For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
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yes...and without it, many would not be able to retire because a lot of companies no longer offer retiree healthcare benefits unless you have been with the company for several years. Gone are the days when most people stay with a company for 30 years!
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I live in NJ and have United Healthcare Medicare Advantage. My surgery and everything involved ( mammos, surgery. oncotyping radioactive dye and radioactive seed ) cost me not a penny ( thank God ) My arimidex costs me $6 for 90 days. So far my BC journey has not really cost me much. I pray to God it stays this way !
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me too, since I need to work now mostly because I need health care coverage rather than the salary level...I don't want to retire early and have to bridge the time by paying for private insurance until I turn 65 and start using Medicare. So...I work...and generally can afford my deductible and copays ( even though I am not among the very wealthy). So, I am fine with the system. Most Americans will need Medicare unless they are very wealthy. .and the very wealthy can afford their private insurance deductible and copays before retirement.
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My out of pocket expenses are $6750. I have to start over in January and pay that amount again for next year's treatment. The HP I am taking every three weeks cost $21000. I have four more years before I qualify for Medicare. This is so stressful.
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I wish those of us who do not have Medicare would be eligible for the cost of Arimidex on Medicare, if that makes any sense. Annie, I understand what you're going through. Hugs. Lisa
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I feel your pain too... my husband is on Medicare and United HealthCare. I have three more years before I will be eligible for Medicare. I pay $1100 monthly premium and have an $8,000 deductible before I insurance pays for anything.
☹️Bella
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I'm not offended. I was delighted to go on Medicare. I had a pre-existing condition and I worked to keep "no physical" company health care. My husband, who retired young because of a family history of heart disease was paying way more for health insurance than when he went on Medicare. But all Medicare plans aren't created equal. Rbreny sounds like she has a great one. I do too but it's because of my supplement, not just Medicare.
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I also couldn't be more pleased with my combination of Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield Medigap F plan plus AARP prescription programs. The only thing I pay is my Rx copay. Period. Worth the extra money.
HUGS!
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Thanks ladies. I’ll tr magnesium glycinate!
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Orangedaisy, I also have joint pain (had it prior to BC- osteo & rheumatoid arthritis) and leg cramps. Initially my pharmacist recommended CoQu10 200-300 mg daily and it helped. Then I started to see an Integrative Dr. & she has me taking curcumin- 2250mg (3 vegetarian capsules daily) and magnesium glycinate- 4 x 120 mg daily. I also did the elimination diet for 6 weeks & turned out I have a sensitivity to gluten. Gluten can cause inflammation, if I eat even the least amount I start to ache. Like so many of you, I don’t want to take other meds or pain relievers that could cause more health concerns. Hugs to all for what each one Iives with on a daily bases to be cancer free! Like PontiacPeggy says “everything is doable” even on the tough days! Hang in there and we will get through this together, thanks for all the tips, support, & wisdom
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I agree with the poster above who recommended GoodRx. Anyone can use it, with or without insurance/Medicare. Whatever pharmacy you use can check the GoodRx price for you too.
I just checked the GoodRx app on my phone for Anastrozole: $22 for a 90 day supply. When I tried putting in Arimidex though, Anastrozole came up. I guess that means the name brand is not available through GoodRx.
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I have been on anastrozole for 4 1/2 years. The side effects went mostly unnoticed for the first 2 years. In the last 2 years they have gotten progressively worse. The joint aches and pains are getting almost intolerable. I have a 6 month appointment with oncology in about 2 weeks and I am going to ask if that last 6 months of this drug is going to make that much difference. I’m trying to hang in there but this is getting really hard. If there was just something I could take at night for pain so I could sleep better, it would really help! As of now, there is just no way I will continue taking it after 5 years if I can even hold out that long
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Stillme54 I am sorry to hear you are suffering so much on the Anastrazole. I only took if for just over 5 months this year then stopped as the joint problems were impossible to live with, have gone on to Tamoxifen instead, and while I still have some joint issues on it, nothing like I had on the Anastrazole. I hope they say it will be OK to skip the last 6 months.
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hey Mexico heather
I have been taking mine every other day as well. I have read up that the 1/2 life of the pill remains in ones system for over 48 hrs. So Im hoping its still doing its job. But like you its how I can tolerate
I take the real arimidex from Eagle. Lets keep in touc
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Okay, Mama Oz. Good to hear from you on this thread. My bloodwork gets checked in November. I am wearing compression socks sometimes if I feel achy. Bone density was unchanged, too.
