For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
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Fac 03 In my thoughts today as you visit with your primary.
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Hi everyone! I am wondering if any of you has developed trigger finger due to Anastrazole. I was taking Arimidex, but switched to Anastrazole by Accord when Arimidex went up in price. I started taking Anastrazole in August 2017. Then took Arimidex for about 1 year until price went up. Also, I recently developed hip joint pain. I might go back to taking name brand Arimidex to see if it makes a difference.
In the meantime, has anyone developed trigger finger? If so, what have you done to resolve the issue?
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Cali58 - I get name-brand Arimidex from a CVS Pharmacy for the Good RX price of about $23 a month. I know, I didn't believe it either. You might check that out. I think back on this thread someone posted the coupon. Edited: Added photo.
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I had trigger thumb. My PCP did a cortisone shot, no more problem.
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I also developed a trigger finger that required a cortisone shot; that was about 10 months ago and no problems since. I'm on arimidex (which is anastrozole) -- originally I took Teva brand but had to switch to Accord when that became unavailable. Cortisone on a regular basis is not a good solution, however sometimes it is a necessity!
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just had a cortisone shot for de quervains tensonyvitis, fingers crossed!
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bennybear
after 18 months on arimidex with no issues, I also developed the same thing and it was severe. At one point I was unable to grip a pen! The shot was administered about 6 weeks ago and it's been 100% effective so far; hope it lasts and that it also works for you.
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I had cortisone shot in thumb back in February. Girlfriend on same AI has trigger finger and is getting surgery on it. All SE from Anastrozole.
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thank you
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Thank you all for the helpful information. I have an appointment with a hand specialist, orthopedist, in January. I was on Arimidex years ago and also developed trigger finger. I remember the shot is very painful. I have been stretching my finger and Using a splint at night. It’s somewhat better now, but still painful, uncomfortable and it triggers. Thanks for the cvs coupon information. I will call cvs tomorrow. I hope I can get it. I called my pharmacy today to find out how much Arimidex costs. They told me $2,430 or so for a 30 day supply — pretty shocking!!
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best of luck! Mine seems to be settling hopefully. It also messed up my knee. It is always worth asking your oncologist what the percentage of benefit is to you for the Arimidex. For-me it was only 2%.
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Cali58 - trigger finger from Arimidex, DEFINITELY!!! I have taken a generic anastrozole and am now taking the brand name Arimidex. So far, the SEs seems to be less with the brand name, but middle finger on left locks up easily. Brand name through insurance was about $7/pill, but when bought directly from the drug company, only $2/pill. I think turmeric helps. Make sure supplement has black pepper. If using fresh or poweder, add black pepper. Have also eliminated alcohol and trying to cut down more on sugar, I generally have not eaten more than a few servings/week of meat (seldom beef) for years. If I eat more, stiffness seems to get worse.
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. Trigger finger seemed to be getting better, but now 4/2019 seems worse, is it the break from added turmeric to meals?
Swelling in R-arm, opposite side from where lymph nodes removed. Noticed 6/18/2019. Could have been swelling earlier but wearing long sleeves. Trip to urgent care. They did ultrasound, concerned that there might be a clot, there was not. Started seeing lymphatic therapist 7/2/2019. Stopped seeing lymphatic therapist early October. She did not think it would help until tumor removed/chemo'd/radiated into oblivion.
8/2019 CT, Breast/chest , neck/thyroid ultra sound
9/2019 DR ordered biopsy, said it could be lymphoma, cancer, benign lymphatic. Biopsy R-axilla. Cancer. Genetic test showed no known markers (20+ looked for)
9/29/2019 PET scan, no indication of spread. Arimidex and Ibrance prescribed to shrink tumor prior to surgery.
10/2019 – Stopped Tamoxifen. Started Arimidex and Ibrance. Brand name Arimidex so far does not seem to have the SEs that generics did, but stiff/trigger finger on left middle finger returned.
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Hi all, apologies if this has already been discussed, but what happens if anastrozole is stopped at 5 years? Is there a rebound effect? Does recurrence risk increase?
