For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing
Comments
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Thanks
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No weight gain, quite the opposite. I've lost 25 pounds. Don't know if it is the arimidex affecting my appetite (it can, of course), or just the knowledge that the less tummy fat I have, the lower my risk of recurrence. At any rate, I've given up my beloved high fat diet, added exercise, and feel absolutely great! I do have joint pain, but it goes away as soon as I start moving. What really gets my goat is that my hair is so much thinner.
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Hi,
I started on Arimidix July 2013 for neoadjuvant treatment (before surgery). It's working! My tumor has shrunk by 50% in a little over a month.
I was so excited!!! Side effects are minimal -- mild diarrhea, some nausau, joint pain, but that settled down after awhile. I do have some knee pain in one knee that comes and goes. 
Had an ultrasound last time it hurt to see if there was a clot, but there wasn't. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, so am concerned about long term use of Arimidex, but my Dr. wants to put me on Prolia. Anyone else here on Prolia? 0 -
I had an ultrasound on my leg too. No clot. then a bone scan, no mets. Then an ultrasound for varicose veins, they are there but he's not sure that they are the cause of the pain. Yes, I feel sure it's the anastrozole. But what can we do?
I am having a lot of pain in my upper back. Afraid of osteo too. But how wonderful it is to hear that arrimidex works! Your post will help me stick with it!
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I also lost weight (25 pounds), but attribute it to better living overall rather than the Arimidex. I have always eaten well, but I'm trying to eat very little sugar now and no daily glass of wine. I used to exercise, but not as vigilantly as I do now....every day, no days off. As many others have said, the bone and joint pain are better if I keep moving. I know the exercise is the main reason for the weight loss as a while back I had surgery followed by a foot injury so was out of commission for about a month. The pounds started creeping back on after about a week.
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blondie101 - I'm on Prolia. First injection was early January (a month after I started Arimidex), second was early July. I haven't had any SEs that I can tie specifically to Prolia. I thought perhaps my trigger thumb issues were prolia but since many ladies on Arimidex have trigger finger/thumb I'm pretty sure mine was caused by Arimidex rather than prolia. My trigger thumb magically resolved itself over time and no longer bothers me as of 3-4 weeks ago.
I do NOT want to suffer any further bone loss while on Arimidex and it's covered by my insurance so I had no problem agreeing to my MO's recommendation for prolia.
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Also, weight bearing exercise & light weights can help to keep the bones healthy, and studies show that a serving of prunes a day can actually build bones.
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oooh, I lo ve prunes! good to know that they are good for more than preventing cramps! I confess to having a bag of them in my desk drawer for little snacks1
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You know, my mom alwasy brought prunes along because she would get constipated while on vacation. I never knew they were good for the bones. Do they taste sweet or sour? And how many do you eat a day?
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Whatever the box says is a serving, usually 5 or so. According to my doctor, they also reduce the risk of colon cancer if eaten regularly.
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Three weeks off the Anastrozole tomorrow.
So far... BP has gone from 177/100 spikes, to averaging 145/85.
Joint and muscle pain has diminished to the point that now I'm hurting myself - I start to feel good and do too much and end up paying for it. I just need to pace myself.
Waking up with trigger finger/trigger thumb only 4 - 5 times a week now instead of every day.
Weight, unfortunately, hasn't budged, but for the first time, I am pain-free enough to start aqua-aerobics and walking again. My PCP also gave me a low-dose diuretic for edema. I am hoping that helps with weight loss, too.
"Lady parts" issues seem less.... not gone... but better...
Depression is lifting. I WANT to get out of bed in the morning. I no longer feel like I am wearing one of those heavy lead shields they give you before X-rays in the dentist's office.
I feel good enough to have scheduled a week's vacation at the beach next month. Before now, I couldn't see myself enjoying any part of it being in so much pain.
Mostly I feel hopeful that I can have some quality of life while off this drug. I know my MO wants me on something, but I just don't know.
