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 Date added. 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 | Stage One Breast Cancer/Lumpectomy | Started with hot flashes; they have subsided. Now stiffness and extreme pain in hands--so much so it wakes me at night. Swelling of fingers/arms. Extreme fatigue comes and goes. Have not taken Arimidex for the last few days to see if symptoms will subside. | I understand the value of this drug, but am questioning my quality of life but know that I will do what I have to do. Have a call in to my doctor to discuss these symptoms. | F | 55 | 3 months | 1/16/2006 | 3 | Stage One Breast Cancer/Lumpectomy | Started with hot flashes; they have subsided. Now extreme pain in hands--so much so it wakes me at night. Swelling of fingers/arms. Extreme fatigue comes and goes. Have not taken Arimidex for the last few days to see if symptoms will subside. Have a call in to my doctor to discuss this. | F | 55 | 3 months | 1/16/2006 | 4 | Breast cancer - lumpect - Stage 1 | Worst effect was dry cough; drying and wrinkling of skin and vaginal dryness came later. Lichen planis in mouth and vagina temporary. Hot flashes have pretty well disappeared. Have always been an aches-and-pains person, but now suffering finger joint distortion. Have never slept well - no change now! Sad much of the time, but I distract myself with family and work, because I know WHY I'm depressed. Oncologist thought Tamoxifen unwise because of blood clots, as I had a mild heart attack 6 months after breast cancer surgery. (!) So Arimidex better - I had excellent bone density, so the side effect of some bone loss not a problem, maybe. Have just had foot operation, and surgeon felt bones were "a bit fragile", so I wonder? (Bone density had not changed appreciably after 2 years on the med.) I have aged quite quickly in appearance. Permanent? That's because the Arimidex is sucking all the estrogen out of me, I think. I was on HRT right up to finding the lump - too long, but it k | I have read on this site that Arimidex may be advised for longer than 5 years. Really? Bad news. I don't think I'll last that long. I think I'll go off it for a while and see if my "quality of life" improves at all! My doctor suggested that when I was coughing so much. I certainly am going to consider things seriously in prep. for my next appointment. | F | 66 | 39 months | 1/12/2006 | 4 | stage one breast cancer | stiffness and knee pain. moody and super sensitive emotions. tire faster than before | F | 66 | 9 months | 1/10/2006 | 3 | yes | i have been taking arimidex for 3 years. i am a very athletic person. only side effects include hot flashes (they come and they go!) and aweful hair thinning.. i shed hair everywhere and fear i am going to go bald again... it's starting to depress me. | F | 44 | 3 years | 1/5/2006 | 1 | breast cancer | hot flashes, muscle aches, mood swings, and I have been only on two months | if the hot flashes keep up......lol..also have auto-immune hepititus......and taking imuran for the last yr. and 1/2..also zoloft 25 mg.....which since I have been on the arimidex does not seem to be working anymore...might need more and 1200 mg of calcium with d and c...My question is where will this end...starting on radiation..Jan. 3, 2005 | F | 56 | 2 months | 12/28/2005 | 3 | Stage 2 lobular breast cancer | Wrist pain initially. Weight gain. Extreme tiredness every evening. Diminished sex drive. Weakened vision. Clear from BS for 4 years. Will carry on as less side effects than Tamoxifen. Would like to have more energy. Any suggestions? | F | 46 | 2 days | 12/21/2005 | 3 | BREAST CANCER | I WAS ON FAMERA AND HAD JOINT PROBLEMS BUT WAS SWITCHED TO ARIMIDEX WHEN I COMPLAINED, SINCE THEN I FIND MEMORY IS BAD, AND I CANNOT LOSE WEIGHT. I HAVE PUT ON ABOUT FIFTEEN LBS IN TWO YEARS, I WENT TO HERBAL LIVE, DR. BERNSTEIN AND MY OWN EAT 1000 CALORIES A DAY, WORK OUT THREE TIMES A WEEK AND NO LOSS OF WEIGHT. I KNOW IT IS THE ARIMIDEX, BUT IT BEATS HAVING CANCER. I HAVE TO ACCEPT MY BODY AS IT IS. AND YES IF YOU EAT ANY FAT YOU CAN BET YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT. ALSO MY DOCTOR PUT ME ON A WEIGHT LOSS PILL AND THAT DID NOT WORK EITHER. | F | 56 | 3 years | 12/19/2005 | 4 | Stage 3A BC | bone and joint pain, after one year - osteopenia (bone loss). I feel like I have aged 20 years! I take Celebrex 200 mg daily to manage the pain. | I was on Tamoxifen for one year before switching to Arimidex. Now on Arimidex for almost two years. I feel it is a safer drug overall (at least on the short term) and has been shown to reduce risk of recurrence compared to Tamox. I am thankful to be on it, but have concerns about the long term effects. If it keeps me alive longer than it's worth it!! | F | 48 | 2 years | 12/17/2005 | 2 | post breast cancer radiation | after several months, achiness in neck going down to shoulders | because of my age, early stage of b c, I wander if its indicated. At my very prominent cancer center, the doctors don't seem to have sufficient info about treatment of side effects | F | 82 | 3 days | 12/17/2005 | 3 | Breast Cancer Stage 1 | Fluid Retention - weight gain - periods will start again - joints are really starting to be an issue - really wonder what is next! Very, very tired - felt better during radiation | Wonder what the long term effect will be - every day a new experience and wonder how long the