Age 72 - off Arimidex a year, still experiencing night sweats
TL;DR I feel like my five years on Arimidex permanently altered my internal thermostat even though I've been off it a year, especially when it comes to sleeping. Wondering if anyone else has experienced a long-term side effect like this?
Long version: I took Arimidex for five years and stopped it a year ago. I feel like my body's internal thermostat is permanently messed up. When I first started taking it in July 2015 (IDC, lumpectomy, 3 wks rads, no chemo, details in footnote), I went into a state of constant hot flashes. I didn't even have hot flashes when I went through menopause for real in 1999. And these were constant 24/7. The worst was at night. I could not find the combination of bed clothes -- for me OR for the bed -- that prevented me waking up drenched several times during the night. The fact that it was summer in South Texas didn't help, central a/c always on.
Eventually I started sleeping under a loosely woven cotton coverlet (even a top sheet was too hot) and resigning myself to changing my cotton nightgown at least three times during the night. Sleeping nude made me too cold, but any more covers or clothes made me too hot.
I finally stopped taking Arimidex coming up on a year ago, and all the other side effects that I blamed on it (nerve pain/burning in lower legs, and some other stuff) have gone away. But I am still waking up sweaty during the night. Not multiple times and not thoroughly drenched like I was on the drug, but I still do have to change my gown at least once. Now I'm mostly sweaty around my head and neck (so my pillow gets sweaty-ugh). I wear and use only cotton "breathable" fabrics, both on the bed and on me.
I keep the temp around 75 at night. I know that sounds really warm, and the sleep articles say crank your temp down to the high 60s, but I can't tolerate it that cold. I wake up achy from the cold. I have a ceiling fan in the bedroom and sometimes I wake up cold and have to turn it off because of the draft. At this time of year, the a/c is always on, although not always running (my central a/c is brand-new and pretty efficient).
The body temp roller coaster is most aggravating at night, but not limited to night. Even just being here at home (I'm retired and live alone) all day every day during the pandemic, I'm constantly turning fans on and off and I get too hot then too cold. I can cope when I'm awake, but I'd so looooove to get a really good night's sleep!
[Cross-posted in Arimidex side effects forum]
Comments
-
sorry about the night sweats…i have them too. But not on my head and neck anymore . I bought a “cool pillow”. I cant think of the brand name, but it works pretty well
-
Hi Lynn- thanks for the reply. I think I solved the problem. I read that night sweats might be a sign of sleep apnea, and that one of the things that might help is a wedgie pillow to elevate my upper body. I got one at Bed Bath & Beyond, and that seems to have fixed it. I position the bottom edge of the pillow at my hip and put the big fluffy pillow for my heat at the top of the wedge. I easily fall asleep and stay asleep. No more sweats. Interesting, eh?
The problem with a cooling pillow for me is that I also get cold during the night. It's a temperature roller coaster. So
ifwhen (hehe) I get up to pee around 3 or 4 am, I turn off the ceiling fan and bump the thermostat up one degree. Also put my cat out of the bedroom, as for some reason, she feels this is the perfect time for her to bathe (lick-lick-lick). It's like a carefully choreographed dance.Honestly, I've gotten so quirky in my sleeping habits I can't imagine ever sharing a bedroom with another human being... thanks again for your note. I was hearing *crickets* in this space.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team