Arimidex - Coping with the SE's

I also have had more headaches on this pill.  They even did a CT and found nothing.  Great but heacahes or not easy to live with. 

I have a pollen one for the last two days otter...feel your pain.  rain please.  Three more days till I get my thumbs checked.  

Otter I am glad to hear you have some handle on this. I take Ergomar, an ergot medicine to stop migraines dead in their tracks. Now I am told it is not being manifactured any longer. I am really fearful of having to hunt around for what will work for me.If I am not under unusual stress I get migraines only a few times a year.  My migraines begin with everything looking really pretty, then an area where I cannot see, it is a hole in my left field of vision. Then squiggle lines, my ability to think starts to go,I can't read,  then my ability to form words or even understand how to get help or use a telephone goes. I asked the neurologist how do I know I haven't had a stroke? He told me I will know when the migraine ends!  Migraine is a a real and serious medical problem. I rarely ever have any real pain because I get to the Ergomar before it gets to that stage. The times I have gone to the pain level I have needed to go to the hospital. I feel so bad for people who have unusual symptoms because it takes longer to be diagnosed. I most often get migraine when I have been under extreme stress and the stress ends. Then I get a migraine. Also if I sleep too long, whamo.  

Otter take good care of yourself. 

Hugs Ginger

Yeah, Ginger!

Great news.  I still have a few months b4 the 5 year mark on Arimidex - and wondering what will be next.  Good to hear about Aromsin - hope it continues to work for you!

Hello - I started Arimidex less than a week ago and I am experiencing fatigue. Everything I do is an effort.  I have looked through numerous posts for this thread and I am not seeing where this was addressed.  Can anyone out there tell me how they dealt with this SE if they experienced it?

Thank you!!

kathylyon

exercise, good nutrition, more exercise, and there are times when ASTHENIA ( what the company calls the SE we call fatigue) is just a part of the process.  Seems to come & go, but it is DEFINITELY an SE that many women experiene.  I've just learned to live with it, and like most of us, appreciate we have this EFFECTIVE medication to keep BC away ( we all hope)

I second patoo's exercise advice. If there is a magic bullet; exercise is it. And for many reasons: it helps minimize the SEs of anti-hormonals, is the biggest thing you can do for yourself to reduce your recurrence risk, it lowers your risk of tons of other health problems, it makes you look and feel better...the list is endless.

I echo mcgaffey's sentiments. I also have also taken my pills religiously. So many wonderful and interesting things have happened in my life during the last five years, and I am profoundly grateful that I have been around to enjoy them.

Kathy, thank you. You will be fine. Keep walking and being positive. Take the knocks and make them o.k. It is a powerful drug you are taking and it is working a miracle for all its faults. Let's pray for better drugs in the future for all our daughters. But we are lucky, actually. My best.

Can anyone list the good gluten free pasta products please?  

Thank you Ginger

I am wondering if Arnica gel would help anyone suffering from joint pain.  I got some last night as wiped out cycling on Sunday.  (Don't ask: white out hail plus RR tracks.)

Anyway, my ankle is much better.  I could barely walk on it yesterday.  This is the same ankle I injured last June, so was really worried.  But think it will be just fine.

I thought black storm clouds were a bad sign.  Now I know that white angry clouds are even worse.  They mean serious HAIL could be headed your way, and you can't always beat the storm back.

(Good news is that I got rescued by a guy, or rather by his wife and daughter.  He called for them to pick us up.   I wonder if he has heard the end of "picking up strange women on the Interurban Trail"!  I was so grateful for their help.)

Claire - after my back surgery, my sugeon recommended massage with ARNICA GEL.  Have used it for years - just the best for IMMEDIATE injury.

AND, learned from my acupunturist, that after the initial injury ( R, I, C, E: rest, ice, compression, elevation) that the TIGER BALM patches - HUGE, easily cover the ankle - and stay on for about 24 hours - are FABULOUS.  I use Tiger Balm, but of course it comes off on all fabrics - well, this PATCH of TIGER BALM stays on, no staining, under socks - pefect.  So healing.

Glad you're okay.  BTW, I get my Arnica Gel at Whole Foods - their 365 "generic" brand is a pretty good price.  Most good health food store, even some pharmacies now will sell it. Homeopathic, so you want to keep it away from anything menthol, or minty.

sorry to say, patoo, it's true - licorice made with wheat!  Aaaughhh...I was SO unhappy when I looked at the ingredients - and this was really GOOD licorice, Trader Joes Kookabora, from Australia, I LOVE IT.

I was taking 5,000ius of D3 & still having joint pain - until I went gluten free.  Relaly think it's the combination of many things for many of us...now I'm afraid to change ANYTHING cuz I feel pretty good   Still that $#^%@$ fatigue ( asthenia?) but it's still doable.

I agree Bogie,here we were just happy & healthy and this stupid
Bc swoops down on us like a little chicken being eaten by an eagle. I did have headache really bad and nausea after a wk on Arimi but most stuff gone sometimes tired and got horrid hot flashes but rest of side effects mostly gone.

Thank goodness Patoo,no blood clot those can get serious!

best wishes to all for a happy and healthy week,we need to make sure the beast of cancer never darkens our door again! Oh yeah,see if your doc will get you some Tyl with codeine #3 and Flexeril, I prefer Valium but they dont like to give it out,they say its addictive.

Okay saw the ortho Dr. this morning.  Surgery it is in about two weeks.  Right hand first.  LOL because he said he had never herd any correlation of medicine causing trigger finger.  I said it was mighty funny then that so many of us develop it after starting on this pill.  He did say it is more common in woman.  gee so we just are all so lucky to get it right after starting this darn pill. 

Oh and of course my thumb that was hurting so bad and made me finally make that appointment was unlocked today and it wouldn't lock for him.  Of course as soon as I got to the car and cranked it up..yep it locked.  grrr.  He could see how sore it still was to touch.  

So who has had surgery and what can I expect.  He will be doing the thumb and the middle finger. on my LE side first.

KittyDog, I had trigger thumb in my left hand five years ago long before I had BC.  I saw an orthopedist who tried cortisone injections twice and they relieved the trigger thumb action for a few months, but the problem always returned.  Finally, the orthopedist decided to do the trigger thumb release surgery. I had to keep my hand wrapped in a large bandage for two days so the hand was basically unusable then. I had to wait 11 days for the stitches to come out and that was not a pleasant time. As soon as the stitches came out though, my hand was almost back to normal and the trigger action was gone.  After a few weeks, everything was fine.  About a year later, there was not even a noticeable scar. I wish you the same good luck.

This is my first posting, researching ways to deal with arimidex, and now deciding I need to get off effexor. Glad to see all the info on trigger finger... THAT has been a challenge! A couple non-surgical methods have  helped. I use calcium citrate plus two in the am, two in the pm. Has helped immeasurably with muscle cramps. But, the trigger finger did not quite resolve, and with using my hands alot, trigger thumb was quite bad. Thank God for the internet. I tried using a thumb splint (sort of like a 1/2 glove that immobilizes thumb and keeps it flexed). Within a few hours the pain was greatly reduced. In less than 2 weeks, have been able to go for long stretches of time without wearing it (handy when cooking, canning, gardening, farming, sewing, typing, etc.). I wish KittyDog much luck!