As she says, my risk is low (<1%) but that's still not ZERO. She wants to make sure she is doing all she can to prevent her cancer patients from ever having a recurrence.
But she also understands quality of life. Walking with a walker or a cane from joint and muscle pain is not good. She gets that. We'll meet again on October 11th to discuss options.
I am hopeful I can get this excess weight off (gained 20 pounds in four months) soon, and that I can build up my stamina and strength before we meet again on October 11th. I want to show some real improvement in my quality of life.
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Blessings - so good to hear that you're feeling so much better. Even if this is just a vacation from the SEs it's good for you to know that they ARE from the drug and won't be lifetime effects when you're done with it
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My onc. wants to change me from Anastrozole to Aromasin. I took Tamoxofin for a month and couldn't stand the SE's. I've been doing fine on Anastrozole for a year and a half but suddenly the SE's are back. Any feedback would be appreciated.
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nice thing on prunes these days is they come in an airtight package so they stay soft. Yeah, dif sizes so not sure how is a serving but I tend to snack on them and space the portion out. Nice to have something good for me!
Also good to hear that being off your med, means the BP comes down as my PCD has been on my case on my BP, yeah mine spikes about like yours.
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Hi TinaT, I was diagnosed on May 30, lumpectomy in July, radiation was done for one week, 2x a day the last week of August. I am now recovering with a lot of fatigue, and getting the necessary tests(dexa scan, chest exray, blood work) before starting the Arimedex.
I was so encouraged this morning when I read about your weight loss!
I have been depressed ever since I met with my MO a week ago for the first time, and she said most of her patients seem to gain 20 lbs on Arimedex! I almost screamed. On May 8 I got my yearly mammo and May 30 core biopsy, that is the day my world changed. I had been on a wheatless diet for about 6 months and was losing weight steadily, but was still about 40 lb overweight. Since May 8, I went crazy and ate everything in site, and have now regained all of the weight I had lost, about 15 lbs in 4 months.
I have a gym membership, just need to get back in there when I feel better, and get my foods healthier once again.
I would love to keep hearing from your good results on keeping your weight down. It is a good motivater for me. Thanks Rachelannette
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rohanna: My Onc switched me from the Arimidex to Aromasin too. I could not handle the side effects of the Arimidex. I am on my fourth day of Aromasin. So far I can't tell anything. I will try it and see how it does. Aromasin is newer and some seem to do better with it than the Arimidex.
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There are a couple good exercise threads on the fitness forum. I check in with the 'Lets Post Our Daily Exercise' thread & there is another one for people getting back into exercise. There are also a couple good weigh in threads too. 'Wednesday Weigh In' and 'The ELAB Project (eat like a bird)'. All with fun, supportive ladies in all stages of treatment and beyond.
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ruthbru-Thank you for the info on the exercise sites and the weigh in site. I will take a look at those!
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ruthbru-Thank you for the info on exercise and weight sites. I will take a look at them.
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rachelannette - If you don't experience SEs to such an effect that they keep you immobile or house-bound you should be able to control your weight as you normally would. I've been on Arimidex for about 9 months and haven't gained any weight. I try to be fairly good about my diet but do binge (Kraft caramel bits, anyone? or anything yummy with no nutritional value whatsoever, anyone?) and don't berate myself for it. I typically work out several times a week but since exchange surgery (Aug 7) I've been pretty inactive and I haven't gained any weight even with the inactivity. You can do this
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sweetandspecial-thanks for the motivation. I am not exercising right now because still very fatigued from radiation that ended one week ago. I am not sure how long my Dr will advice me to wait after the radiation fatigue to start taking the Arimidex. I can see that everyones journey is a little different.
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First 1.5 years on Anastrozole I didn't gain. Now I have gained about 6-8lbs but lets face it chemo put me in menopause and I'm 3 years older. Metabolism has slowed and I could eat a little less to lose most of it. My doctors think I'm fine.
