ARIMIDEX Reviews (ANASTROZOLE)Average Rating: 2.5 (1431 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ARIMIDEX with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Gender males first. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 |
More on ARIMIDEX: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ARIMIDEX | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | BC duct/lob inv S1 G1 no nod involv | Haven't started yet, but had to give a rating to submit. Pls disregard. | I'm just reading this site as an assist in making a decision about taking an AI, which my oncologist strongly recommends. Tx for all your input. I'm sad for all the suffering, tho wish you all good results! Just finished my radiation. I feel good now, am trying to reduce the stress that I believe contributed to my BC, and am looking at nutrition/supplement support to reduce risk and improve health. Does anyone have an MD who checked their estrogen level before recommending the AI? (Not just to decide betw/ Tomoxifen & Arimidex.) None of the studies I've read on the AI's mention this factor in use or success ratios. If this drug is to block estrogen, it seems they should monitor estrogen levels. Mine are "not detected" so I wonder what the benefit is. I also wonder if anyone has heard of natural alternatives to the AIs. My doc won't talk about this as there are no "clinically based" studies, and of course the studies I've read are all funded by the pharmaceutical | F | 51 | 0 days | 12/25/2007 | 3 | early stage breast cancer | The worst one is explosive diarrhea and severe cramping. I also feel quite listless and have returned to the wonderful world of hot flashes that wake me up at night. then there is the lower back pain and hip pain (which was there previously, but worse now). I also have the fuzzy brain syndrome. | After reading all these comments, I, too, am concerned that the side effects were not discussed, and I feel like a guinea pig because I agreed to be in some sort of study of the drug. I also take gabapentin (neurotin) 800 mg a day for neuropathy. I can't stand feeling any clothing over mastectomy area and the gabapentin is supposed to help, but I can't say it does. | F | 65 | 3 days | 10/22/2007 | 3 | Breast Cancer - to shrink the tumor | Acute neuropathy, peripheral and autonomic. Low blood pressure, dizziness, constant joint and muscle pain, no balance - using walker, constipation - anal sphincter has stopped working, no muscle strength, can't drive or function, breathing problem. | Arimidex did shrink the tumor very well. Now that it's operable, though, I don't feel like I could survive surgery. Every week I have gotten weaker, lost feeling or function. I am only taking Arimidex, no other drugs, have had extensive tests that show no other cause. I have always been strong, but this stuff has me beat down. I guess I should have the surgery and stop taking the drug at the same time. Maybe I can get some strength back and have some kind of life left. This has been hell. | F | 60 | 6 months | 11/17/2007 | 3 | Stage 2A Invasive lobular carcinoma | Joint/bone pain, insomnia, weight gain, fatigue, short term memory problems, vaginal atrophy, loss of libido | I balance the weight of the side effects against the reassurance that Arimidex will help prevent a breast cancer recurrence. Some days that is easier to do than others. Tired of waking up in pain every day. 1 1/2 years down, 3 1/2 to go. | F | 46 | 1.5 years | 12/8/2007 | 3 | Breast cancer stage 2 no node affe | Joint pain worst in hands, fingers and thumbs. But also in knees and feet. Have had severe carpal Tunnel develope over the past 2 years. had surgery on right hand and will have surgery on left hand in May. Numbness gone from right hand but stiffness and pain continue. Poor sleeping. Poor memory. Exercise difficult. | I was diagnosed on September 2004. I had a lumpectomy and 18 lymph nodes removed which were all clear. I then had radiotherapy but no chemo. I am very happy that this drug will most likely prevent further breast cancer but find the side effects debilitating and am concerned about how much worse these symptoms will become over the next 2 years and whether I will have permanent pain and incapacitation. | F | 55 | 3 days | 3/13/2008 | 3 | breast cancer | weight gain which I'm trying to combat and bone pain mainly in my ribs. And of course the dreaded hot flashes which started with the neo-adjunct chemo and have continued since | Just wanted to give everyone a big tip! I was also having alot of bone pain in my ribs and asked my radiation oncologist on a follow up visit about it since I wasn't sure if it was from arimedex or the radiation treatments and she encouraged me (once again) to take vitamin C, D and E -2 grams each daily - which seems to be 2000 mg each. This time I tried it and it was amazing! Bone pain was basically gone in a week! I take 1000 iu each of D and E in capsule form with breakfast and dinner and for the C I take EmergenC _which is a vitamin drink mix twice a day - great stuff. This makes