Arimidex - Coping with the SE's

HI VJSL8,

 I am sorry to hear that you are having such a rough timr on Arimidex! I am now 9 months into the journey and things are slowly getting better, but it takes a lot of work, tinkering with meds, diet, exercise, etc. I too am havie significant joint aches, plus I have three herniated disks in my neck that went nuclear when I went on Arimidex due to more arthritis through out my body. However, I continue to tinker with medications and diet to try to smooth things out and it is definitely helping. 

Have you tried a muscle relaxer such as diazapam (this can be used in different ways, but I started a 10mg dose and it really helped.) There are many muscle relaxers out there and often the pain we feel is related not only to the inflammation in the joints but the muscle spasms/pain around the joint. 

You could also consider taking a small dose of pure oxycodone (5mg), which is the pure opiate without any NSAID in it for pain relief. I used that at first before my doctor tried a msucle relaxer and it reallly helped.  

Defintely look into your vit D as that can also be part of the picture. I continue to experiment with my diet as well. I am cutting way back on dairy (and alas coffee) and I found that it has really lessened my pain.  

In any event, if you really are at peace with your choice to stop Ariimidex, I wish you all the best., I do think, however, that given that this is your second recurrence, you should be sure that you look deep into your heart to be sure that you have really comed to terms with the  possibilty that a 3rd recurrence, god forbid, is not out of the question. Please think about at least trying the other AIs to see if they are easier on you or trying some things like about to help come with the pain. Constant pain is not something that you should have to live with, no matter what!

I am probably in a different position from you - I have 2 kids who are 10 and 13, so I feel that if I ever quit and it came back (and believe you me, there are days, when I want to go AWOL), it would really haunt me.  I want to do everything that I can to be here to see them grow up. Of course, that doesn't mean that I won't have a recurrence (ro get hit ny a bus for that matter), but when I looked into my heart, I felf that is what I needed to do.

I wish you a safe journey and peace with your decision. Good luck!! Beau 

Fearless, Yes, I was nauseated and threw up once on the first week of Arimidex.  That was two months ago, I am fine, now, except some muscle pain is starting up around the shoulders and upper back.  If I were you, I would start again with the bone builder.  What bone builder did he prescribe? 

I told my Med Onc. I wouldn't take Tamoxifen or Arimidex.  He wanted me to do three years on tamox and then two years on the other.  I asked him if I could remain on Evista, and he said fine.  Evista is reloxifine which is a cousin of Tamoxifen.  I took it for a couple of years prior to my BC diagnosis for bone health.   I do not experience side effects with Evista.  And since I did chemo and rads, surely that got those cancer cells out of my system!

Jane

VJSL8 mentioned having been prescribed "Megace" when she had BC in 1987.  I was curious about that drug, so I looked it up.  Here's the current official prescribing information:  http://www.drugs.com/pro/megace.html

Megace (a.k.a. megestrol acetate) is a "progestin" -- it's a synthetic (man-made) version of progesterone.  You might have heard the term "progestin" before.  The hormone replacement drugs that have been used for decades to treat symptoms of menopause often contain a progestin, along with estrogen. Prempro is an example of such a combination of estrogen + progestin.

According to the prescribing information, here's the official, FDA-approved "indication" (use) for Megace:  "Megace is indicated for the palliative treatment of advanced carcinoma of the breast or endometrium (i.e., recurrent, inoperable, or metastatic disease). It should not be used in lieu of currently accepted procedures such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy."

Apparently, some physicians also use Megace as an appetite stimulant in nursing home patients and in people with AIDS.  The articles I read said it isn't known why megestrol acetate works so well as an appetite stimulant, but it's even marketed for that purpose (to treat cachexia and malnourishment).  The prescribing information says weight gain "is a frequent side effect of Megace."  The weight gain is caused by the increase in appetite, not by fluid retention as might be expected from the steroid structure of the drug.

Just FYI.

otter

three days and counting...diarhea for the past three days and this is the only different thing so i assume they are connected. ...we shall see...am taking calcium with it...and vitamin d too.\

February 2012 will be 4 years of aches and pains of Arimidex.  I had decided that enough was enough and January 31st would be my last day.  However, I recently read on bc.org an article that stated that Arimidex decreased your chances of dying of LUNG cancer by an astounding 87%!!!

Since I am a heavy smoker I decided I might better stay on it for the full 5 years.  My biggest problem is the fatigue.  I find it hard to stay focused and complete anything.

lago, I will look for your spice. I've tried several different seasonings, but keep coming back to the taco because I love hot, spicy things with a kick!

As patoo said; the best way to fight aches, pains and fatigue is to move, move, move.

Sandeeonherown - I had pretty severe GI problems (and headaches) at the beginning, but they eased up after about a month or so.  Be sure not to get dehydrated and perhaps check about drinking some Gatorade or some other electrolyte replacement if your doc thinks it's indicated.

Hang in there!!! 

I have been Arimidex for almost 4 years.  I have weight gain even though I exercise every other day.  The exercise helps me with my joint pain.  Sorry to say that nothing has helped with the weight issue.  My Ono says that I will be able to lose the weight when I come off Arimidex.  I sure hope she is correct!

I struggle everyday with the decision to stay on this drug.  I know it is effecting me - emotionally and physically but I want to cross the 5 year finish line.  Wishing us all strength along our journey.

Megace is one of the active  chemicals in marijuana.  Megace is the chemical that triggers "the munchies" which is how it helps people gain weight.  How it kills breast cancer cells (in test tubes, anyway) is not yet known. 

Desny - I did switch from Arimidex to Aromasin about a month ago. I was having a lot of joint pain on Arimidex so MO let me switch to Aromasin. Well - that didn't work out too well. I had more SE's with the Aromasin than with the Arimidex. I lasted on it for a month and decided I couldnt take it anymore so I went back on Arimidex. So for me it wasn't a good move. Maybe I should have given it more time but decided not to. Everybody is different so it might work better for you.

There's gonna ba a BC breakthrough, I can feel it.  Just don't know how much longer but we are all going to be looking back at what we endured and it will all be over. 

Carol, I don't post much to this thread because "coping with the se's" thanks to this & other threads has been relatively "easy" so far -- diet, exercise, supplements (calcium & Magnesium & D)... after the first few weeks it just wasn't too bad...I've been on this A-team for 14 months now.  Biggest issue has been unmentionable dryness, which is another topic.

Anyway:  I think when you take Anastrazole is a personal preference. Some take it at night; some at mid-day.  After some experimentation, I take mine in the morning & figure I'll have the day to move around, deal with se's and be tired at night. For awhile I had the insomnia - whether it was "just" bc, or the med I can't say.  It took awhile and I took trazadone to help sleep for a couple months, however just 1 mg. Lorazepam(Ativan) works about the same, at least for me - nightnight. These days I sleep ok without meds.

HI Carol.

I had a hard start with Arimidex, including insomnia. I took it in the morning, but it made me foggy, sepcially on an empty stomach. When I switched to evening, it didn't seem to make the insomnia any worse and I felt better during the day.

I am now 9 months in and things are evening out. I recently switched to after lunch as a way to maybe rachet back on the insomnia part (which has decreased to some degree on its own as time has gone on - not completely, but I don't always need a sleeping pill, especailly if I exercise and limit my caffeine to just the morning cup of coffee.)

I would experiment and see what suits you best. Exercise, less caffeine, meditation and meds might be the mix that you need. Good luck! Beau 

Keep moving is my biggest tip!