new side effect will last. Willing to continue taking but seriously wonder if there is something out there????????? Very hard to rate Arimidex at this point in time. | F | 58 | 31 days | 12/16/2005 | 3 | BC, stage 2A-no node involvement | I am fatigued, some memory loss, dizziness at times and horrible hot flashes. I take effexor to control the flashes, but it doesn't get rid of them completely and I'm taking 75 mg (up from 37.5 which hardly helped at all.) Joint pain in my wrists, fingers and feet. I have had 3 surgeries on my feet and trigger fingers in almost all my fingers and both thumbs of my hands (surgeries for that also). My hair is thin and my skin is very dry and my nails on my hands especially are so soft and rip all the time. Any suggestions, comments on all this? Thanks! | I am willing to take arimidex if it means there will be no recurrence of BC, but would like input on what to do about the side effects. When I complain about all these things to the onc he doesn't necessarily think they're from the arimidex, but I wonder! | F | 59 | 3 years | 12/15/2005 | 3 | Eary BC, no nodes | I feel Old!!! Hot flashes (taking Effexor to help), joint pain, lower back, stomach troubles, elevated liver enzymes (alkaline phosphates). Think I may "cut the tables in half" to see if there is any change in how I feel. Could not tolerate Tamox. | Having liver and bone scans soon. May stop drug completely and "hope for the best". 9 months on Arimidex. | F | 54 | | 12/1/2005 | 4 | Stage 1 , no lymph node involvment | Hot Flashes intense the first 4 months. Muscle pain increasingly worse since about 4 months to now 9 months. The pain is worse at night my hands are painful to touch, thumb joints are now a trigger thumb( it stays stuck if you bend it) | Worry if this is pemanent damage to my hands and joints. Wonder what my bones are doing and how fragile they are beoming. | F | 54 | 9 months | 11/14/2005 | 5 | Stage II lob BC, Er+Pr-, nodes+ | Stiffness in back and neck, especially in the mornings, general fatigue. Wake up 4-6 times during the night to go to the bathroom, but that seems to have started during the chemo. | Reading these comments has greatly relieved my mind, as I was afraid the fatigue indicated BC recurrence. I continue an active exercise program (fast walking, gym, yoga) despite the fatigue and find it helps with the stiffness, especially the yoga. Obviously, we canīt know at an individual level how effective this drug is, but given the high probability of recurrence in my case, I feel the side effects are tolerable for the possible benefits. Of note: there is preliminary evidence that aromatase inhibitors are especially effective (more than tamoxifen) in BCs that are ER positive and PR negative. | F | 59 | 5 months | 11/7/2005 | 3 | breast cancer | knee pain, weight gain | too early to tell if effective | F | 51 | 2 months | 11/6/2005 | 2 | Breast Cancer | I have Sjogren's Syndrome, degenerative disc disease, thyroiditis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and mitral valve prolapse. Lucky me, I then get stage 1 breast cancer to add to my list. I had surgery in June (partial mastectomy/lumpectomy by an excellent surgeon) and 3 lymph nodes removed (no cancer spread). Then came the 30 daily radiation treatments, what a summer! In August, I was put on arimidex and seemed ok until about 2 weeks ago. Since I already experience vaginal dryness from Sjogren's, Arimidex has been a terrible drug for me. It has exacerbated the problem to where it is difficult to sit. I have stiffness in my low back upon arising and more pain in my knees than I had before. Back came the hot flashes! I don't know what to do or who to turn to for help. I hear that tamoxifin can cause blood clots and since grandma died of a stroke, I'm not really hot about that choice either. Does anyone have statistics on survival if you dont take either of these drugs? | F | 60 | | 11/5/2005 | 1 | Breast cancer - Stage 2 | Joint pain in hands and feet, memory loss, vaginal dryness, urinary tract infections, difficulty swallowing, weight gain. The symptoms increase the longer I take the drug. I am researching other options. | I am concerned about the long term effects of this drug. My oncologist wants me to have a work up for rheumatoid arthritis. Will we all be cripples at the end of our five years of treatment? It also worries me that the ATAC study was funded by Astra Zeneca. | F | 54 | 10 months | 11/5/2005 | 3 | Multi-focal HER-2,breast cancer | severe hand pain - especially in thumbs. Other joint pain - ankles, knees, elbows, shoulders, hair thinnning somewhat, short term memory loss. | I am staying on it for now, but am not sure about long term use. Have already discussed with my doctor several times. | F | 54 | 6 months | 10/29/2005 | 2 | Breast cancer stage 1 lobular | Joint pain--excrutiating at times--seems to wander around. Extended recovery times from injuries. Hair thinning. Vaginal Dryness. Loss of sex drive. Fatigue at times. Sleep pattern disturbed.Osteopenia increased--on Fosamax. | Initially I felt great--after Tamoxifen it was bliss--but after 6 months the joint pain began. Ibuprofen gel seems to help with joint problems but nothing really diminishes the pain so you stop being aware of it. So glad that I am not alone in these side effects. I am very concerned about the joint problems being permanent. | F | 56 | 10 months | 10/23/2005 |