sense to me since arimedex causes loss of vitamin D in your body and the supplement will help you compensate for that and help your body absorb the calcium you need for your bones. I guess the arimedex is helping - I like to think it is. My mom died from breast cancer at 51 when I was 10. So getting breast cancer at 48 was pretty scary. The battle is on! | F | 49 | 7 months | 3/14/2008 | 3 | Breast Cancer | I've only been on Arimidex a month and as far as I can tell have no side effects (yet!). I had an infusion of Reclast to prevent the side effect of osteoporosis from the Arimidex and it kicked my butt for a few days, worse than all the chemo. Had it last Thursday and woke up Friday feeling like I had been hit by a truck. Every joint in my body ached, lasted only a few days and now I feel fine again. Just got back to work from #11 of 33 radiation treatments. I've been very fortunate through this whole ordeal to really feel great. I was diagnosed June 18, 2007. | I have one very uncomfortable side effect that I thought would be gone by now from Taxotere and that is the bad mouth taste, dry mouth, coated mouth... I began wondering if it could be the Arimidex as well and was on my way to their site when I found this one. My doctor really believes that Arimidex is the superior drug in reducing the risk of reoccurance and I trust him. | F | 59 | 30 days | 1/29/2008 | 3 | bc | my hands tingle quite often especially at night. i have moderate to severe pain in my left wrist and fingers. i feel a little down. this is much better than femara. femara was awful, if felt like i had arthritis and i hurt all the time. i excerise everyday and nothing else really hurts | F | 47 | 3 months | 2/4/2008 | 3 | BC,stg 2 lumpectomy chemo/rad | I am stiff, achy lower back, knees, ankle, thumbs/wrist, stiff neck and symptoms seem to be on a rotation. I have erratic sleep avg 6 hrs a night with a daytime nap that can range from 15 min to 2 hrs. I use to sleep 8-9 solid. Dont know about weight gain since i am overweight already. Stiffness is my worst inconvenience and inability to walk long distances. Feel old. | Dr put me on a multi vitamin, 800units of vita E, & calcium when i started arimidex. I also began a strict regimen of exercise, swimming 30 min of laps, mon thru fri, lifting weights and walking a treadmill 2x a week (1.5mph)for 30 min or until a pain manifests itself. I never do 30 min of walking, usually 15 - 20 min and I cant go much faster or it is hell to pay in a joint somewhere. Swimming is painfree and I do it religiously, sometimes 5x/wk. Only god knows what I'd feel like if I wasn't doing this exercise. I weigh 270lbs so I am no exercise freak! I am devout in monitoring food intake but with no outstanding weight loss. I am approaching my 5 yr anniv from lumpectomy and 4+ years of my post cancer regimen. I take my pills every night. Never have missed. So far no recurrence. I got blood clots, herpes and shingles during chemo so it was halted early. Therefore I feel compelled to do this exercise/med routine as it is the singular fight-back force in my control. Arimidex is t | F | 60 | 4 years | 2/7/2008 | 3 | BC and 2 metastases reoccurrences | Hair loss, extreme back pain, aching legs and knees, diarrhea, and depression. | I wish my oncologist had mentioned hair loss. I have been upset about how much hair I have lost in just the short time I have been taking this. I have also been very weepy and depressed, again wishing someone had given me a heads up on that. Since I have had breast cancer three times I'm sure my doctor won't take me off of this drug since I am probably at high risk of another reoccurence. I want to be appreciative of this drug and know that I did everything I could to stay here a little longer for my family. Please let me know if anyone has had hair loss also, it is not listed as a side effect and I am wondering if it is going to completely fall out like with chemo or just thin out. | F | 42 | 3 weeks | 1/26/2008 | 3 | Breast cancer - Stage 1 | I just started taking Arimidex a month ago and the only bad side effect I notice so far is severe constipation. That took me by surprise because I was concerned about the joint pain that can be associated with Arimidex but I have not had any severe joint pain. Is that something that occurs after being on the drug for a while? | F | 56 | 30 days | 1/8/2008 | 3 | breast cancer stage2 nodes involved | joint and bone pain especially in the feet-knees and shoulders cant sit for long periods of time-im fine as long as i keep moving.trouble sleeping.. | i thought the cancer had come back in my bones thats how much pain i was experiencing but then i saw this website and realized its all from the arimidex.i will have to discuss things further with my oncolgist i just want to make sure the side effects will go away when i stop taking the medication-and also if the side effects lessen with time.. | F | 56 | 6 months | 7/9/2007 | 3 | Breast Cancer 3 times | Have a lot of symptoms everyone described but will continue to take Arimidex because