I just completed 5 years on arimidex and have been asked to be part of a study and go on it for another 5 years. Has cancer reoccurred in patients while they have been on arimidex, not due to the drug, but due to the cancer. In other words, does taking arimidex prevent cancer from reoccurring while a patient is on it?
My oncologist is in the process of deciding whether to prescribe Letrozole/Femara or Anastrozole/Arimidex. What considerations factor into which of these two drugs to use? Has anyone had experience with either of them? How serious are the side effects?
Armidex may not prolong his growth period much longer with such an advanced bone age, it is a medication used to block estrogen effect, also used in breast cancer, there are concerns with the liver but if monitored carefully most have few side effects. However with a bone age of 17 1/2 growth is near completion. I would work with the peds endocrinologist and talk with them to discuss your concerns, plan of care and monitoring.
I have been on Arimidex for seven months and experienced an increase in libido, I am 72. The Oncologist checked for an increase in testosterone. Result: normal. The Doctor checked with an endocrinologist. The Arimidex is blocking the estrogen production and the body recognizes the testosterone more readily and reacts. Are there other women with this reaction?
Hi Sue,
I started Femara 2 days ago. Day #1 after getting up off the sofa after watching tv and reclining I became dizzy. Day #2 had mild strange pain in nipple area of affected breast and same in opposite breast. My bones are strong at this point, & Oncologist said if you start with strong bones you will most likely end with strong bones. I was afraid of damage to my heart after 33 RT's so had an Echo Cardiogram done.
Can anyone tell me anything about half dose of arimidex. I recently started with the 1mg dose of arimidex (standard) and feel horrible. Tired, shaky, mental fog, very emotional. I weigh only 124lb and recently had my ovaries removed, so my question is: why do I have to take the full 1mg of Armidex when women who are heavier than me and still have their ovaries take the same dosage. Will a half dose or every other day dose be just as effective for me?
t be reached even for a biopsy to be taken the Arimidex cleared it by the next scan (6 months). I should point out that Arimidex was the only medication I was taking, no other treatment.
The only reason my cancer has now returned is because a relief GP gave me the results of a bone scan and found that I had osteoporosis so she took me off it and by the time I saw my oncologist (another 6 months) the cancer had returned and metasized in my intestines and spine and ribs. Great fun!
My friend has been taking Arimidex for two years and has all the usual side effects--hot flashes, muscle aches, lack of sleep but, in spite of all her exercising and walking and careful eating, all of the weight gain has been in her stomach and she is at a loss of what to do to lose it. Nothing seems to work and she's very unhappy with that particular location? Anyone else know of weight gain from the drug at that spot specifically?
This time it mastisized to my right femur which was treated with 10 treatments of radiation. The breast was removed. I have been on Arimidex 6 years now. I have gradually gained 40 pounds, continually have hot flashes and night sweats, have joint pain and now starting to retain water/have diarreah. I had a 135 IQ but after being on Arimidex lost the ability to do math and have problems with simple addition and subtraction. Also I have directional issues.
I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer and underwent a bilateral mastectomy eventhough my tumors were considered to be small--level1. My mother had breast cancer twice, first time did a lumpectomy and tons of radiation and was pronounced cancer free after five years. The next year the cancer was back and she had a mastectomy. My question is since my tumors were small even if they were estrogen fed shouldn't the mastectomy have been enough.
Thank-you sooooooo much for getting back to me.The headaches have been so very disconcerting ,and worrisome that I have been reluctant to start the arimitex ! I know that
a side effect of that is also headache !! Oh well I guess I have no other option. Any thoughts? How bad are your side effects and do they disappear eventually?
that the oncologist is watching she decided to be pro-active and placed me on the generic form of tamoxifin which it turns out I am very sensitive to, as I explained to the doctor, If I continue on this medication I will also need a flea collar. The itching is terrible, I went off of it twice now and tried to restart it again with the same results.
