Doing Well on Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs)
Comments
-
Julie... nighttime is best is what I’ve always heard. That way if there is some nausea, you’ll be sleeping pretty through it..😴😴.Zzzzzzzz. But thepriority is taking it daily and at the same time each day so if that’s only going to work in the am for you, than do that.
0 -
A lot of women take it with food, and earlier in the day in case there are sleep issues. Try not to think about it too much—that can only add to any tummy issyes
0 -
I have tried morning and night. Mornings with food work better for me. Hang in there. I went through a bad patch about three - four months in. A lot of joint pain and sleeplessness, depression. But my MO said this was as important as chemo. So, I persevered. At seven months, I am doing fine. Some SE's, but they are mild and do not stop me from living my life.
0 -
Started taking AIs at night & have continued now for almost 3 yrs. It was definitely rougher early on than it is now. As Annie60 stated so well, SEs are now mild enough to stop me from living my life. Exercise and hydration help, as quite a few on this topic have earlier stated.
Those with SEs - You are encouraged to return to this topic & seek out answers/help with your questions. Comforting, healing thoughts to all.
0 -
Hi all,
I started Arimidex on Tuesday, then Thursday and today(Saturday). I am feeling absolutely fine except for waking up each night with a sweaty(sorry) neck, so not even night sweats, just sweaty neck. lol. I am becoming religious about taking glucosamine, turmeric, Vit C(been taking since covid19 hit), and fish oil. I appreciate the suggestion to take med a.m. but still feel un-tired at midnight....I am praying that I continue to feel well and hope all of you are doing well, too!
Happy Easter xx
0 -
took a break for a few months. Just an update. Been taking Arimidex for 9 months now. No hair loss. And still have 6-7 day and night sweats. My insomnia is relatively mew and due to work issues (budgets, loans, furlough decisions). Can’t imagine the stress is good for me but not much choice as the “boss”. Also have 2-3 dizzy attacks a week. And always feel tired (but again, could just be work and COVAtigue!) Glad my radiation was last year, at least so I can avoid medical facilities.
0 -
Dear All,
I will have to start Exemestane tomorrow, 25mg.
Please let me know: what is the best time of the day to take it according to you experience?
and
If i want the first week to take 1/2 of the pill, is it ok?
thank you!
0 -
Based on reports of some minor tummy issues, some minor sleep issues, and gentler SEs with a gradual ramp-up, I take mine with my first meal (late morning). I took my AI every other day for about three weeks and have not had too much in the way of SEs.
0 -
thank you Ingerp, it is a good idea to start : every other day...i will try that.
0 -
marinochka - I also take my Exemestane in the morning right after breakfast. I started right on 25mg and have some SEs, achiness, dry mouth, some insomnia. I find some exercise every day like walking helps with the achiness.
Gail
0 -
Hydration helps so much - as does a walk everyday. My hip pain has become, well, a pain. I put off seeing my MO until May. Hopefully, C19 will have calmed down. Anyone else have pain from standing or walking, almost like a muscle cramp on the back, top of the hip - right where it meets the back. Sitting relieves it. So weird.
0 -
marinochka, I’ve been on exemestane for three years now with minimal issues. Occasional joint pain in the hands. I take it in the morning because it triggered insomnia when I took it at night. It never occurred to me to take it differently than prescribed (ie half a pill or every other day) and I didn’t have problems.
0 -
hi-welcome to this board-lots of empathy and support here--Congrats on getting to this point-the worst is over--I have been on letrozole for over 2 years and doing fine with it-a little knee stiffness in am that clears with moving around and had some hair shedding the first few months that resolved.. I think what helped me most was going into this medication with a positive attitude and realizing it is my best friend- going forward and my best chance at warding off a recurrence-about 40 percent risk reduction- that is huge and I am one who will have to be on it past 5 years due to my risk of recurrence--high Oncotype score- 45 and grade 3 with 2/2 nodes--you mention you are worried about side affects--do contrast that level of worry with what your worry will be if you dont take it and have a recurrence as a result---hmmm.---I put the bottle next to my coffee maker so take it with that first cup of coffee-but if you have a little nausea-maybe take it at bedtime instead--best to you and stay with us-hugs,Kaylie--Candace in Vermont
0 -
marinochka Good advice from everyone. Stay positive about the importance of the medication, and many of us tolerate it fine.
My MO had specific treatment reasons that he did not want me to start at 1/2 dose. I'm doing fine. I feel best when I drink a lot of water every day, and get 1 hour of exercise. Hot flashes are occasional and irritating, but I can deal with them. Anastrozole did make me sleepy for the first week and not since then. I take mine in the morning after breakfast.
I do have some joint discomfort, but perhaps I would anyway, who knows!
0 -
I’m having problems sleeping thru the night lately but I figured that was from anxiety over the covid situation. I started Letrozole end of November. I take it at night. I would consider switching to taking it in the morning if it helps me sleep better. Has anyone made that switch and really found that it helped with sleep issues?
