For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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I did some further checking and chills is a lesser-experienced, but none-the-less side effect of anastrozole...okay. That answers my question.
Thanks, NdGirl for sharing...I was beginning to think I was just weird...once again!!! And, I too, am not sure which is worse...hot or cold...the cold does seem to last longer and it is bone chilling...down to my core...Oh well, if the stuff works, it is worth the SE's. Anyway, I'm not going to quit taking it, at least not yet. I can endure a lot to avoid having my BC recur! A LOT! I don't want to go through that again if I can possibly help it.
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Havent checked this community for over a day but it is still a great support - just to read what others are saying and doing. I was curious about the Claritin. I wonder who found it helped. So far not much SEs. This is just the beginning of my 4th week. My right wrist was some sore when bending it back in daily activities - now it definitely is sore but not severe, Hoping and praying that bad SEs will not develop.
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I'm in Florida and not dealing with our hot and humid well at all. In addition to hot flashes. Could you send me some cold/chills please? Sounds wonderfulLOL.
I do seem to chill easier in winter, right now the Artic Circle sounds great.0 -
I always liked living in a cool weather state, but now I LOVE it!!!!
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I will be switching from tamoxifen to arimidex soon. Chemo put me in permanent menopause and I've been on tamox for over a year. My MO wants to wait a bit longer to swap me to arimidex to be sure I'm in permanent meno...why I don't know--I've had my estrogen levels checked TWICE and both times it's been a sure thing. And I'm going to be 55 in a month...
Anyway, I wondered what you all think about my ability to manufacture estrogen now: I'm in meno, on tamoxifen, and have been without a right adrenal gland since Dec 2009. Having only one adrenal gland seems to be a good thing to me. What do you think?
Finally, weight gain and arimidex...mostly yes, or it depends? I'm doing great on tamox and hate to have to switch, but ILC post meno ladies like me seem to be better off with arimidex than staying with tamox for recurrence. Sigh...
Claire in AZ
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Easy dancer, I just checked the paper that came with my script from the pharmacy and it says that chills are listed under the more severe SE's and that you should call your MO. It is nice that this paper breaks it down as to what are considered common SE's and what are considered severe SE's. Of course it also says it is not a list of all the SE's that may occur.
After reading the papers that come with all the meds we have to take it is a wonder that we agree to take any of them at all!
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Claire, I imagine in this case having only one adrenal gland IS a good thing.
I didn't gain any weight. In fact, of my 3 local friends and I, who were on it at the same time; the plump one stayed plump, the skinny on stayed skinny, and the two of us who always were watching our weight, had to keep watching our weight.
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Easydancer - Just know that a lot of women have cold chills once they are considered postmenopause. My mom is freezing all the time and gets chills, and she is not on any AI or anything. If it is listed as a sever side effect as someone suggested, you should discuss it with your doctor, but it is also a common postmenopause side effect.
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Friends,
Thank you...I too, checked the Rx insert and it said I should contact my doctor, the online info from Mayo Clinic and others says that it is an infrequent SE that does not require medical attention. SOOOO, think I will call my oncologist's nurse or NP and see what they say...let them decide how to advise me. I see him on the 27th so they may just tell me to wait. Who knows? I don't feel unwell, I just get cold sometimes and then it passes.
I shall advise as others have said that they experienced chills also, and I am in menopause...just stopped taking HRT in December so it may be that. Guess I'll go look up SE of menopause too!
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I get hot/cold too....and so does my sister without the help of Als. Funny to see us together; one is stripping off clothes while the other is adding layers....and then we reverse!
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about 10 years ago, my feet and hands began to be cold and no gloves or socks whould work for me and up till then, I used to cycle outdoors all winter...I would dodge the ice patches on the trails.
Then one winter, all changed, it was years before the whole bc thing, might have been menopause but never thought about that
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Ah Ruth, I'm gonna remember what you said in January when it's 70 here and your forcast talks about feet of snow! HehHeh
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I did some further checking and chills are dangerous if/when they are accompanied with fever, persistant sore throat, other signs of an infection...then call the doctor. Otherwise, probably combination of menopause and AI side effects...the other side of hot flashes.
They are listed as a less-common but still present side effect of Arimidex (even by the FDA)...just not as frequently reported as many of the others...and they are definitely a common side-effect of menopause...I guess my internal thermostat is just "broken"... hopefully it will get better with time...the hot flashes have.
This is all just such an adventure!
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Spookie, there's rarely a happy medium, is there? Sigh!
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julee_stayin_strong Exemestane is generic for Aromisin. Anastrozole is generic for Arimidex. If you are in that much pain you need to let your onc know. If s/he knows then maybe it's time to try a different AI or tamoxifen. Granted my SE weren't so bad but after a year they got much much better. I start back on strength training so maybe that's it but it doesn't work for everyone.
