Arimidex - Coping with the SE's

I would try the niacin first and hold the statins as a backup plan. A more natural approach without all the statin possible SEs.

I do not like hot weather at all anymore. I am GLAD that I live someplace where it is cool to cold much of the year(never thought I'd say that!).

Janice, try to spread those 10 hours of dancing over the space of about 2 weeks. It will work better that way ).

I have had high Cholesterol levels most my life due to genes.  I have tried so many drugs and had problems on them.  I am currently trying symbastatin.  Not sure I spelled that right.  Anyway..I am already having cramps in my muscles...not normal cramps.  I would try the Niacin but my mom and brother both had reaction to it as well as the statins.  So I am not going that route.Zetia was the longest one I was able to stay on for over a year before the cramps kicked in.  So keep trying ladies.

I started weight watcher this week.  Eating more than I have since before DX.  Hope I loose next week.

...and I still hate Arimidex!

So, if I am on a statin, which I am ...and I am on arimidex...and if my cholesterol goes up, then they change the dose of the statin, is that right? he idea of more heart problesm has me terrified to even have the prescription filled...I did not like breast cancer or he trip it has taken me on this past year and a quarter..but i walked out of the hospital the same day...I was in for four after the heart attack and felt like someone had been pounding on me .......I felt weak and scared and very very mortal...I am new to pills...I asked my oncologist to order a bone density test so there is a base line to go with..guess I should go see my GP , get the flu shot I keep telling others to get and get a slip for another cholesterol test in a month...how fast does it raise your cholesterol? I did bring my cholesterol down 1.4 points in a year with diet and exercize but post heart attack, I have no choice but to be on the statin.

I've been on A for 6 months now. I had my ovaries out a year ago and then 6 mos later my onc switched me from tamo to arimidex. I didn't have too many SEs in the first couple months, but now, as some others have mentioned, I'm feeling more and more joint aches and stiffness. In fact it was so bad last night I couldn't sleep at all after the trazadone wore off (which I take to be able to sleep - very bad flashes since starting Lupron, and continuing after having the ovaries out). I also take Effexor 225mg and Gabapentin 1200mg daily for the same purpose. 

Over the past couple months the arimidex SEs have been worsening. If I sit still for a while, I'm so stuff I feel like I'm 100 (I just turned 47). I have always been athletic and have continued to exercise since diagnosed (well, after healing from surgeries). At night, I am so achy in my bones or joints I just cannot sleep after the trazadone wears off, which usually gets me about 4 hours. When I get up, my finger joints feel as stiff and swollen as if someone injected them with embalming fluid. ha ha. My hips hurt all night and can't get comfortable. My feet become stiff as boards and of course the hot/cold cycles just goes and goes endlessly. 

My onc recently told me that I can switch to Femara if I want, but I hate to exchange a known set of SEs for an unknown set. I just need to get through 2.5 more years of this stuff. So, here's what I am going to try:

1. magnesium (at night, I already take vit d)
2. gin soaked raisins
3. advil in the pm and am
4. continue keeping active (I ride horses, cycle, do gym stuff like yoga, step class, weight lifting)

What else should I be trying??? 

Andrea

Haven't read through this entire thread (c'mon, over 3,000 messages, I'm not that fast!) But this is what I've gleaned from what I have read.

I was on Arimidex for 2 weeks.  The first night after I took it I had leg pains that felt like someone was hitting me with a baseball bat.  Over the next two weeks I had teenage acne, my hair was falling out, constipation, dry eyes, stomach pains, etc. But the worst was the high blood pressure and rapid pulse.  I am normally resting pulse of 72 and BP of 100/60.  My BP had shot up to 165/95 and my pulse was erratic - 90, 120, all over the place. If I went for a walk I couldn't get more than 100 steps before it was up to 120.  Forget jogging.  I have been off of it for roughly 3 weeks.  My BP is back to normal but my pulse is still doing 'weird stuff'.  The Med Onc gave me a new prescription - Aromasin this time (exemastane) and asked me if I thought the Arimidex was out of my system.  I asked the pharmacist how long Arimidex stays in the system and he said 10 days.  I am well past 10 days so hopefully no permanent damage was done.

