ARIMIDEX Reviews (ANASTROZOLE)

Average Rating: 2.5 (1431 Ratings)

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 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)

  

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

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More on ARIMIDEX: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR ARIMIDEXCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 3  Stage IIB Invasive 2/18 nodes Backache and fatigue. Sweats and sleeplessness. Neuropathy in hands. Terrible hair thinning. Was on Tamoxifen for 1 yr, 2mos. Endometrial thickening necessitating D&C.Losing my hair once to chemo was humilating enough. Can I look forward to losing it again from Arimidex? Why do Drs. negate the symptoms we describe about this drug and try to pass it off to age or other mitigating factors without being willing to accept its the drug? F 61 1 years
8/3/2006
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 1  Early breast cancer; lumpectomy Couldn't take Tamoxifen; it made me feel strange. Took Fareston for 2.5 years w/no noticeable side effects. Drug became unavailable & doctor prescribed Arimidex. After about 6 months on drug, I suddenly experienced severe joint pain in shoulders, knees, feet, neck. I was unable to move about easily and only a steady dosage of Alleve helped with the pain. Work full time and had difficulty dealing with the daily pain, especially in the morning. Shooting pain in knees and feet. Stopped Arimidex 8 months ago and begain taking Glucosamine and coral calcium. After 6 months off Arimidex, the joint pain has subsided and I am able to do mild exercise. On the drug, I could not even swim. I feel the quality of life on Arimidex is very poor, and I decided to reclaim my life. I will leave the outcome and my future in Jehovah's hands. F 63 1 years
8/3/2006
 1  post menopausal breast cancer severe depression leading to suicide attempts, hot flushes, lack of sleep, weight gain (could be lack of exercise, headaches F 64 9 weeks
7/31/2006
 1  lumpectomy (oestrogen-sensitive) Aching joints, especially soles of feet, fingers and neck. Walking and going downstairs difficult. Water retention, tiredness. Weight gain: am eating less but weight goes up one kilo a month. Urinating less in the day and lots at night. Short of breath. Arimidex has completely spoilt my life. I even felt better just after my operation and radiology than I do now. I used to be very active: lots of walking, gyms four times a week. Can no longer go to the gym, walking difficult, and stairs a problem. My doctor has just changed my medicine fron Arimidex to Aromasin to see if there will be less side effects. If not, I shall stop taking it, even if there is a risk of the cancer coming back. F 64 8 months
7/22/2006
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 1  metastaic breast cancer Severe dry skin with blisters (spogiotic dermatitis), hives, swelling in face and around eyes, constant hoarseness, wheezing, joint pain and muscle cramping, depression, lethargy, thinning and dry, brittle hair. I was on this drug about 8 weeks before side effects started to appear gradually. Tried to deal with them, oncologist took me off the minute he saw the swelling in my face and eyes. I hope the side effects start to go away soon, this was intolerable. F 54 10 weeks
7/14/2006
 5  Breast Cancer For the first 3 years I did not have too many side effects, but then started with bone pain, dramatic weight increase, knee problems. I have since been diagnosed with arthritis of the spine, caused by this drug. I have now been taken off Arimidex after 5 years and am experiencing a lot of bone pain. Is there anyone out there who has come off Arimidex quickly - what side effects have you had? Did your weight increase reduce? Have any bone pains reduced. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. F 65 5 years
7/12/2006
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 2  breast cancer/lymphnode grade 2 Severe joint pain in fingers,wrists.knees,neck and upper back. Hot flushes but not as severe as those on Tamoxifen. Memory loss,not able to find correct word,etc. Brain meltdowns under stress. So glad to find this site as I was getting very depressed about my joint ache and none of my doctor's so far seem to have an answer. Switched from Tomaxifen to Arimidex after a year and a bit because of severe night sweats allowing me no more than 20 min. sleeps at a time. Night sweats have gotten less on Arimidex but the joint pain is horrific. I, too feel 100 years old in the morning and at the end of the day. The only thing Ive found to ease the pain is hot showers or bath but that is only temporary. If anyone has found a remedy to ease the pain please let me know. Also is there any research out there about permanent or long term effects? I'm afraid to stay on it and afraid to go off it. F 48 2 years
7/12/2006
 4  recommended by Consultant Accumulative hot flushes - now every hour, fatigue, some facial hair, 3 incidents of epilepsy. Was informed that this was the best option for me following quadrectomy and radiotherapy. Now learned that recurrence of breast cancer can still appear up to 12 years after treatment, although Arimidex seen to decrease probability of recurrence. F 61 4 years
7/10/2006
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 3  Breast Cancer Stage 3 + 14 Lymph SEVERE Pain in upper Back, shoulders, neck, hips, knees, hands and feet. Some insomnia and memory fog. Some bad days want to give up on Arimidex, hope survival rate is in my favour and worth the pain. F 40 2 years
7/10/2006
 1  Stage 1 Breast CA,lumpectomy,radiat Vertigo (felt like everything around me was spinning),nausea,pain in knees,inability to focus on my work. This was 10 times worse than Tamoxifen! I am going to call my doctor & beg to go back on Tamoxifen. F 57 1 weeks
7/6/2006
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 4  early breast cancer, node neg. I have had bilateral breast cancers, seven years apart.Both were found early, chose mastectomy for each. No radiation or meds except for Arimidex for the second one as it was E+ Dry vagina, use Replens. Fear is cognitive loss. Cannot find a word, lose names all the time. Had to cut back in my Pre-K teaching due to forgetting names and mental "fog." I hope the cognitive impairment improves when I complete treatment. I am not sure Alzhiemer's would be preferable to cancer recurrence. F 63 30 days
7/3/2006