0 -
What really helps me with sleep is regular exercise, taking care of my anxiety (I attend a meditation group) and keeping the room cool at night. Just woke up after sleeping 9h in a row. For exercise during confinement, I jog on some evenings, and take some strength training classes online, the ones where you lift some weights. Those wipe me out.
Stay safe, everybody.
0 -
<I'll just add that some women are taking a Claritin-type drug to help with various SEs, but I've been doing it lately because despite the fact that it's "non-drowsy," I swear it helps me sleep a little better. I take it after dinner with my other supplements.>
0 -
I am starting on Femara (Letrozole) this weekend. I am a bit nervous after reading the side effects, esp the increased cholesterol, though many of the side effects look unpleasant at best and scary at worst.
0 -
good morning-please read my recent post above--sums up my thoughts and insights- a lot of it is going into it with the attitude that this med is your best chance on decreasing recurrence risk and give thoughts to how much more unpleasant and scary a recurrence will be for you if you decline the medication and suffer a recurrence-which way does the scale balance for you?---take care-- you can do this= really,Kaylie
0 -
anyone having tenderness in the breast the non cancer breast
0 -
Cm2020- Kaylie is right. Think of this as a tool to fight!! I had an awful attitude about this after going through chemo, where I had every reaction possible, surgeryand radiation. I just wanted to be done!! That little pill reminded me that this is not over and I was mad at being reminded everyday. Then my MO said that this little pill is AS IMPORTANT AS CHEMO!! What a wake up call!! Those 4 words changed my attitude. I wasn’t going through the hell of chemo just to give up and have cancer come back. OK, you may have some SE’s- I did. But try to hang in there- mine did not hit until about the 2-3 month and now at 8 months, I hardly have any when I move and hydrate. Cancer is hard and the treatments never seem to stop. But those treatments are keeping us alive. LIVE!! You can do this!!
Annie
0 -
Hi - just a note to say I asked my MO recently if there was any talk that Ibrance or the other relatively new drugs that are showing very good results for our stage 4 sisters would be available to the rest of us as a supplement to AIs to help prevent metastasis. He said there is discussion going on and he’d know by the end of this year. Good news, but I’ve read that there are SEs with those drugs too.
Also watched a video at nutritionfacts.org that said eating soy (tho not taking soy supplements) could significantly increased our survival - even for receptor-positive BC survivors. Have any of your Drs said to skip soy products?
Lanne
0 -
My MO was very emphatic that I not consume any soy that wasn't in natural form and to limit the natural form. I eat tofu maybe once a week but I make sure I don't have soy in any of my supplements.
0 -
My MO said it would be okay to eat tofu “once in a while”. She also said not to eat flax seeds or licorice at all (but flax *oil*apparently is okay).
0 -
I've had no food restrictions. I don't like tufu but was never told not to eat it.
0 -
Hi ladies, I'm happy to have found this thread. I needed something a little more positive. I'm at the hormone blocker chapter of this journey now (surgery, chemo and rads are done). Initially it was going to be Tamoxifen, but the chemo put me into menopause. So now AI's might be an option (and they certainly sound like a better option than Tam). I meet with my MO on Tues to discuss.
Like some of you, I have added a lot of unnecessary anxiety and fear to this picture by worrying about all the dreaded side effects. But I am particularly concerned about depression, as that I've struggled with in the past and seems to have gotten worse with the sudden onset of menopause. I understand Tamoxifen can definitely contribute to depression, but I've heard it mentioned less with AI's. What's everyone's experience been with this?
Thanks!
0 -
Have faith, everyone has their own chemistry, but I was hit with depression about a week after starting Tamoxifen. Through counseling, vit. D, and magnesium I started feeling better. When I switched to Arimidex, I did not have depression, but I have continued with the magnesium which I think really makes a difference. Just the fact that you are aware of this side effect helps. Good luck and keep us posted.0
-
Based on suggestions from a lot of women I started every other day for about three weeks. Mostly I had a little stiffness and a little fatigue but nothing awful. Exercise helps. I’m right around a year and a half in and I really don’t think about SEs any more.
0 -
Its good to have a thread with positive vibes. My MO told me not to over read about the side effects. She said 50% of us will have SE's. I start taking Femara after radiation is completed around the end of June, MO also said I could take one every other day to see how I do and if this one doesn't' work, there are others she would try with me. This is another treatment to battle this disease and I am willing to do anything to avoid getting cancer again. Twice is enough!! Good luck to you all
0 -
Havefaithtoday: Congratulations on finishing surgery, chemo and rads. I started letrozole in December. I had really stiff joints and hot flashes. In January, the MO gave me Celexa to reduce the flashes. That reduced the joint pain and flashes by at least 75%. One nice benefit of Celexa is that it's also an anti-depressant. My mood has been really good--especially since I'm prone to depression and I'm on lockdown alone d/t corona. Try your AI first and know that there are options that can ease any side effects.
0