Dear madwilson, Hairloss is not a usual side effect associated with Arimidex. Arimidex is an aromatase inhibitor. This means it blocks the enzyme aromatase (found in the body's muscle, skin, breast and fat), which is used to convert androgens (hormones produced by the adrenal glands) into estrogen. In the absence of estrogen, tumors dependent on this hormone for growth will shrink. For more information regarding this drug and side effects you can check out the website chemocare.com.
Hello. I am taking Arimidex (dx May 2007, IDC, 1 cm., grade 3, negative lymph nodes; had lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy, chemo, radiation; I was 54 and perimenopausal at time of dx and chemo put me in menopause.) I also now occasionally consult a holistic MD (referred by my oncologist) for nutritional advice.
My wife is having a hard time deciding whether to stay on this medication and feels almost pressured to take the medication. Trying to stay positive, but it is becoming tough.
Been on Arimidex 26 months. Having numbness in hands and feet. Oncologist doesn't think it's related to Arimidex. Anyone have this problem while on this drug?
I started taking Arimidex about five months ago. Since then I have had many of the typical side effects such as hand/joint pain, neuropathy in my hands, hot flashes, wakefulness at night etc. However, my sight in one eye has also begun to noticeably deteriorate. I know, because I had my eyes checked and a new eye prescription just before I started taking Arimidex. I saw my eye doctor again last week and my vision has deteriorated from 20/40 to 20/70 (with correction) in just a few months.
Does Arimidex have to actually kill you vs. maiming you for life, in order to be pulled off the market? At 58, I may need a hip replacement because I took Arimidex for two years! DeeDee
This discussion is related to <a href='http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/260593'>Arimidex Long Term Side Effects</a>.
Is painfful intercourse a common side effect of Arimidex? I even have pain from just touching the vaginal area, plus burning from contact to various soaps except Ivory. Will this go away when I get off of Arimidex in 3 more years?
My obgyn wants to give me estrogen cream but my oncologist is against it. What can I do to get relief? HELP!
I am 42 and have been on Arimidex since Feb. 20, 2009. I have had a hysterectomy in May to remove my ovaries.
I have gained 15 pounds. I am on a 1600 calorie/day diet and walk six miles a day, four days a week. I would like to know if there is any thing else I can do to battle this weight gain. I will be on Arimidex for another four years.
Though there is a good theoretical basis for the use of arimidex on endometriosis, I believe that this is still an off-label indication for the drug and the clinical basis for its use is still from phase II clinical trials (studies with still low number of patients). Until such time that the indication of endometriosis can be demonstrated in large phase III clinical trials, the use of arimidex for endometriosis is still controversial.
I have been taking Anastrozole for about two and half years for stage 1 ER/PR positive breast cancer. About a year after I started taking the drug, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes that is not particularly well controlled, even though I take two different prescriptions. A few months after that I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. For that I now take Lipitor, which has lowered the total cholesterol quite a bit.
I saw a Professor of Endocrinology in Feb 2008, referred by my bc surgeon, as this guy has an academic interest in side effects of Arimidex. He suggested I continue with Arimidex and Fosamax to prevent further bone loss, but I cannot stand the pain and disturbance to my sleep.
Does anyone have any experience of stopping Arimidex and getting a different med that does not have the side effect of bone pain?
I was diagnosed in 08 and am her2 positive. I went through chemo,radiation and 1 year of hercepton. Since then I"ve beem on arimidex. My main complaint other then hot flashes (terrible lol) is fatigue. It seems that I"ve lost alot of energy. The fatigue comes shortly after I start a project. Because of the hot flashes I get little sleep some nights but does the arimidex also cause fatigue? Is a side effect of hercepton fatigue (taken in 09,,,,?
After seeing an endocrinologist who ran all types of blood work which came back normal with the exception of his estrogen level a bit higher then normal and had an X-ray of his hand which showed bones of a 13 half to 14 half yr old (I was told was good ) want to give my son arimidex. My question is......is this safe for teen boys. I read its not FDA approved for children.
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