Julie1957 My hair started to recede before chemo. I went on Minoxidil and it helped. Now my neighbor got so thin on Anastrozole she was practically bald. Just saw her yesterday OMG I can't believe it. Her hair has really filled out. She is using a 3 step program but forgot the name. She never tried Minoxidil but I bet that would have worked too. So if you start to notice a problem don't wait. It can take 3-6 months for Minoxidil to work.
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I am also in the FL heat and have the wierdest SE...when I go outside long enough to get hot- my skin feels "prickly". I feel like I am getting a 1000 little pin pricks at one time. For you locals, it feels like sea lice in the water biting you.
Oops! I recently had a bi-lateral mastectomy and am now on anastrzole. I took the 5 yr tamoxifen regemine for previous bc last time and I guess it didn't work.
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I had double mastectomy in April 2012. IDC, grade 3, 8/10 nodes pos, chemo/rads, now on arimidex and herceptin. I have had the following side effects that have been reported for arimidex: depression, insomnia, weight gain, joint, bone and muscle pain, carpal tunnel and trigger finger. I have had more side effects from the arimidex than I did from all the IV chemo combined. I have quite alot of joint pain and that has made the weight gain worse by making it difficult to do my usual activities. I get maybe 2 hours of sleep a night. I am going to talk to my onc next appt about what I can do to minimize the s/e's. I would rather not stop taking the arimidex becaue I would worry about jinxing myself and causing the cancer to reoccur.
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Apologizing in advance - typing on my iPad! It's now 5 a.m. and I've been wide awake since I went to bed at 11 p.m. and woke up shortly thereafter.
Guess this would be considered a rant...
Went on Anastrozole in September 2012.... Only SEs at first were minimal joint pain and cold flashes. I had just lost 60 pounds, so I thought that might have been the cause.
Now, almost a year later, I've gained 15 pounds back, and YES - I AM active. My caloric intake is low, and I stick to my medically prescribed diet. No junk foods, fatty foods, processed foods, or gluten for me.
Three weeks ago I began to wake up every morning with a painful trigger finger and trigger thumb on my right hand. I now wear splints to bed (in addition to massage).
I also began to experience extremely painful bladder and other "nether region" issues, if you get my drift. I had exams and tests and all were normal except for a dramatic loss of tissue health due to a lack of estrogen.
Two weeks ago the joint and muscle pain got so bad I couldn't walk. What brought this on? A leisurely stroll around the "Home Show" at our local fairgrounds. I went to bed in tears and woke up in tears. I could get around only with the use of my cane to prop me up. I was living on Valium and Vicodin. Thank God, that acute pain, which lasted for two weeks, has subsided now, leaving me with just the 24/7 chronic pain.
But the most worrisome thing has been the gradual elevation of my blood pressure over the past few months. Prior to starting the Anastrozole, it was consistently 108/68. Then a few months ago at the doctor's office it would read around 150/88. Even after sitting quietly and meditating, it wouldn't go down.
Tonight I was drifting off to sleep when I felt my heart pounding. I took my BP: 170/90. Not good, considering that I had been lying flat in bed nearly asleep.
This really distresses me, especially since I've tried to be so positive about taking this drug, and emphasizing that I'll be taking it for another four years no matter what.
I'll be seeing my MO next month and will ask her about a vacation from the AI. (Unfortunately, I don't think she believes in those.). It's so darn difficult to justify this daily existence when my risk of recurrence is less than 1%.
To the person who made the comment "Stop feeling sorry for yourself..." Well, I'm having a really hard time understanding how you could think that was helpful to anyone here.
Sometimes the pains and other issues we go through can be overwhelming, and we just need a compassionate ear to listen. It's fabulous that you've found something that works for you, and I hope it keeps on working.
I do everything I can to stay active, even when I can barely stay upright. I learned that years ago. I'm still trying.
Tonight, though , I just needed to come here and vent. Hope that's o.k.!
Thanks, Ladies, for "getting it!"0 -
Blessings20....well said. Take care, I hope you feel better. Try Melatonin for sleep it has worked for me, I take 3mg 20 minutes before bed.
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Nightnurse and Blessings2011 Why wait. I would call your onc now. Maybe another AI would have less SE but this is unacceptable. Not sleeping, depression etc. is not good for your health either.
I too have put on a few lbs every year. I'm sure some of it is just normal chemo-pause weight. I'm up about 7-8lbs but that is over a 3 year period. 15 sounds like the drug. I know one of my friends tried all of them till she settled on Aromisin. Doing much better on that one.
