ARIMIDEX AND DIGESTIVE ISSUES

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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited December 2009

    Hi Jo,

    I'm also on two fish oil pills a day. I take them with meal. Scared to stop them because I really need them for the joints and other stuff. I did not know it raided your cholesterol......I'm just on the limit.

    If Nexium gives me side effects, I dont really know, I've been felling bad two years prior to diagnostic and when I started Nexium  I was already fellind bad. I did not particularly feel side effects   Sounds dum but at least it did not make me dizzy or give me a burning stomach like lots of meds did.

    I have dry mouth, but not sure if its the Nexium or the ativan I take for anxiety and sleep. I know Nexium cured my cough and sore throat. Since I went down to 1 pill a day, it's not as effective, but I have to think about my bones too.

    If going off fish oil helps you let us know, but I am not looking forward to stoping fish oil, had at one time for a few days prior to an exam along with the magnesium citrate and I really felt the difference in joint pains  

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  • candie1971
    candie1971 Member Posts: 4,820
    edited December 2009

    Hi Jo. Playing around with combos is a good idea. Maybe you can find some way for it all to work.

    My surgery is next Wed, the 16th. Thank you for remembering.I am petrified of surgeries so I am a nervous wreck. I can;t wait to be past it...especially since I have waited a long time. The pain is basically the same...some days better than others.

    hugs and prayers

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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited December 2009

    Candie,

    I understand how waiting is atrocius I remember my double masectomy, and when over so glad it was not as bad as anticipated, hope you will find confort and resolution to your pain, try to do something mind occupying meanwhile, easy to say, good luc,

    Jo,

    Well that's really great your experiment, I nerver suspected fish oil to be a problem, as olive oil and others don't seem to bother me. I cannot imagine two of those little pills taken with a meal can do so much harm.......If you succed I'm next, even if they help me, I will give it a try. Thanks for letting us know 

    Welga

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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited December 2009

    Great Jo, both for the Nexium helping and for the insuance.

    Let us know about the difference with or without fish oil, although it might be confusing as the Nexium also helps with heartburns. I guess you'll have to go back on them again while on Nexium to really know for sure.

    Welga

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  • Triciaski
    Triciaski Member Posts: 145
    edited December 2009

    Hi, Jo,

    It sounds like you got good advice, and I'm glad the Nexium is working for you.

    I've had GERD and hiatal hernia for years, unrelated to BC, and have been taking Prevacid now for about 8 years. (Prevacid is a proton pump inhibitor - PPI - now available OTC, although I'm still taking it as a prescription.) I don't intend to go off of it EVER. Acid reflux is so horrible and painful that I'm not willing to risk experimenting with "rebound." I think there have been some studies showing that long-term use of PPIs can contribute to osteoporosis (I don't remember the details), but other than that, I don't think there are any longterm side effects.

    If your acid reflux is caused by a "mechanical" issue such as a hiatal hernia or scar tissue damage, I'm not sure why a doctor would think it will magically go away after a few weeks of PPI treatment or dietary change.

    Tricia

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  • hollyann
    hollyann Member Posts: 2,992
    edited December 2009

    I have noticed I get nauseaus (sp) after eating anything any more.........It is a real bummer.....That and joint and muscle pain and bone pain.........Will it never end?......lol.......Love you all.......

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  • karen1956
    karen1956 Member Posts: 6,503
    edited December 2009

    I've been taking Nexium since after my 1st round of chemo....take 40mg day....

    Jo...I also take the daily Essential Enzymes by Source Naturals....sometimes it seems like nothing does the job....hard to described if its heartburn or exactly what.....but the past couple nights its like I've eaten way too much...stomach just hurts....might be when I am more constipated....annother wonderful side effect of the AI's....take Miralax most days........stomach hurt so bad after chemo, that pcp doubled my Nexium to 2 40mg/day...had endoscopy 3 months post chemo and it was all normal....pcp said that all the stomach problems were just a result of chemo and with time it would get better...the heartburn is not as bad, but stomach is not what is was before chemo....

    Welga...I also suffer from dry mouth....and take ativan....chew gum and eat hard candy to help with the dry mouth...and drink lots of water.....

    AI's and BC....the gifts that keep on giving!!!!

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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited December 2009

    Jo, I'm glad you don't need an endoscopy after all. You seem to tolerate well the Nexium another great point. I too have stopped the fish oil, just to see if it gives me heartburns or if something else does. It makes sence about the raditation, for me it's just age and family heritage. Also arimidex, femara and chemo did not help, it's worst since.

    Karen, thanks for reminding me of gum and cady, the water already drink too much, yes about the gift aren't we the lucky ones!!