So not everyone gains due to the drug. I'm not saying that some don't (and I've seen some of my friends have the issue) but don't assume you will. I was more afraid of taking this drug than chemo. It's been over 2.5 years and I'm doing fine. You don't know unless you try. If you have issues then talk about trying something else.
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Easy dancer- I have used something called Sleep Blende that is a herbal suppliment with valarian and other things that will help you to fall and stay asleep. I have never done it for more than a few days at a time, but maybe try it and see if it helps. I find I go through a week of bad sleep periodically, then it normalizes again. But my sleep problems have increased since I started on the AIs.
And about the mood changes, I have found I am a lot more short tempered these days. My sister commented to me today she thinks the drugs have changed my moods (she also has just gone through treatment too but does not take the AIs). I have to really watch my responses sometimes. I also sort of like the fact I am becoming a person that is not taking as much crap from people. But that may also be a result of everything I have just come through!
I saw my gyn a few weeks ago and she asked how I was doing now that I am menopausal and not using any HRT. I said all that I could get through that part, but the AIs were just hard to deal with. I told her about the side effects and she just stared at me and said nothing. I got the sense she just has no idea what these drugs do to women. The med oncs really seem to be the only ones who know anything about these drugs. That was not the first vacant look I got talking to other doctors about these drugs.
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The first week or so on AI my temper and mouth was so bad I was almost afraid to leave the house. Totally out of character for me.
Then things calmed down, and has been normal. Hot flashes and insomnia, called MO, low dose Effexor solved most of that.
One episode of trigger thumb, PCP did a small injection that's gone too.0 -
Jazzygirl - my gyn is a 5-6 years BC survivor herself so is very aware of the SEs. We had a great chat about side effects when I saw her just this past Wednesday. She had lumpectomy w/radiation and actually had trigger-toe from the AI!!
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Sweetandspecial- that is wonderful your gyn understood your issues. My gyn was aware of the problems with the dryness in the netherlands and had some things to offer to help with that. I think she probably just could not comment on the joint and foot issues I have been struggling with since going on these drugs. I sometimes have to remember who can help me with what since I have so many more doctors these days.
I will see the MO in about another six weeks and going to talk to him about where I am at with all this and see what he suggests.
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Question: Good Morning girls, my question is with all the various side effects many of us have, is anyone considering totally stoping hormone blocker therapy? I have only been on it 6 months and I'm ready to give up and take my chances... among other things, I need a chiropracter NOW!!!!
Enjoy your Sunday...It is a beautiful sunny day here in NJ, No humidity and about 76 degrees - wish I had the energy to go out and do something, anything!!!
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Trisha~~Are you taking Claritin? I haven't been on it nearly as long as you, but I just have the stiffness, and some minor joint pain that Tylenol helps. We're the SEs cumulative like with chemo?
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LuvBugs, I've been pretty lucky with side effects. I have a lot of joint stiffness, but, as I move around, it lessens. I'm taking glucosomine and chondroitin, and a baby aspirin, and also eating prunes. I did have horrid back pain, but my onc sent me to a physical therapist who completely fixed it (last appt just the other day). Seems that during rads, and during my post-rads funk, I was just scrunched up on the couch, watching TV, and, even worse, all hunched up, scanning our discussion boards on my laptop, misaligning everything in my back. Just needed my vertebrae loosened up and a lot of trigger points released. And, of course, a couple of exercises to do forever. So, in my case, anyway, pain that followed starting arimidex was totally unrelated to the drug.
Even before I starated arimidex, my MO said that if I have problems, he will put me on a short vacation. For many women, once they have been off a couple of weeks, they can go back on and find their side effects much reduced. If that does not happen, there are other AI's that might just do the trick.
That's the long answer. The short answer is "No, I am not considering stopping." I really do believe that this is the absolutely best thing I can do to keep the beast at bay. My tumor was 90% estrogen receptor positive and, as for any nasty little estrogen-hungry cells that might be running around my body, starving them every single day for the next five years sure sounds like a good idea.
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I've been on Arimedex for a week now. When do se usually begin.
Thx0