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Nightnurse and Blessings and everyone else going through a rough time right now, (((hugs)))) to you. You are always welcome to vent here. Just the fact that you put your thoughts down on these boards not only helps you, but helps others to know that they are not alone in this. Thank you for being honest and sharing with us.
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I'm on "vacation" and still my bp shot up, exactly like yours. The ai is still in my system but I think it's life that made it shoot up. Heart pounds too.
Losing weight is incredibly hard. I really can't believe how hard! Since fat is a risk factor it makes me wonder.
Your venting helps me. No one else gets it. Thank you.
Oh, also. Lately I've been having strange pains in my bladder region. I have no idea what that is. Did you get any kind of explanation? I've never had that before. I don't have an infection, I don't think. IT's just a painful poke out of the blue from time to time. Just enough to make me worry about that toooo! lol
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I will second lago; if you are having extreme problems, don't wait. Get an appointment now. For bladder problems, I would start with my GP, as it could certainly be something like a bladder infection, urinary tract infection...something like that. I would also check with my GP for BP issues. I actually run any problem by my GP first, as he is the one who treats the WHOLE person so can look at the big picture, whereas my oncologist's speciality is, of course, cancer.
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Yes, your GP is where I'd start too - my BP had shot up and didn't go down till I was off the AI, my blood sugar was also sky high and dropped down to normal - it was my GP monitoring all this - btw it takes at least four months off the AI for all se's to clear.
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I am due to end my AL in Dec and hoping my BP stops being so high. Couple of years ago, my PCD sent me to a cardiologist when I complained about heart palpitations, my bp has been creeping up.....all was norm but I figured it out that it was around the same time my neice was all nasty to me after I told my brother that I could not "likely" be a bone marrow transplant donor.....this was about a year after I finished my rads...
he was pissed (little dumb but guess it was fear on his end), anyway the stress caused the palps, they did go away when I got my head around the craziness
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Hi ladies- I am just joining in on this thread. I finished 8 rounds of chemo yesterday and spoke with my onc about starting hormone therapy. I was diagnosed in January and had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction as well as an oophorectomy at the same time since I also tested brca2 +. So I am post menopausal at 41 and now need to decide with therapy to be on. My onc said that given the new results of the studies on tamoxifen for 10 years that this could be a good option for me. Her first option was to put me on arimidex but as you all know there are know studies comparing 10 years of tamoxifen v 5 years or even 10 years if airimidex. So my question is which to Start with. My onc and I are leaning toward the arimidex since I am post menopausal and barely osteopenia. She said we can always switch things around if it doesnt go well or new studies come out but it doesnt seem like they have eveb started to study what 10 years of aromatase ibhibitors do for us? Also my mother in law took tamoxifen for five years and died of metastatic bc 8 years into it so I'm about scared of tamoxifen. Any input as to what your onc might be saying or anyone who may be starting now like me and what recommendations they are getting would be appreciated. I Am thinking of getting a second opinion as she said I have 4 weeks to decide!
Thanks
Jsrose0 -
Als show a slightly better non-recurrence rate, so I would start there.
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JSRose14, I would agree that an AI is probably the place to start. If you read up on the potential SE's of either class of drug they sound daunting, but one that would worry me is the higher risk of blood clots with Tamoxifen. I hope you find that you're one of the lucky ones who have minimal or no side effects. I'm doing fine with Armidex so far.
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Hello, Ladies! Feeling better after my middle-of-the-night meltdown and four hours. Of sleep.
Loral - thanks for the Melatonin suggestion... I have some I've. Never tried!
Lago - will email the MO today.
Thanks for the hugs, Bren58!
Timbuktu - bladder problems are a documented SE of Arimidex. It is largely due to lack of estrogen and tissue atrophy in the lining of the bladder, as well as loss of muscle tone from estrogen depletion. This can result in either frequent urinary tract infections or incontinence. Your doc can rule out infection.
208sandy - four months for an AI to clear your system? NOOOOO! I was hoping for, like, 24 hours? LOL
ruthbru - been to the GP (and the GYN) for everything - all tests normal. Unfortunately, in the absence of clinical results otherwise, all symptoms can be tracked back to the AI . Rats.
Hi jsrose14 and welcome to the thread. Please don't let anyone's comments about SEs ( like mine) dissuade you from considering your AI options. Last night I found a website for "medical professionals" that is supposed to assist in making the decision as to what might be best. On my iPad so I don't think it will link but you can go to adjuvantonline.com
Haven't tried it but I was curious! May be for docs only, though. Wishing you the best!
SORRY FOR ALL THE TYPOS, I DROPPED MY IPAD IN THE PARKING LOT!0 -
Thanks so much for the info blessings. You truly are a blessing!
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