Zometa treatments

laurissa
laurissa Member Posts: 773
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi all. Been busy with work and having to get up at 5. I have just finished my 3rd Zometa monthly treatments and noticed I'm more achy this time. Are the effects increasing with each one? My first one I had no effects at all. Now I'm feeling more sore and stiff. Maybe cause I've gained a few pounds.

Comments

  • Marsha Mulvey
    Marsha Mulvey Member Posts: 597 Member
    #2
    aches and pains
    Aches and pains are certainly a part of getting Zometa, but we're all different. My worst week was the first week. The next 7 varied, a couple were tougher than the others. Tomorrow will be #9, so it remains to be seen. Hang in there and keep reminding yourself of the greater purpose.
    Marsha
  • ohilly
    ohilly Member Posts: 441 Member
    #3
    Marsha Mulvey said:

    aches and pains
    Aches and pains are certainly a part of getting Zometa, but we're all different. My worst week was the first week. The next 7 varied, a couple were tougher than the others. Tomorrow will be #9, so it remains to be seen. Hang in there and keep reminding yourself of the greater purpose.
    Marsha

    ONJ
    I don't want to scare you, but after 2 years of being on Zometa, I developed Osteonecrosis of the Jaw. I did not have any invasive dental procedures...it happened spontaneously. The risk of developing this increases the longer you've been on the drug. Be very aware if you have any pain in your mouth.

    Ohilly
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #4
    ohilly said:

    ONJ
    I don't want to scare you, but after 2 years of being on Zometa, I developed Osteonecrosis of the Jaw. I did not have any invasive dental procedures...it happened spontaneously. The risk of developing this increases the longer you've been on the drug. Be very aware if you have any pain in your mouth.

    Ohilly

    Zometa side effects
    Laurissa, I've been getting monthly Zometa since September last year. The first was rough, but after that I've been doing okay. I do have some stiffness, which seems to be relieved by some mild exercise. I had been walking nearly every day, but my radiation treatments trumped that for the past 3 weeks. I have a mini-trampoline, which is a good alternative for me if I cannot get out to walk. Well, anyway, I hope you can find what helps. The dr told me if I had pain with the stiffness I should take something like Aleve or Tylenol. So far, I haven't needed to do that.

    Ohilly, thanks for the warning about the ONJ. Yes, it is a very real concern. I've kept a constant vigil over my oral health. My onc is very thorough and careful. He was pleased to know that I'd had a complete exam and cleaning before beginning the treatments. In fact, he would have delayed the start if there was any problem in my mouth that needed attention. I am so sorry that this has happened to you, and will be even more diligent now. I'm not sure how long he's going to keep me on zometa, but I expect it to be a long while.

    Hugs and blessings to you both. Gracie
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #5
    I am always a little sore
    I am always a little sore and stiff, so who can tell? LOL. Seriously, I haven't noticed anything as much with the zometa as the arimidex. With the arimidex, I had neck pain right away. Have mostly worked that out with maximizing my vit d level and a huge investment in those thermacare heat wraps :-) I love thermacare! It is a girl's best friend. I just stick one of those puppies on my aching back or neck and I'm good to go. If only they weren't so expensive!
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #6
    CypressCynthia said:

    I am always a little sore
    I am always a little sore and stiff, so who can tell? LOL. Seriously, I haven't noticed anything as much with the zometa as the arimidex. With the arimidex, I had neck pain right away. Have mostly worked that out with maximizing my vit d level and a huge investment in those thermacare heat wraps :-) I love thermacare! It is a girl's best friend. I just stick one of those puppies on my aching back or neck and I'm good to go. If only they weren't so expensive!

    Walgreen's has a similar product under their own banner, that cost way less than the Thermacare. HubbyDearest uses them from time to time on his neck. We had some large ones that he said were too big, so as an experiment I cut one in half. I wrapped the unused portion in foil, then put it into a plastic baggie and pushed out all the air before sealing. He said it was fine when he used it a couple of days later.
  • greyhoundluvr
    greyhoundluvr Member Posts: 402
    #7
    Laurissa -
    I have been through my 6 monthly doses and am now on the 4x/year plan (for the clinical trial). I would say that my side effects were very inconsistent - sometimes it didn't phase me and others I was pretty achey for about 24 hours. My first 3 month dose is next week so I am hoping that since I've been off it for 3 months, I won't notice it much.

    O'Hilly - I had a long talk with my dentist about the possibility of ONJ before starting the Zometa trial but both of my oncs felt that the preliminary studies were so promising that it was worth the risk. At first I was disappointed to get put in the Zometa group instead of the oral drug group but now they are saying that all of the biphosphonates have the same occurrence level. You are the first one I have heard of that has gotten it without a dental procedure so I will certainly keep a lookout. My dentist told me that I will never be having oral surgery again - if I get old (which would be a good thing) and need a tooth pulled, they will just cut the root instead. I hope yours stays well under control...

    Chris

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