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 2  Breast Cancer sore back, wrist are very weak and hurt all the time. Ankles give way a lot, lower back pain...very hard to get up from the floor, or to get up out of bed in the morning. Have to stretch very slowly to get the body functioning. I've been taking Arimidex for 18 months and waiting for the side effects to dissapear...they're not going to. Doctor taking me off of Arimidex and starting me on Tamoxifin in 2 wks. Why take something that hurts your bones? We are looking for a better quality of life and this isn't it. Only 2% more women have a chance for re-occurence that are on tamoxifin than those that are taking Arimedex. Not enough to make me stay on something that makes my bones and joints ache. F 47 2 years
6/30/2006
 2  Breast Cancer/ mastectomy/ER+ . weight gain, was very slim. hair loss, bad joint pain, memory loss, lack of interest in sex,dry vaginia, urinary infections, flabby skin and body, body hair, turning into little old lady. was on HRT before the cancer struck. Hot flushes really dreadful and embarrasing. night clothes soaked. Mother died of breast cancer and so did two aunts but I do not carry the breast cancer gene. Tamoxifen made me very sick. After about 18 months I was taken off the drug and given Arimidex. I hate what it is doing to me. I can see my shape changing before my eyes. Flabby arms, flabby body, age spots, all in the space of 1 year. I play Russian Roulette with the drug. Sometimes I do not take it, then i get scared and take it again, in case the cancer returns. my back and bones are so painful i cannot sleep. I already suffered from oesto arthritis, spondylosis and a crumbling spine before. I find it hard to control the pain. Have to have another operation on my neck. The MRI scan of spine was so bad they thought the cancer had returned into my bones. Bone density very thin. F 60 12 months
6/21/2006
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 1  Infiltrating lobular carcinoma After lumpectomy and 6 weeks of radiation I felt that the experience wasn't as bad as I expected. I started Arimidex and it has been downhill all the way. I question which is worse, possible recurrance or the side effects! Everything aches, joints and muscles to the point of wondering how much longer I will be able to function and at what level. Facial hair is running rampant while the hair on my head is quickly thinning. My mind "freezes" on subjects well known before taking this medicine. The mood swings are terrible and I retreat to be by myself to avoid "irritations" more and more. I'm not sure I can continue with this for 5 years at the rate of deterrioration I'm experiencing now. At least I now know that it isn't just "me" that has these complaints, I'm glad I found this column. F 63 4 months
6/21/2006
 2  stage 1 breast cancer hot flashes, muscle and joint pain, loss of energy and stamina, 20 lbs. weight gain I am trying additional vitamin C supplements to see if that helps. Effexor helps somewhat with the hot falshes but not sure if it is contributing to the weight gain. The muscle and joint pain is unbearable on some days. F 54 9 months
6/18/2006
 1  breast cancer-stage 2-1 node Hideous joint pain all over, can barely walk from pain sometimes; neuropathy in legs and feet (I'm not diabetic); arm and hand swells after sleep (water retention?); weight gain; appetite not normal; hair slowly falling out; sex drive gone. I do not think that most women who are put on Arimidex by their oncologists are told about any of these dire side effects because the pharma doesn't want any negative press. They say the only side effects are hot flashes, maybe a little joint pain. The doctors are told that this is what keeps the cancer away the best so they act like they don't know why a woman is having terrible joint pain and other awful side effects. In my experience, it also seems that primary doctors are not even aware that taking an estrogen-sucking drug can harm other parts of the body, such as the heart/arteries, joints, and nerves. They try to diagnose other problems and send you to orthopedics, physical therapy, prescribe strong painkillers, etc. They act completely dumb about it. It's a cover-up and it's pitiful in my opinion. F 57 1 years
6/16/2006
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 4  for Stage II bc, 1 node Bone pain, joint pain and stiffness, stomach upset, carpal tunnel syndrome now, fatigue, which is extreme on some days. Getting up in the morning takes a while because of stiffness, which I never had before. A little more wrinkling in skin. I feel it's worth the side effects if it keeps the bc away. I had a lumpectomy and 7 weeks of radiation one year ago. One node. Some days the side effects are worse. F 63 13 months
6/12/2006
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 3  Breast cancer stage 1 Joint pain, eye pain diagnosed as "arthritis in the eye", joints very stiff, very fatigued, vaginal dryness, no sex drive. My first reaction was to stop taking the medicine. I will see my doctor and discuss the eye problems. The stiffness is annoying, but exercise helps. I also recommend deep tissue massage to help your overall stiffness & health. F 41 1 months
6/8/2006
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 2  breast cancer I have pain in my fingers, wrist, feet, and neck mostly. I don't sleep well which then leads to fatigue during the day and getting started in the morning is so hard. My eye sight is weakening. All of this causes me anxiety which snowballs into thinking that there is something terribly wrong with me. I'm never at ease and pretty much always scared. Also my glands or lymp nodes feel funny in my neck they are sore. F 45 10 months
5/29/2006
 3  BC stage 2 clear nodes THE 3 IS A MAYBE! Difficulty sleeping, always a problem, now more so, weight gain. 5 lbs in 2 weeks inspite of watching diet and a good exercise program. Probably have not been on long enough to have other side effects or judge if it is of any benefit. From what I am reading I get the feeling that we are taking a drug that is the equivalent of female castration! I mean think of it. Our bodies are being deprived of all estradiol, a large part of what makes us female. This is a postmenopausal drug, we are producing very little to begin with! Yeah, right, I need a dryer vagina! All BC treatments seem designed to attack female characteristics. F 60 2 weeks
5/28/2006
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