Naturopath MD helping prevent Arimidex side effects

KayMc1

I was terrified to start on the Arimidex after my bilat mastectomy, as a result of all the reading I did about the drug. I'm 62 yrs old now, and since I was around 40, I have had arthritis in multiple joints in my body. Over the years, I've had surgery to replace the joints at the base of both thumbs (they cut out about a square inch of the diseased bone, and rebuild it with tendons and other tissue). I had the same surgery basically for the base of my right great toe. My left shoulder was repaired twice/rebuilt once. I had a right total knee replacement. In addition to these surgeries, that were all due to arthritic damage, I have arthritis in my ankles, fingers, other knee, etc. So, going on the Arimidex seemed like a prescription to disaster for me, with all the joint problems that so many of us have as a side effect.

A few months after my surgery, I went to see an integrative doctor. (Insurance doesn't pay for this, so it's all out of pocket). He is a board certified internal medicine physician, but acts (in my words) like a naturopathic doctor. He sells pharmaceutical quality nutritional supplements as part of his practice. He put me on a lot of things initially, and some I am staying on, while some I decided not to continue.

The two things that seemed to make a huge difference in preventing joint pain, is what I wanted to share here: fish oil, and glucosamine chondroitin. I must stress, that the pharmaceutical grade of these supplements is different from the supplements you buy anywhere. Granted, the cost is MUCH higher, but it's because you're getting what is on the label. (Multiple studies have shown that the supplement industry is very unreliable. What is on the label of what you can buy anywhere, is usually not what is in the bottle. I've read studies that show over 60% of supplements are not what is on the label).

I was concerned about price for a brief period, as my husband had to 'retire' due to medical disability the first of the year. Without his income, I wanted to save money where I could, and I thought I'd see what happened without these supplements. HOLY SMOKES!!! Bad idea. For two weeks, my ankles/feet, and lower back were so painful, that I felt I had aged two decades in that short period. I bought these again from the integrative MD, and the arthritic pain flare up went away and hasn't returned. For those of you with joint pain from this hormone therapy journey that we're on: look for a reliable source where you can purchase pharmaceutical supplements. It is worth a trial to see if it helps you. I've made the commitment to continue on my supplements, as I want the benefits I'm hoping the Arimidex will give me, without destroying my bones/joints in the process. Wishing us all better health......

Falconer

dear Kay, thank you for sharing your story. How wonderful to know that you found help to prevent further damage to your joints. I've saved this post to my favorites so I can remember your advice if I need it

peaches1

Consumerlab.com is a website that tests supplements, and tells you which brands are the real thing. You have to pay to view all of their test results, but it might be cheaper than getting expensive supplements from the doctor. There are a lot of supplements that are no where near 100% pure.

gardengypsy

My naturopath has recomemded "Pure Encapsulations." I buy their supplements (i.e. Melatonin) on Amazon.