ARIMIDEX Reviews (ANASTROZOLE)

Average Rating: 2.5 (1431 Ratings)

Filter Results

Compare ARIMIDEX with similar:
 ANTINEOPLASTICS AROMATASE INHIBITORS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

ARIMIDEX  (ANASTROZOLE):  Anastrozole is used to treat breast cancer in women after menopause. Some breast cancers are made to grow faster by a natural hormone called estrogen. Anastrozole decreases the amount of estrogen the body makes and helps to slow or reverse the growth of these breast cancers.   FDA Approval Date: 1995-12-27 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

Results are sorted by Date added.

Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR ARIMIDEXCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 3  Breast Cancer I need to correct a mistake I made yesterday on my posting. It was at the end of my day and I had a brain burp. "Vitamin D" is the supplement that most people need - 4,000 iu per day to protect against cancer. "D" is the vitamin that protects against cell damage. Your doc can check your blood levels of "D" with a simple blood test. Sorry!!! Fish oil suppplements are continuing to help with the dryness of eyes and skin. F 66 6 months
1/5/2010
Email
 3  Stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma '05 masectomy, followed by Arimidex. Stopped after 1 year. Bone loss, joint pain, very dry eyes/skin. '08 lung cancer (non smoker), LLL removed. Started Arimidex again b/c studies show it might also help non-smokers who have lung cancer. One thing I have learned from my eye doc-take 2 grams of fish oil twice a day. My symptoms are less severe and I feel very healthy. My calcium level was low, so I take calcium supplements, 4,000 iu each day. Studies show low calcium levels in cancer patients. M 66 6 months
1/4/2010
Email
 3  BR Cancer - Stage 1 Fairly severe back, neck, finger & foot joint pain/stiffness. Minor weight gain. Finger& foot pain/stiffness improve with use of the joints - most troublesome first thing in the morning or after sitting for a while. Back/shoulder pain is like arthritis & never resolves. Also, vaginal dryness & fingernails have become very fragile - always peeling! Vagifem suppository has been somewhat helpful in easing vaginal dryness - oncologist & GYN docs agreed the small local dosage presents minor estrogen risk (use no more than twice a week). Motrin 24/7 may help the back & shoulder pain, but do not want to subject my body to that either. Will continue for the full 5 years if symptoms do not get worse. F 51 13 months
1/4/2010
Email
 1  stage II breast cancer Joint pain; loss of mobility of fingers, terrible hip pain down back of legs - wakes me during the night so I am always exhausted. I feel like 80. I want to stop but am afraid. I have 9 months left so I will try to stick it out. That 65% better chance of no re-occurrance sounds hopeful to me. But I hate it. I am like a dried up prune everywhere! I was walkihng an hour ( 3-4 miles ) 4-5 times a week and within 3 months the pain became almost intolerable, esxpecially at night. My ribs, hips, hands - I hope when I am done, some of it will lessen. F 63 4 years
1/1/2010
Email
 2  Breast cancer stage 2 Painful joints, cramp-like pain in lower legs that awakens me from sleep and can't be relieved unless I stand up, numbness and tingling of hands and feet, hair thinning, fatigue, dizziness, cough. The above SEs come and go. Fatigue may be the direct result of poor sleep due to leg pains. I asked oncologist if I could try lowering my 1 mg dose of Arimidex to every other day, but she said there wasn't enuf info to feel that was safe. If these Sx persist (esp. the leg cramps) I will stop taking this med. I certainly won't take a bunch of other meds to treat the nasty side effects, especially since I have no way of knowing if it's actually doing any good. I'm probably one of the oldest on this site and I have always been very active. I viewed my cancer and the resulting lumpectomies and radiation as temporary interruptions, and was willing to include Arimidex in my life. Now I'm not so sure if I want the kind of life this medication seems to impose on me. I would really lke to hear from any Arimidex users who have been on a smaller dose than the 1 mg/day. Also, I don't understand how contributors measure the "helpfulness" of this med. Obviously what we all want is no recurrence of cancer but how can anyone be sure that Arimidex is responsible for that? Could it not be the result of a more positive attitude? F 77 10 months
12/30/2009
 3  Breast Cancer Stage II Gastrointestinal distress, vaginal dryness, dry skin, hair, nails F 71 9 months
12/29/2009
 2  Breast Cancer adjuvant therapy Stiff joints especially hands and knees. Wrist and thumb tendonitis after one year. Pain in knees. General fatigue and hair thinning. Hope it does not get much worse - I will not be able to function normally. Went off it for a month but no improvement do Dr said I should stay on it. F 45 11 months
12/21/2009
