Interesting! I was told I'd be doing 10 years from the beginning. My se's aren't all that bad. I started melatonin am sleeping better and seem to be able to skip my afternoon nap!
But I CANNOT skip my calcium and D3, or I'm in a world of big time hurt.
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My MO is a huge fan of the Breast Cancer Index test. He says he does about 30 a week. He's running it on my tissue next year at my 5 year mark to decide whether to continue Tamoxifen, swap to an AI or quit altogether. My dad's best friend is a well know MO in another state. I saw him at Christmas. He said he does about 100 a week and wishes every BC patient would get their doc to run it. He said I should get my MO to do it now. Said its accurate to within about .00001 percent! He thinks it a huge breakthrough is the hormonal therapy treatment plan.
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Dear sister warriors, here is some info I wanted to share. 1) Anastrozole (started April 2014) caused a 10% bone density loss in my spine (Jan 2016), so my endocrinologist suggested Fosamax (generic). Once I started taking Fosamax, my GI tract was not happy. I made it happy again, when I started taking probiotics. 2) I was diagnosed in July 2013. Several years before that I started taking Red Yeast Rice to lower my cholesterol. RYR worked well for me then, lowering from 240 to 190. Onc asked to stop all vitamins and supplements during chemo, which I did. After being on RYR for a year after chemo, my cholesterol was lowered from 220 to 160. YAY! I take a RYR capsule with CoQ10. 3) I had a crummy October, b/c I felt depressed for about a third of the month; just wanted to pull the covers over my head and tell everyone to leave me alone. When I saw onc in Nov, he recommended Zoloft (Geez - another drug; not taking yet) and CanCare, where I was matched with a woman in my area with a similar profile. I can strongly recommend CanCare. Talking to my support partner was incredibly helpful to my emotional well-being. 4) I wore a mouth piece (MP) 2011-2016 (during chemo & rad) to help reduce snoring, keep my teeth aligned from wearing braces in my 40s,and protect teeth from nighttime clenching. MP + chemo + anastrozole likely shifted my upper jaw backward (noted but uncommon SE of the MP) and caused some micro-chipping of the enamel at the gum line in many side and back teeth. $15k later, I now have "bondo" on the teeth to help re-align the molars and fill the micro-chip gaps at gums. Praying there are no further teeth issues, as I'm rather "attached" to them!
Happy New Year, girls! Thank you to all who share info, and Keep fighting! Hugs.
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OK, after stalling for weeks, I'm going to start my Arimidex. I'm afraid. I stopped Tamoxifen die to it's liver SEs. This AI supposedly has the same potential. Fingers crossed things don't get too bad.
I'm going to start by taking it at night, like I did the Tam. I also just started PT to get me back into some normal human shape after my DIEP flap surgery. I am thinking the combo is going to make me hurt something fierce, but, maybe not. It is so strange how SEs vary so widely for every person.
Anyhow- I need to read through all of your posts to find tips and tricks to help with it all. I'll try to collate them all into some sort of file to share with you all. It may take a few months, but, please keep posting as much info as you can about your SEs, supplements, etc Maybe we can really get some data together that will help us all.
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JWoo, Keep in mind that Tamoxifen and Arimidex are totally different animals. I'm sorry you were so miserable on Tamoxifen. I hope you will do well on Arimidex. All I can say is that I'm doing fine after over 2 years. I do take a couple of supplements: 3000 units of vitamin D3, 400mcg Folic Acid (since I drink wine) and 5000 units Biotin (my hair was thinning due to stress and now it seems to be coming back). I take my Arimidex in the morning since some people said it interfered with sleep when they took it at night. I haven't noticed a problem. Good luck!
HUGS!
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JWoo, my MO told me that Arimidex is not associated with liver problems. My liver enzymes were elevated, switched from Tamox to Arimidex a few weeks ago. Hoping to see improvement in liver numbers during my next physical
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Hi Jen
My MO said to take 5000 Vit D3 and 1200 mg calcium daily to help against joint pain. It really helps me. If you get hot flashes with it ask for Effexor. That helps too.
Nice to see you here, well, sorta.
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Will be 8 years on Arimidex/Anastrozole next month. I take 2000 mg calcium and 4000 Vit D3 daily per my MO and endocrinologist due to slight bone loss. Tried Fosamax and could not tolerate it. Just had my first Prolia shot yesterday, no issue. Also do all kinds of bone building (weight bearing) exercises, water aerobics, water volleyball, pickleball, walking, dancing. For the record, I have not had any significant SE's with this med which I take in the morning.
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