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Hi everyone, I wanted to give an update. I've been off of aromatase inhibitors now for about 3 ½ months, after being on them for 7 years. My side effects were unbearable the last year or so. The first few years they pretty much stayed the same. Then they just began to build until I was unable to walk much, and was using a cane. I began thinking about what kind of walker to get, or a wheel chair. I also had swelling of all joints, especially knees. I had fatigue, depression, couldn't concentrate, pain in hands, hips, back. Then I did research on the studies in the ASCO guidelines that recommended up to 10 years on AI. 2 of those studies showed that 7 and the other one said 7 ½ years (making 2 to 2 ½ years extended therapy) was just as good as 10. That's when I decided that for me it was time to stop. After I stopped, It took about 5 weeks to notice any improvement. First I noticed the depression was better and the brain fog. It wasn't until about week 10 that I began to notice improvement in joints. Now at 3 ½ months. The swelling in joints has gone down considerably, my tinnitus that I got from Chemo in 2011 is improving, depression only occasionally now, brain fog better, stamina better, I can go from a sitting position to standing without pushing off with my hands, sleeping better, breathing better. I can walk a ½ mile now. I go up the 3 steps to my porch without help. I'm not back to my precancer self, but I have hope that I will in another few months. I'm also 8 years older, so we'll see how much of this is age related. My left knee still gets painful after I walk a while. Also lower back, but hey I can even dance a little. I'm happy. I do worry about recurrence, but hey I got a second primary in other breast while on AI's. I see my onco Oct. 28 and fear he is going to try to talk me into going on Tamoxifen. He mentioned it at my last appointment. He said it wasn't as effective as AI but wouldn't cause pain. I'm not so sure about that.
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GrandmaV--thanks so much for checking in. I think all of us on an AI are curious about how life might change when we finally get to go off. Did you always know you'd be on it for longer than five years? I still have over four years left but I've been telling myself even if I get to that point and more is recommended, I'll give myself some time off.
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ingerp - my doc didn't tell me about extended therapy until I was at the end of 5 years. I was devastated. As long as I had a finish line I could stand it. He ordered the BCI test which showed high risk/ high benefit. Again devastated. So I continued. Went on month long break, which didn't help a whole lot, last fall and switched to anastrozole. My condition continued to get worse. I researched more on BCI test and found that my risk of recurrence at beginning of AI treatment (year 0) was 26%, (absolute risk) and end of first 5 years was 14%(again absolute risk) and the best I can hope for with extended therapy is reduction of risk to 10%. According to the 2 studies I mentioned before that last 4% reduction happens in the first 2 to 2 1/2 years of extended therapy. In an interview, Dr. Gnant. who conducted the 7 year study said they included high risk patients and the same results. So for me I decided I did enough extended therapy.
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GrandmaV--thanks so much for this. I figure I have four more years and we'll see what the research suggests then. And I am really sorry. I know I'd be crushed if I had a date in mind for five years and then found out I had to continue. But I agree--enough is enough.
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Anastrozole (Zydus)
Okay, I started with Accord brand for 90 days, pick up new rx Zydus. Side affects are horrible! Anyone else? I see both of these brands have had recalls this summer. UGH!
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I’m not sure if that price increase for arimidex has been raised here ( name brand when you order direct through eagle) so what are people doing about this? And does anyone know why this happened.Thanks.
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MissouriCatLady - check Eagle pharmacy-brand name- for mail order direct for Arimidex. I was taking that drug, but issues with joints made me stop. My insurance would have charged $6-7/day for this, but I could get it directly from the manufacturer for $1/day. When I finally got the order, issues with joints were subsiding and I was reluctant to take it, so I asked my doctor for Tamoxifen instead. It looks like the price has gone to $2/day , but is still a lot cheaper than insurance would have charged. Your DR will need to send an Rx to thm. You could get a 30-day supply.
https://www.eaglepharmacy.com/drug/arimidex
2009 ER+ left breast. 52 yrs. Lumpectomy, Sentinel node removal, negative. Radiation 6 weeks, tamoxifen 5 years. Dense lumpy left breast, normal right. Acupuncture offered at facility as part of integrative medicine. It really helped with anxiety/stress during radiation treatment.