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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited January 2010

    JO-5

    I do have back pain but I cannot remember if it started before taking Nexium or after, sorry chemo brain once again. I meant to ask you, at what time of day and if before a meal did your Dr. tell you to take Nexium. Hope your back pain resolves and you only got it for cleaning your closet, mine I think I'll have it forever,disk problems and arthritis.

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  • Chevyboy
    Chevyboy Member Posts: 10,786
    edited January 2010

    Hi Jo!  I've been reading these posts, & just wondered if you have ever tried Ranitidine?  It is the generic for Zantac...I was telling a Doctor friend about all the trouble I have with not only "heart-burn" but also that ache I used to get in my chest, & how it hurts when I would bend over...He said to take Ranitidine every day, but the same milligram as Zantac, I think 150...And I have been doing that for about 3 years now, & it REALLY has helped!

    I just started taking Tamoxifen with a baby aspirin every morning with a small glass of a smoothie I make with orange juice, aloe vera juice from Walmart, & a banana...Then at breakfast I take VitD3 & a Calcium...Noon time, a MultiVitamin & Fish oil with Omega 3...Then around dinner, a Glucosamine...And I swear I don't hurt as much, & I have also quit taking the Ranitidine!   I do chew a rolaids at night though...  I have tried drinking the aloe vera juice before, years ago, when I had an ulcer....and it went away!!!!  So it really helps digestive issues...

    I've only been doing this for a week, but I feel a lot better, even if it's all in my head, Ha!   So good luck with figuring this all out...hope you get some help...Jeannette

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  • Chevyboy
    Chevyboy Member Posts: 10,786
    edited January 2010
    Okay, never mind.....Wink  Man, you really have problems with allergies!  And that's the only way to find out, is to try it, & if it doesn't work, try something else....Good luck kiddo!  Jeannette
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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited January 2010
    JO-5

    Your are taking the Nexium the same way I am taking mine now. I use to take it before breakfast but realize it was not as efficient. A while back I looked at the pamplet and on the Nexium website and it only sayed to take it the way your doctor ordered it..When I started I was on two a day and when switched to one a day forgot to ask my gastro at what hour to take it.
    Nexium give me gaz...the bloating I have but started long after on Nexium so not sure if its because of it.
    I use to have problems with lymphedemia when I used my arms to much. Hope that's your problem because it will go away with rest and nothing more, if you react like me.
    I think I choose back pain over acid reflux, mine got really bad when I was not on Nexium.
    Hope your pain clears soon
    WelgaI

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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited January 2010

    JO-5

    Great you found something to releive you and maybe the cause of your pain. Hard to tell like you say being on the meds. But wathever if you are releived it's a good thing. So maybe like me you will need the Nexium for maintenance, you'll get use to it and just take the pill like you would take a supplement. I would not like to wear those bra's either, I still suffer for masectomy pains, so adding something thight, no please, can hardly stand a loose sports bra.

    you are right we are both a mess....what did we do to get there!!! have a nice day and get well wishes

    Welga

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  • LisaEpstein
    LisaEpstein Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2012

    I am on arimidrex for 2 months now and I am having really bad heart burn does anyone else have this problem? I am always taking gas x for it

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  • marbletop
    marbletop Member Posts: 26
    edited May 2012

    I've been off arimidex for two weeks and have noticed more gas and bloating. has anyone noticed this?

    marble top

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  • maryrucci
    maryrucci Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2021

    Jo,

    I too, am in the digestive issues club. Dx'd 5 years ago with stage 1A, with 2 lumpectomys and 21 rounds of radiation to left breast, at age 69. I was put on anastrozole for five years, which became difficult at two years in. Severe acid reflux snuck up on me, and I ended up in the ER. I didn't want to start acid blockers because rebound from them starts a neverending cycle of start and stop. I thought, I will hang in there till the end of that med (Feb, 2021), and all my troubles will go away! Not! If I don't follow a strict diet of fruits, veggies, low fat, small amount of meat and dairy, with little or no coffee and sugar, I end up with the same acidity problem. The reflux affected my ears (ache with eczema) and digestive tract with inflammation, which is hard to get under control. Seeing that so many women suffer from reflux/digestive issues on these harsh estrogen blockers, it would seem that at the very least, patients should be made aware of the possibility of this side effect. It seemed to me that pain number and side effects never got the attention they deserve. While I appreciate the life saving therapies, we need more guidance and empathy from oncology doctors. Breast cancer is a tough road to travel! I realize now, that I needed to be more persistent in expressing how I was feeling, and I would advise any dear lady just starting their journey, to be vocal and persistent about side effects. It's critical to your health and well being.



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