the option for me of not being here isn't the option I want. Everyone has to make their own decision--switch doctors--talk to your doctors--but you probably should let them know if your off of it | The memoray lapses that I am reading about may not be all from the arimidex. There has been a study done on ladies who have or had breast cancer (although with breast cancer they don't consider it in remission from what I understand)--for 10 years or more our brains continue to be affected from the chemo if you had it--isn't that interesting--between getting older--all the chemicals and procedures and surgeries many of us had, it is just one more interesting turn with breast cancer. Glad to be alives, mid-thirties when first discovered, with 6 children. Take care all you beautiful ladies and God Bless | F | 54 | 7 months | 6/1/2007 | 3 | Breast cancer | Joint pain, stiffness, trouble sleeping, hot flashes and other symptoms which I'm not sure is caused by the drug. | I have just recently found out that my alkaline phosphotase is elevated and because I have, just recently, been diagnosed with Grave's Disease, need to have a bone scan as they have ruled out that the thyroid is causing the high levels. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this situation? | F | 53 | 3 years | 7/10/2007 | 3 | Breast & lymph node cancer | I have been on this drug for over four years. I've had joint pain for the entire four years, primarily knees and hands. Sometimes my knees swell spontaneously for no reason. I suffer from depression and mood swings and have gained thirty pounds since I have been on the drug. Naturally with the weight gain, my blood pressure has shot up. I am an ovarian cancer survivor as well, and have had radiation for the ovarian cancer and the breast cancer and chemo for the breast cancer. This drug seems to have such a profound effect on my quality of life that it seems to have the most toxic effect of all. | I would like to hear from women who have higher blood pressure, did all of you also gain weight? Also, I would like to know whether women who have gone off arimidex were successful in losing any or all of their extra weight and whether their join pain decreased. I am going to finish the full course of taking the medicine but daily question whether it is worth it. I can't comment on whether the drug has helped me or not. | F | 64 | 4 years | 7/11/2007 | 3 | I had stage 3A breast cancer-Her2 | I have pain and stiffness in hands, back and feet. Exersize and walking does help some, and I'm determined to keep taking this drug. My memory seems to be affected, and I'm quite tired sometimes, so that makes it difficult to work. I teach elementary school, and don't know how long I can continue the job since it requires a lot of energy. | I had very little side effects the first year I took arimidex. It has been about 2 years now. Do you have any suggestions of the most effective pain killer to take? | F | 59 | 2 years | 8/5/2007 | 3 | Breast Cancer | Gain weight, fatigue, back pain, insomnia , hot flushes | I just wanted to thank you for your input on this webpage. I am on Arimidex for last 2 years and everybody laughs at me as I am gaining the weight - hardly eating and walking every day. The worst I have are hot flushes, insomnia , fatigues ….and more I have had read I can see that all of us suffer very much the same way from these side effects. But rather this, than cancer back. | F | 47 | 2 years | 8/16/2007 | 3 | tubular ductal, 1+node, no chemo/ra | Hotflashes with night sweats, severe joint pain and lower body bone ache. Headaches, Chronic insomnia, chronic fatigue, short term memory loss, decreased libido, mood changes. | I had osteoarthritis prior to going on first Tamoxifen then Arimidex. Had an easy menopause at age 46, significantly more symptoms now, post CA. No chem or radiation. I do take mega calcium and vit. D supplements. Have controlled pain by taking oxycodone and oxycontin with ibuprofen. Worked to keep me going but side effects include severe constipation and spaciness. Also easier to rationalize not exercizing. I stopped the oxys except for 10mg slow release at night-can't sleep w/hip/leg ache. | F | 54 | 2.5 years | 9/18/2007 | 3 | breast cancer | weight gain; hot flashes; joint, bone, & muscle pain in legs, hips, feet. | I have taken Arimidex for approximately 2 years. The hot flashes, weight gain, & vaginal dryness started immediately. The joint, bone, & muscle pain started after a year or so and has become very painful. I have gotten a massage a few times and it allievated the pain but only for a few days at most. I feel like I am much older than I really am. My mobility and activity have decreased drastically. I plan to join a gym for weight training and cardio work to see if that will help. I am certainly hoping it does. | F | 53 | 2 years | 10/25/2007 | 3 | Stage III breast cancer | Hot flashes,night sweats,joint pain,especially in fingers | I ranked Arimidex as a 3, but have no idea as yet if it has actually | F | 54 | 6 months | 5/11/2005 |