2016 ER+ left breast. Probably a new cancer, but unknown. 4 rounds TC Aug-Oct 2016, Bi-lateral (my choice) Nov 2016, no reconstruction. 2 sentinel nodes remove, negative. Cold Capping using Chemo Cold Caps (DIGNICAP not available). Anastrozole 1 mg starting May 2017. Joint issues noticed immediately. Stopped Anastrozole after 3-4 months due to joint stiffness in. After several months of no AIs, fingers were feeling better. Started tamoxifen March 2018
10/2018 noticed stiffness and some trigger finger again. Was eating meat a lot more (daily) than normal. Usually 1-2 /wk. Have cut way back on the meat, seems to help, but one finger still very prone to trigger finger.
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grandma v
Thanks for sharing ..
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Thanks Ingerp and MamaOz
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Sep 28, 2019 10:15PM Stillme54 wrote:
I have been on anastrozole for 4 1/2 years. The side effects went mostly unnoticed for the first 2 years. In the last 2 years they have gotten progressively worse. The joint aches and pains are getting almost intolerable. I have a 6 month appointment with oncology in about 2 weeks and I am going to ask if that last 6 months of this drug is going to make that much difference. I'm trying to hang in there but this is getting really hard. If there was just something I could take at night for pain so I could sleep better, it would really help! As of now, there is just no way I will continue taking it after 5 years if I can even hold out that long.______________________________________________________________
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Stillme54, when you get the word on your last 6 months, do report back. I have 9 months to go until 5 years, and the idea of shortening that to 3 months makes me giddy.
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hi all, I remember some saying they had depression on anastrozole and were taking an antidepressant, can you tell me what your docs have prescribed. Ive been back on it for 2 months, after my three week vacation, and can feel myself slipping into my dark place. Not as bad yet but the signs are popping up. I need to decide what to do. Initially I thought I’d quit taking anastrozole but after researching my risks thought it best not to do that. I just need to figure out how to deal with the moods and blues
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BlueGirlRedState, thank you - I received my name-brand from Eagle Pharmacy on Saturday.
Carpediem56 - I am taking Accord right now and not having any leg cramps, knock on wood and PTL. There are other generics you can try, Teva (I got it at Walgreens), Zydus (ugh, didn't work for me), Breckenridge, among others. Ask your pharmacist; they do not always put the name on the bottle, but they know where it came from, and what else they can get you. I am thankful the Accord is working, but am going to hang on to my Eagle name-brand, just in case the road takes a turn. My Envision RX insurance at work was going to have me pay $240 a month, so $60 is a bargain.
NoWhyToit - They raised the price, in my opinion, because they can. Our insurance is a sad state of affairs. I have gotten so frustrated the past few weeks, but there is not much to do about it.
MacTaz - I hope someone else will speak up, but if my memory is not failing me, and it might be, it seems at though Effexor was one of the drugs. Please know that we are here for you, my friend. This is a support group, and we are listening and are here to help you, just please know that.
This is an easy path for some, and a hard path for others, and I am here and willing to help in any way that I can. PM me anytime. We are all on this ship together. Hugs, Lisa
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I'm seeing on here that a lot of people are complaining of fatigue while on Arimidex. Is there anything you have found to improve it? I am a teacher and am on my feet all day and I am so exhausted and sore by the end of the day that I just want to cry. Brain fog is bad too which makes my job more difficult. I am at the beginning of my "journey" and I think I will burn out if I have to do five more years like this. I try to stay positive and pretend to be cheery but its getting harder. The few times I've complained to anyone I've been told, "well, at least you didn't have to do chemo" which just makes me feel like I don't have any right to feel bad.
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Whatjusthappened-
I'm not sure how long you've been on the AI. When I started Anastrozole I too had brain fog for 4-6 months. It seemed to get better over time. Now I'm 19 months in, and every now & then I'll feel I can't find a word, but its more a rarity (age?). Hoping yours passes too.
Add in, until they've walked in our shoes, others comments about how we feel has to roll off of us. We know we got lucky with no chemo, but hells bells no one said we'd be feeling like this from the tiny white daily pill for 5 years.
Today I had my 2nd yearly mammo and ultrasound since my LX surgery. I got the all clear! And yes, I was sweating all through it. One of those trying to be calm but my arm pits gave me away.
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METCAZ - have you talked to your MO about other AI choices? I was angry almost all the time on anastrozole and things have really smoothed out on letrozole. I admit that my hair is thinning but I'm developing quite the hat wardrobe and am happy most of the time. My hot flashes are also much less frequent. Good luck with finding the right fit for you.
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