 5  Breast cancer (prevent recurrance) stiffness in leg and feet joints when they haven't been used in a while. I've had no significant problems. The stiffness was most noticable for the first 4 months. F 51 9 months
12/18/2009
 3  BC Stage 2A Terrible shooting pains, both knees were incapicated could not walk without pain that traveled...grating over the knee cap pain to inner miniscus pain to outer pain. Pain in calves on both legs. Swollen knees and hip pain virtually intolerable. all the weight bearing joints were effected although according to bone density tests all ok. On Arimidex 3.5 years and no side effects at all walked 3-4 miles per day and then over a short time of three months unable to do any walking without horrendous pain. I have taken a 30 day drug holiday to see if I would recover the use of my legs. I am happy to say that slowly over the period of time I am almost back to where I consider normal and will begin exercising again shortly. I am due to see the oncologist on Tues and what I hope to do is to go back on the drug with an alternate treatment say every two or three days because I believe it works but cannot live with the everyday dosage. The brain is sharper also, however, that was not why I withdrew on 11/27. The pain was so unbearable I wasn't sure I could continue with life that way. All of my friends in the support group have experience these symptoms to some degree but most before 3 years. So I should consider myself lucky, I guess. I will hang in there on my terms and resume taking it although I think that it did do me good to know I would return to a normal state and would not have an altered existence from this drug for life. I hope this helps. Oh, by the way, I did go to an orthepedist to check out my hips and knees and had an mri that assured me all was ok in that department so I know that these effects were from the Arimidex. Good luck ladies and listen to your body and remember that not everyone needs this drug in exactly the same dosage. Talk to your doctor and most of all know your body. F 58 3.5 years
12/18/2009
Email
 2  IDC, grade 1/stage 1, no nodes All the ones everyone else here is complaining about. I feel like I'm 90. Even after 3+ years, the SEs get worse, particularly pain and fatigue. Now struggling with meds for rising lipids, which wasn't a problem until Arimidex. I don't know if these symptoms are a direct effect of Arimidex or of some accelerated aging thing brought on by the lack of estrogen, but we're not all imagining these SEs. For those with rising BP, I've had good luck with Lovaza (prescription fish oil), 4mg per day. It also helped with the hip pain for while, but that's gotten much worse recently. I take lexapro for the irritability, mood problems. F 51 3.3 years
12/17/2009
 4  Stage 2 Breast Cancer Tired all the time, achy joints especially my hands, stiffness in my hips and legs--Lately my feet are really hurting.I don't enjoy walking my dog anymore because of the pain and discomfort. Also weight gain, hot flashes, and the need to get to the Bathroom right away or risk an accident. This is a very disturbing side effect. I will continue to take this drug for another year as I am now a four year cancer survivor. I declined chemo but did radiation. I am doing fine today as far as my cancer health goes but my over all physical health is lousy. I am depressed about my symtoms and tired and achy with absolutely no energy. But I am more afraid of the cancer returning so will not stop taking this drug. I am so glad I found this site. I now know I am not alone or imagining these side effects. Hopefully my doctor will tell me I can stop taking this drug next winter, 2010. Then my hands, feet, and legs will stop hurting and I won't be tired or have such a hard time losing weight. F 66 4 years
12/15/2009
Email
 2  BC - nodes were clear nausea, dry mouth (thought it was my imagination until I read of others experiencing it here), exhausted most of the time, even with naps. In the last 3 days have started feeling pain and stiffness in the shoulder I broke 3 years ago and have tendonitis in my wrist. (Shoulder has been pain free since it healed.) My surgeon said this was the best option of the meds available now and told me of possibility of bone loss and some of the other side effects, but not the ones I'm experiencing. I went into it with a positive attitude but that's fading fast... wondering how others have managed to take this for 5 years! F 65 15 days
12/14/2009
 3  Bil. Br Ca, Stage 2 with lymph inv. Severe joint pain, L knee, unable to walk. Have had HA foggy, weakness, hot flashes, cold, Had cortisone shot. will research synovis? Have not had IV Chemo, Radiation or surgery. Seems to have shrunk my tumors. Going in for a 6 mo. check up next week. F 79 6 months
12/13/2009
Email
 4  Breast Cancer Stage 1 Weight gain, hot flashes, some joint pain, but I already have arthritis, fatigue. I took Tamoxifin for 3 years and then the Arimidex for the past 4. To combat the fatigue, I take vitamins and supplements such as senior 1 a day, folic acid, omega 3-6-9, calcium etc. I use emu oil with glucosomine capsules for the joint pain. Sadly this drug is so expensive. I am afraid to not take it though- I just don't want cancer back. F 59 4 years
