Extreme fatigue on Arimidex
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Try marking it on a calendar. Good luck.
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Thanks. Can you please share the schedule you did? It would be very helpful.
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I just started one day, any day, and took it every other day. I didn't start on a particular day. Try a calendar if you want and mark it off. Do what makes sense to you. In the end, it's just take it every other day. I don't condone or recommend this. It's just what I did.
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Thank you! I'm taking it every other day until I get use to it. And then every day.
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3 months in and the fatigue is intolerable. I’m productive enough at work to get by, and the basic household chores are getting done, but that’s it. I know exercise would help, but when my muscles feel full of sludge and all I want to do is try to nap (never actually manage it) the thought of exercise is insurmountable. When I do manage a walk, I’m depressingly slow and feel … not short of breath, exactly, but as if my cells aren’t properly processing oxygen. Just plumb out of steam. I decided today to ask to go back on tamoxifen, which I was tolerating reasonably well. It’s that or nothing, as letrozole gave me horrendous joint pain and I don’t have a lot of faith that the final option would be any better than the first two.
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We're sorry to hear you're suffering so much, @purplecat. Hopefully your doctor is receptive to making the switch back to tamoxifen, and you're able to regain your strength and energy again!
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Well, arimidex both generic and name brand did not work out for me due to horrible allergic reactions. My oncologist and I were ready to give up on the hormonal treatment and just be monitored but then she read about new studies being done on exemestane that three days a week is almost just as effective as taking them daily. So I will try this for now. She said if they also cause severe side effects we will then try DIM supplements.
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How are you doing now, Purplecat? Hoping you are feeling better after switching back to tamoxifen.
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It was recommended that I try exemestane first, so I've been on that for about 3 weeks. The 2-week drug holiday between meds was wonderful. The brain fog cleared up within a couple days of quitting the anastrozole — not only did I feel a lot more alert, but my ability to recall things like names of obscure items suddenly returned. It gave me hope that if I can ever get off this stuff, I might actually get back to my old self. If I can't tolerate the exemestane, I'll go back to tamoxifen, but it is going better than the anastrazole was. I should add that I made several other changes along with the drug change: taking it in the morning instead of before bedtime, several dietary improvements, and starting on an SSRI for anxiety. In hindsight, I could have tried those changes before switching AIs, but at the moment I'm just glad to be feeling better. Thanks for asking!
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I'm glad you are doing better, Purplecat, and hope it continues. So far so good on my three day a week with exemestane. I take it at 2:00 M, W, Friday. l'm glad my oncologist researched that dosage, at my suggestion. We need to speak up more and tell them what we need!
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Dr Jim Roach, in his book, “Vital strategies for cancer” suggests a three times per week dosing of AIs. He said it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. For myself, I have declined all AIs because I am low risk and find the adverse effects of AIs to be far riskier. We all have to make our own choices. Don’t let your doctor intimidate you. For me, it’s a quality of life issue.
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Saleen, thanks. I put his book in my Amazon order.
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