I've had minimal side effects and like the reassurance taking this gives me. I do plan to discuss with MO in January during my check up but wanted to check for any info here.
Thanks
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Thisiknow, here is another good explanation. Don't worry yourself about this but do have a good detailed conversation with your OC. I would think this is all being considered in your treatment plan. I wish you the best and make sure you list out all your question for your OC before you meet with him or the next time you see him. I came armed with a list of questions every time I met with him. I had 2 IDC tumors and DCIS in one breast, all grade three. I'm doing exceptionally wellnow, and in two days I will be one year since my last chemo treatment. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Take care and wish you the best.
Grade III (high-grade) DCIS
In the high-grade pattern, DCIS cells tend to grow more quickly and look much different from normal, healthy breast cells. People with high-grade DCIS have a higher risk of invasive cancer, either when the DCIS is diagnosed or at some point in the future. They also have an increased risk of the cancer coming back earlier — within the first 5 years rather than after 5 years.
https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/dcis/diagnosis
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Catsme, I took my last anastrozole October 16th, after 5 years. So far I haven't noticed any change. I didn't notice much of anything in SEs either. I had hair loss before anastrozole and I don't see that that has stopped or improved. My MO said that with my diagnosis there really wasn't any need to continue on beyond 5 years. The disadvantages were greater, including bone loss. I will see him in June for the last time (which is sad since I really like him). My NP who serves as my PCP took me off Fosamax saying that there has been no advantage shown for taking it beyond 5 years. So no prescriptions. It does feel strange. But I trust my doctors.
Keep in mind that every single MO and patient are different. So my experience is mine. I'm glad you've done well on it.
HUGS!
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Thanks PontiacPeggy. I'm pretty sure I'll end anastrazole at 5 years. I do have osteoporosis, and as it turns out I had it b4 my BC diagnosis, but found out after. I'm getting Prolia injections every 6 months, so my guess is the bone risk may out way the benefits, but will discuss with MO.
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Catsme, keep in mind that I'm 74. That may be a factor in my MO's decision, too.
HUGS!
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Magnesium users - how much do you take a day? I take 450 of magnesium glycinate when I get off work about 5:30 and 400 magnesium taurate before I go to bed. For the most part, this helps with my leg cramps, except occasionally I still have problems. I recently came across this article: https://www.jigsawhealth.com/blog/drug-muggers-suz...
14 Drugs that Deplete Magnesium - anastrozole is on the list. I've had them check my magnesium level when they take my blood and it runs about 1.5. I go back next week and think I will have them check it again.
Thank you, Lisa
Edited: Another good article that lists which drugs deplete magnesium: https://mghealth.org/magnesium-drug-interactions/
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I take 165 mag citrate in gummies daily, at various times, whenever I remember. Have I yet, or no? Chemo brain going on. Seems to be helping the leg cramps.
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Thank you, Spookiesmom. I looked at these at Walmart, I may get some of those.
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I’m not taking as much as the bottle recommends—it suggests two pills twice a day but I take one at lunch and one in the evening. Each is 100 mg of magnesium glycinate, which doesn’t cause tummy problems. I do think it’s helped with leg cramps.
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Thank you, Ingerp.
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How much magnesium and what formulation? I am now taking 400 mg magnesium glycinate. This formulation seems to work better for me than Mg citrate or Mg malate. There are a lot more formulations out there, and these are the only ones I've tried. I first boosted the amount of mg years ago, back in the days I was jogging, and well before cancer. I would get occasional "Charlie horses" just as I was falling asleep. Increasing the Mg/Ca combo balance to 100% Mg, and less than 100% Ca really helped. Tamoxifen started calf cramps, which could happen at any time, and were painful spurred me to look at Mg again, and I started taking 100% MG (probably citrate) by itself. I had dropped Calcium supplements after reading that too much might cause heart issues for some women. The Mg helped, but did not completely get rid of the cramps. On one forum a writer wrote that Mg glycinate or biglycinate worked better for her, so I switched to glycinate (biglycinate only seemed to be available as powder). It worked better. For one or two months I tried mg malate after reading that this was favored by some athletes. It did not work as well as the glycinate, so I went back to it. You might want to get small amounts initially to determine what works better for you. Just do not take too much, since it will induce loose stools, and is one of the ingredients when prepping for colonoscopy. I am repeating this post on the "Complementary treatment" forum, when one user suggested an additional forum for "supplements" and the moderators suggested that the "Complementary" forum would be the appropriate forum for this. It would be nice if bloggers were willing to duplicate supplement/alternative treatment/integrated therapy etc. on that forum so "supplement" information is easier to find.
