What supps help for what with AI se's?

Artista928

The Femara thread is so long and things that helped are scattered about that I thought to create a thread that has easy to find info on what supps really help with the various se's of AIs.

I remember reading magnesium for joints. Any type ok? Dose? I have magnesium malate. Also have curcumin which I never needed for chemo. I guess this is good too for joints? I also have fuzzy head. This is all in less than 1 week of being on Letrozole. And people stay on this for 10 years???

ChiSandy

Curcumin is controversial—for every practitioner who says it’s da bomb, there are two who say (to paraphrase Gertrude Stein) “there’s no ‘there' there.” Magnesium is for bone, not joint, health—and it should be taken with both D3 and absorbable calcium. It does help prevent muscle spasms. There are no specific nonprescription supplements that have been proven to help alleviate joint pain (whether AI-or-OA-caused) though a German study found that chondroitin (not necessarily with glucosamine) may have been slightly more effective than placebo.

Falconer

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/78/topics...

Here's a link to another thread w info about your question. Hope you feel better

Anonymous

Not sure which symptoms you might be worried about, but I've had nearly all of them depending on which med I was taking.

Claritin 24 hour seems to relieve joint aches, so I take it every day.

Denise-G

Magnesium helped my joint pain tremendously on Arimidex.

Artista928

Thanks ladies. Which brand of calcium is absorbable? Any brand recommendations?

Falconer

My acupuncturist, also a naturopath, prescribed this brand.

Artista928

Taken from lala post in the Femera thread..

"Turmeric is absolutely awesome for joint pain. I take Gaia turmeric which is made in NC and has the black pepper already in it. You HAVE to take the turmeric with black pepper to get the benefit. I'd also suggest magnesium glycinate ( I take KAL). That seems to help alot of folks with joint pain as well."

ElaineTherese

My MO recommended Caltrate for calcium or the generic variant of it.

doxie

I'm just short of 5 years of AIs now. I've found that adding magnesium with my calcium eliminated leg cramps (should have done this years ago). I've kept my VIt D level high with supplementation - 1000 UI in the summer and 2000 in winter works for me. Also since I started taking flax oil for my eyes and eating almost no gluten, almost all the rest of arthritic pain has subsided. From time to time I have mild lower back pain that is age related degeneration, controlled by exercise and stretching. I don't expect that to disappear when I stop the AI.

ChiSandy

Some forms of calcium can’t be absorbed by people with insufficient stomach acid. Normal people not being treated for GERD can get by with generic calcium carbonate (Os-Cal, Caltrate, Citracal Pearls, Viactiv chews, even TUMS—branded or generic). But those of us taking acid reducers—H2 blockers or especially proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)—to keep our severe GERD from becoming too erosive (and possibly lead to esophageal cancer) do not produce sufficient gastric acid to break down calcium carbonate (or even phosphate) so it can be absorbed. Calcium citrate (Citracal and store brands, which usually also contain D3 and Mg to enhance absorption & bone health) is the form that works for us. Unfortunately, the full-strength generic versions are difficult-to-swallow “horse pills;” even the generic “petites” (which we’d need to take 2 TID) have sharp edges and are tough to choke down. The only brand with which I’ve had any luck is Citracal Petites, which recently changed its pill shape to make it easier to swallow—and it’s quite expensive for an OTC supplement.

So for us it’s a Hobson’s choice: manage our GERD and have to spend more on our calcium; or quit acid-blockers or PPIs so we can absorb the cheaper calcium carbonate (which, as TUMS, inadequately treats our GERD), yet risk developing Barrett’s esophagitis or worse. (And we singers have to be careful that we don’t pickle our larynxes in stomach acid; moreover, GERD can trigger asthma).