Side Effects Of Arimidex

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2005 and had my mastectomy the end of the month. I started my chemo ( 6 treatments )  and went through 36 radiation treatments finishing in March 2006. I had my other breast removed in May 2006, my cancer was stage 3-B so my doctor thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and have the right breast removed. I started Arimidex in April 2006 and have had joint pain especially in my upper arms. I have also had a couple of bouts with sciatica. One of my biggest concerns is my weight gain, When I was going through chemo I ended up with burning mouth syndrome and lost 20 lbs because I couldn't eat. I was on morphine for over 2 months. Now that I have gotten over the burning mouth the weight has really started to pile on. We live in the Midwest where you can't really do much walking in the winter, so I got a treadmill hoping that would help. I am taking a generic sleeping pill Zolpidem and it really helps although I wake up a couple of times in the night.

 

On 3/1/2008 JewellRice wrote:

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2005 and had my mastectomy the end of the month. I started my chemo ( 6 treatments )  and went through 36 radiation treatments finishing in March 2006. I had my other breast removed in May 2006, my cancer was stage 3-B so my doctor thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and have the right breast removed. I started Arimidex in April 2006 and have had joint pain especially in my upper arms. I have also had a couple of bouts with sciatica. One of my biggest concerns is my weight gain, When I was going through chemo I ended up with burning mouth syndrome and lost 20 lbs because I couldn't eat. I was on morphine for over 2 months. Now that I have gotten over the burning mouth the weight has really started to pile on. We live in the Midwest where you can't really do much walking in the winter, so I got a treadmill hoping that would help. I am taking a generic sleeping pill Zolpidem and it really helps although I wake up a couple of times in the night.

I was diagnosed in April 2007 and have been on Arimidex since July. I am currently involved in changing my med to Tamoxifen. My mom had to change due to the pain in her joints after 1.5 years, it only took me 6 ms to get to such pain levels I had cortisone injections yesterday in my hands. I am fed up with living half a life from the pain. It also causd me to gain 10 lbs even while going to the gym and sweating like crazy!

Mom said it took only days for the pain to subside, I am so looking forward to that!

I have been on Arimidex for 2.5 yrs and also experienced weight retention...gained weight during chemo and radiation...cannot drop the weight now. But, I did find my aching joints were relieved by a high dose of B vitamins, daily. Have the hot flashes, but also was told to stay away from Black Cohosh. If you, or anyone, has ideas on how to reverse the 30lbs I gained, I'd appreciate it. I had awful leg/foot/knee pains and B Complex vitamins helped after taking them approximately 2 wks or so.

i too am on arimdex have been on it sence september  , i had  ovarian cancer my sister had breast cancer 3 months before me , so he put me on it stating this will help me so may be i wont get breast  cancer being that ovarian cancer are related, i too had alot of side effects from it  the pain in my arms legs back were awful my bones ach some times real bad when i get up out of a chair after sitting a  while it tkes me a moment to move , i do have to say its getting better , a few weeks ago i had such pain in my chest they did a stress test  but it has gone away so i think that was the meds too  i still have the night sweats  and hot flashes i was told that is from the meds as thats one of the side  effects, i  did gain a bit of  weight too but not much and  as  far  as loosing my hair i havent . my doctor says  this med is the best  so i have decided i will deal  with wht  comes  with it  , good luck

I am glad to share my BC scenario, drug program and side effects. Diagnosed summer 2001 at 51 YO, chemo/lumpectomy/chemo/radiation. Kept my day job and stayed in grad school :-) Took tamoxifin for 6 months and hated the side effects - intense hot flashes and a crawly skin sensation. I didnt like the research on blood clots either.

 I did my own net surfing and found arimidex and asked my onc. to switch my script. I have been on it pretty regularly for 6 years. Side effects for ME: cannot lose the 25 pounds I gained during chemo. I mean I cannot lose even 5 lbs any way I have tried. I have joint swelling in one finger, and intermetent pain in my right hip which comes and goes.

The talk on this board about the joint pain is not significant in my case. I had bad knees pre-BC and had a disc removed 12 years ago so my back is a little stiff from that. I do have elevated BP which worries me, and I have to take lysinipril for that unfortunately since I also like to drink wine which raises the BP anyway. What can you do? Give up a glass of wine? :-) I do feel older, more like 58 that I really am...I used to feel younger than my age, and I also do not have energy for lots of exercise which I used to be regluar with. That is a side effect for me, my energy level is lower and I have to pay attention to that more.

I have also had my teeth decline in bone strength, and have to be religious with calcium supplements every day. I notice that when I forget to take all my 1200 mg calcium I do develop some random pains.

Those who have pain with arimidex, do you take tons of calcium for bone loss?

I posted above about three months ago and reported few side affects. However I began thinking about what was going on with my body, and I realized that i now had high blood pressure, stubborn weight gain and depression...so it is either take meds to conter the arimidex, or.....

After 6 years on Arimidex I took myself off it for a drug holiday. I am sleeping better, only one hot flash a day, my mood is better-brighter, my libido is back and my body doesnt feel old. I am taking Curcumin (tumeric) pills three times a day, and flax seed supplements as well as calcium and multivitamins. I feel really good. Is it worth it???