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. Trigger finger seemed to be getting better, but now 4/2019 seems worse, is it the break from added turmeric to meals?
Swelling in R-arm, opposite side from where lymph nodes removed. Noticed 6/18/2019. Could have been swelling earlier but wearing long sleeves. Trip to urgent care. They did ultrasound, concerned that there might be a clot, there was not. Started seeing lymphatic therapist 7/2/2019. Stopped seeing lymphatic therapist early October. She did not think it would help until tumor removed/chemo'd/radiated into oblivion.
8/2019 CT, Breast/chest , neck/thyroid ultra sound
9/2019 DR ordered biopsy, said it could be lymphoma, cancer, benign lymphatic. Biopsy R-axilla. Cancer. Genetic test showed no known markers (20+ looked for)
9/29/2019 PET scan, no indication of spread. Arimidex and Ibrance prescribed to shrink tumor prior to surgery.
10/2019 – Stopped Tamoxifen. Started Arimidex and Ibrance. Brand name Arimidex so far does not seem to have the SEs that generics did, but stiff/trigger finger on left middle finger returned.
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Thank you very kindly!!
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Bennybear: I was just diagnosed with de quervains tensonyvitis, OMG so painful. 3 doctors said no relation to Anastrozole, I am not convinced as it is my left hand and I am right handed. I tried icing, exercises that were so painful and a splint for 3 weeks and it just got worse. Orthopedic doctor said skip the cortisone shot as it just a bandaide so now I have a cast for a few weeks then PT. Hope it works. Hugs!
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hello all, they recently came out with a couple of studies linking consumption of mushrooms and reduced chances of breast cancer. One article stated the
- White button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporous) are the most common mushrooms sold in supermarkets. They are also known as button mushrooms, white mushrooms, or table mushrooms. Portobello and crimini mushrooms are closely related to white button mushrooms. Of the mushrooms studied, white button mushrooms have among the most powerful proven breast cancer chemopreventive properties, since they have been shown to suppress aromatase activity and estrogen biosynthesis, in addition to inhibiting proliferation of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer cells. Several studies have concluded that diets high in white button mushrooms may lower the risk of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, especially in postmenopausal women, by reducing aromatase activity.
I love white button mushrooms
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MACTAZ, that story is from 1999. Perhaps it is still valid but I think I would want something more recent. I love mushrooms so it's nice that someone thinks they are good for me but for any health claims, for me, the jury is still out.
HUGS!
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hi PontiacPeggy, I also found newer articles but that one talked about the older studies. There was one in Australia I think in 2008 and other articles in 2015 and 2016. I am going to see if I can f8nd anything newer, I do love mushrooms
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Hi everybody,
I have been on Arimidex for 2 years now with some side effects. The waves of exhaustion are manageable but a subtle underlying feeling frequently. Also the joint pain is worse in the morning trying to get out of bed, after sitting for a while and seems to be worst the next day after a lot of physical activity. The pain does ease the more I move around. Does anyone know if all these symptoms will resolve once I stop it and will there be permanent damage to my joins after I stop? Thank Awesome
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it’s handled, I am right handed and it was also in my left hand too! Hope yours settles. The cortisone shot seems to have helped, fingers crossed. Interesting how many times I’ve read about it on here. My doctor couldn’t believe it when I asked her if that’s what I had after the ultrasound. She was surprised I knew the name, but I read it on here. I think the tendons are affected by the AIs
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