 I am on 20 mg Pravastatin (Pravachol) - genetics.  My cardiologist told me I could eat only vegetables and drink 29 cases of red wine and it would not have a significant enough impact on my lipids.  She did also suggest doing the slo-niacin as she knows I won't take a higher dose of the Pravastatin.  I had a bad reaction to Lipitor - shortness of breath that took 5 months to go away.  I do see her next month so probably need to get on the stick with the slo niacin. Very concerned about what will happen with the Aromasin - it is steroid based and steroids and me don't get along very well.  I would like the pulse to go back to normal before trying yet one more drug.  If this one doesn't work, even though I am post menopausal, Tamoxifen will be the drug of choice......assuming I can take that.  Anyone have bad reactions or side effects to Aromasin?

I've been on it now for about a month. I have only noticed aching in my joints and some stiffness in the morning.  I'm doing yoga and muscle flexing to help and it's working. I also do weights and cardio.

So a plus for me. I have lost all Estrogen which had been a huge booster to my sex life. I freaked when I thought I'd have to lose my mojo by using arimedex since I'm using Prozac for hot flashes (it's working) and this AI stunts estrogen development.  What it does provide however is testoterone and I was very pleased to learn I can have a sex life again. So some good side effects for me. 

Not sure where to post this but I really need to rant! I saw my new MO today (my original one just retired). He is the in the same practice as my original. For being a new patient to him he really wasn't paying attention to what I was saying. He asked me a few questions and then I proceeded to tell him a little bit about me - such as I had a hyster/ooph last year and I am having joint pain and some hot flashes. He then asked if me if I was in menopause - WTH! I told him with my hyster/ooph that makes me in menopause right! He then asked me when my last mammogram was - WTH again! I had bilateral mastectomies with implant reconstruction. I told him I didn't need one anymore. He obviously didn't read any of my chart before he saw me today. I am pretty mad right now. Now I have to find another MO because I don't have much faith in this one.

On the briight side - appointment went well and I don't have to go back for six months (that gives me enough time to find another MO)

He also mentioned that Vitamin E sometimes works for hot flashes. I never heard this before. Has anybody heard of this?

Sorry this was soo long but I had to get it off my chest before I explode!

Donna

I've had that happen, too, when seeing someone new or someone different in the practice. I've decided from now on that I'm going to say "Obviously you haven't had time to read my record and properly prepare for this appointment.  I'm leaving now and will make an appointment for a time when you are better prepared."  Then I will tell the desk person EXACTLY that as well, and request an appointmment for a day whe the doc will have time to prepare.  If I'm 15 minutes late I get cancelled, but the doc can't take 15 seconds to read a chart?  Makes me FURIOUS!

Native - I like your idea! I am going to call the New Patient Coordinator that I talked with to book that appt. and tell her how I feel. I still can't believe the questions he asked me.

Beau - I also believe that you have to be your own advocate when it comes to your health. I know that doctors are becoming very busy but that doesn't mean that they have to be uninformed of your situation.

I've got to say my favorite dr. is my PS - he really does listen no matter how busy he is!

I definitely am looking for a new MO. Hope I can find a compassionate one this time.

Is anybody else here as fed up with Arimidex as I am? I've only been on it for 1 year and I've decided to stop it. I'm taking two more Rx's for side effects which do nothing for the worst one--which is my aching hips--sometimes hurts just to sit and if I walk too much, I'm out for the next day. Can't take NSAID's for the pain because it conflicts with one of my other meds. So I'm thinking I'd would rather have quality of life than quanitity. I just can't bear to think I need to be on this for another 4 years.

 I see my MO in 2 weeks and I'm going to ask if there is a second tier option (not just tamox. or another AI).

The first time I had BC in 1987, I was on tamox. for 1.5 years and stopped it because of side effects and was put on megace--which I loved--I felt great on it, but gained a lot of weight. So I'm hoping there is maybe something like this this time or I might ask to go back on megace since it worked for a very long time for me.

Anybody else thinking the same thing?

Iago--I was told Tamox was not an option--plus I had bad side effects with that the first time. The more I think about it, Megace sounds very atractive to me--if I can get a handle on the weight but I felt great and could exercise--which I find almost impossible with Arimedex. Worked for a very long time the first time around. 

I've tried both, still taking them since I've heard it can take a couple of months for it to take effect. And I do plan on getting my vit D re-tested to see if it has come up at all. 

I have the most delicious recipe that makes vegetables taste so good that you don't even want to eat bad stuff (as much anyway).

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil, cut up a whole bunch of any combination of vegetables and dump on the pan. Coat lightly with extra virgin olive oil, sprinke on some dry taco seasoning mix, stir around. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, stir and bake 15 minutes more. YUM!!!