Pailful side effects with Arimedex?

LRN715
LRN715 Member Posts: 34
edited November 2022 in Breast Cancer #1
I was put on Arimedex in July and for the most part have had a few body aches and pains. But, in the last month developed some finger numbness in the mornings when waking, and now pain in hands..........is this a side effect that everyone talks about? I am menopausal so I am not able to take Tamoxifen. What are my other alternatives, other than to grin and bear it for the next 5 years.

Comments

  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #2
    Hi,
    My oncologist switched me to the generic version of Arimedex (Anastrozole). I've only been on it for a month after being on Tamoxifen for three. So far I'm not noticing any difference in side effects with either drug. Maybe an occasional hot spurt and evening tiredness but that's it. I know I've heard others say that once a form of medication is in your system for several months the side effect let up. Let's pray that is your case

    Hugs, Lorrie


    Here are a few of the Side effect's I've read about which kind of makes sense in your case:

    * sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
    * sudden headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance;
    * swollen glands;
    * a bone fracture; or
    * swelling in your hands or feet
  • LRN715
    LRN715 Member Posts: 34
    #3
    butterflylvr said:

    Hi,
    My oncologist switched me to the generic version of Arimedex (Anastrozole). I've only been on it for a month after being on Tamoxifen for three. So far I'm not noticing any difference in side effects with either drug. Maybe an occasional hot spurt and evening tiredness but that's it. I know I've heard others say that once a form of medication is in your system for several months the side effect let up. Let's pray that is your case

    Hugs, Lorrie


    Here are a few of the Side effect's I've read about which kind of makes sense in your case:

    * sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
    * sudden headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance;
    * swollen glands;
    * a bone fracture; or
    * swelling in your hands or feet

    Thank you butterflylvr--I
    Thank you butterflylvr--I have them ALL! But, not willing to go off at this point, as I really want to give this a chance, but boy, the pain is intense. I do take 2 ibuprofen morning, noon, and night, and it does not help one bit. Hopefully with time it will get better. I did not have this at first, so must be building up in my system.
  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    #4
    LRN715 said:

    Thank you butterflylvr--I
    Thank you butterflylvr--I have them ALL! But, not willing to go off at this point, as I really want to give this a chance, but boy, the pain is intense. I do take 2 ibuprofen morning, noon, and night, and it does not help one bit. Hopefully with time it will get better. I did not have this at first, so must be building up in my system.

    Yes.
    Hand pain is my only side effect. I am in a study group at Yale which studies exercise and Arimidex side effects. Exercise has really helped in my case.

    Roseann
  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #5
    Vitamin D level
    Sometimes the pain can be alleviated with prescription vitamin D if you are clinically low. The doctor would have to do a blood test for D3 level. D3 controls inflamation which the aromatase inhibitors seem to aggrevate. So if your level is down (common this time of year unless you live in the topics), correcting it may work better than ibruprofen. I found this out after a couple of years dealing with foot pain. Two days after I started the prescription D3, the pain disappeared. Don't wait as long as I did to at least check it out.

    By the way, you can't go on an aromatase inhibitor if you have periods, but anyone can go on Tamoxifen. The reason Arimidex is preferred is because it works twice as well. But if you can't take it, Tamoxifen would be a good fall back. That was the gold standard before the aromatase inhibitors came out in the last few years.
  • mckevnic
    mckevnic Member Posts: 71
    #6
    Funny you should ask......
    I started Tamoxifen Sept 2010, had ovaries removed in Nov, then went on Arimidex. My chemo doc told me the symptoms would get better after 6 months. Here we are, 1 year later and I feel like a 100 yr old lady! The pain and stiffness never got better and I was at the end of my rope. I tried advil like you, no help. I also got the Vit D bood test because of hearing things about that-as posted here. My D level is 20 (normal range is 40-100). However, just yesterday I went back to my chemo doc (to say I can't take Arimidex anymore-it's too painful) and he said I can try Aromasin (similar to Arimidex) and I'll need to give it 2 months to see if I have any side effects. Aromasin costs over $200/month but the generic (Exemestane) just came out and it's only $25/month!

    Regarding Vit D, he said the real indicator is a bone density test. If your bone density is normal, then you don't need Vit D boost. So he said to just continue taking my daily calcium 1200mg and vit d 1000iu.

    2 months can't pass quick enough for me! I hope Aromasin works!! The good news is he counts my 5 yrs from the start of Tamoxifen.

    Maybe you could ask your doc to switch you too. Not sure if it'll be different, but for me, it's worth a try!

    Good luck with whatever you decide.
    Chris
  • Jane123456789
    Jane123456789 Member Posts: 1 Member
    #7

    I switched to Exemestane because Arimidex caused such insane leg pain. Well, I think the Exemestane is a lot worse. I have to use my cane all the time when away from home, and even sometimes around the house. My oncologist and my family doctor both said Voltaren might help, and it does seem to. It has a lot of liver damage warnings on the package but my doctors said the amount I'm using would be highly unlikely to cause any damage. I always apply it while wearing hospital gloves so I'm not absorbing it into my hands. As a previous member stated, I also "feel like a 100 year old lady." I'm now also battling a thyroid problem, so all I want to do is stay in bed and sleeeeeeeep. Unfortunately, I'm still working full-time until I can retire in 2 years. Then I should be finished with my 5-year ordeal with the aromatase inhibitors and I wonder if the pain will go away once I stop taking them. Anyone have any experience with what happens then?

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