12/11/2009
Email
 1  Local recurrence of invasive bc Depression, irritability, joint pain, bone pain (back, hips, thighs, shoulder, ribs, arms); weight gain (5 lbs. in 6 wks.); facial wrinkling; vaginal dryness; hair thinning; fatigue I tried this med. 2 yrs. ago, after finishing chemo - took it for about 3 wks. then. Just tried it again, after surgery for recurrence, and radiation. Lasted 6 wks. this time. Quit 3 days ago, and am already starting to feel somewhat better. I am a firm believer in quality over quantity, and plan to live out whatever time I have left feeling as good as possible, and doing what I enjoy. I've always been active, and can't do even normal activities while on this medication. F 65 6 weeks
12/11/2009
Email
 3  Stage 2, 1 node, ER+ & HER2+ Joint aches in knees, hips, feet, lower back & wrists. 6 mo. ago diagnosed with severe arthritis in hands and wrists and was put on NSAID. Also have medium case of carpal tunnel, headaches, vaginal dryness, no libido, thinning hair, and most recent, high blood pressure. In Feb. it will be 6 years since my lumpectomy, followed by 6 chemo treatments, radiation, and then Tamoxifin. I tolerated that 20 mo.'s before needing a D&C for bleeding. Was switched to Femara, which is like an amplified Arimidex. After complaining about constant pain, my Oncologist switched me to Arimidex. Felt better in comparison to Femara, but still hate living this way with joint pain. Some days it is hard to get down stairs or hold a coffee mug. Now my blood pressure, which was always normal, has begun to creep up. Dr. of Internal Med. denied it could be medication related and just insists I lose weight. I am slightly overwieght and know that might help but I actually weigh less than I did b-4 starting Arimidex and my pressure was good, so I suspect the drug. Now I read high blood pressure can be a side effect of Arimidex. I need to show that info to the doc at my next appointment and see what he has to say. I suppose the answer will be to put me on a B.P. lowering med. much like I am on an arthritis drug, both, which I am sure, are a result of taking Arimidex. Staying on for another 1.5 years and having out of control B.P. along with all the other problems is making me think it might be time to quit and take my chances. F 60 3.5 years
12/10/2009
 3  Breast Cancer Lumpetomy in right breast with 6 weeks radiation. Since Arimidex, terrible joint pain everywhere, especially hips, legs and feet. Also some arm aches and pains. Hot flashes (taking Effexor to help) fatigue, sleeping 9 to 11 hrs per night. Weight gain (from a 12 to an 18. Walk everyday even though it hurts but does not seem to help yet. F 64 6 months
12/9/2009
 3  Breast CA II to III 4 Lymph nodes bone pain feet, fingers, shins, headaches, weight gain, anxiety, depression, insomnia, hair thinning. I miss my estrogen..... According to the data, the side effects are not that common. I wonder how many people were in the research group because from what I gather, side effects can be intense and very prevalent. I go the gym 3x week, I've gone back to work but it's hard to remember stuff and concentrate, and not sleeping doesn't help. I ask myself every day if I should stay with it or not. F 62 3 years
12/7/2009
Email
 1  Grade 2 with 5/30 axillary nodes, Aching joints, particularly ankles, hips and wrists, depression- flat mood, despondant as soon as I started to take it- when I had been through chemo & radiotherapy without change in mood. fuzzy brain- hard to concentrate, exhaustion, aching all over. I have a full time job, and I have to drag myself there every day- I used to enjoy my job.Very weak as a result of no exercise, as exercise exacerbates the pain. I think some more work needs to be done to refine this drug.Are we all just a on a trial? My breast surgeon commented that "the cure can't be worse than the disease". I am having a break from the drug over Christmas.Will be concentrating on quality of life- good food, rest & relaxation, beach, massage, exercise, painting, reading. Has anyone had any help from naturopathy/ homeopathy support to manage this evil drug? I feel as though I have been poisoned again- just like the chemo. F 56 28 weeks
12/6/2009
Email
 1  breast cancer 2 times 18 year apart Terrible bone aches, hot flashes, moody, depressed, dizzy unsteady on my feet, my mind short out, general aching all over. wake 3 & 4 times a night. My children say the pain shows in the face I have had cancer 3 times in 18 years. I took tamoxifin for 3 1/2 years until I got a postive paps and the doctors took me off that medicine. I took myself off Arimadex, I am in charge of the health and how I fight cancer. This drug just makes me fell awful all the time. The doctors who treat me say I will never get rid of all the cancer but I entend to be comfortable. F 62 100 days
12/4/2009
Email

Previous Page       Next Page

BACK TO TOP