arimidex joint pain
arimidex joint pain I’ve been on Arimidex for three weeks now after switching from Tamoxifen due to bad reaction. I was under the impression that the joint pain from Arimidex wore off after a month or two, but after reading some postings it appears to be continuous. Is this right or does it get better? I’ve been taking Glucosamine and cod liver oil but neither seem to help, any other suggestions please?
Thanks, Zoe
Hi Zoe
Ive been on Armidex for 6 months now and my joint pain seems to have got worse! I phoned the bc nurse on Monday and said that I was feeling awful - lots of headaches too - and she said leave it off for a while and see how it goes. I dont think it is that necessary in my case as Im not oestrogen +. Im also on Herceptin so it may be the combination that is causing the problems.
I too take Glucosamine and cod liver oil regularly. Sorry not to be more encouraging!!
Rosamarie x
Thanks Rosemarie, I am Oestrogen + so I don’t think I should stop, my oncologist had a fit when I came off Tamoxifen without telling him! Has anyone got anything optimistic to tell me about the joint pain? Pleeeeaaaase!
Zoe
joint pain armidex hi zebedee just like you i was taken off tamoxifen and put on armidex, i also have bad joint pain especially in my knees. the doctor give me cortisone injections in the knees, this did help they last about 4 months, took the swelling down and did ease the stiffness, you can get the injections for other parts eg shoulders, elbows,ect, sorry i dont know of anything else at the moment. hope it gets better Val
Joint Pain Hi Zoe,
sorry to hear you are having pain with Arimidex. Iv’e been on this drug for about 6 months and I’m sorry to say the joint pains have been constant. I have a really painful elbow at the moment and my Doc has given me DICLOFENIC which is an anti inflam drug. To be honest , I’m not taking them as I should because I know they have their own long term side effects.I take a calcium tablet each morning as prescribed by my Onc. She told me Arimidex can take the minerals from the bones. Since I’ve been on Arimidex I wake up feeling really stiff but I loosen up quite quickly. I go to an aerobics class twice a week which does help. I went last night and I was feeling really sore but I still felt better at the end of the class. I also entered the Race for Life on the 16th June at Aintree with my friend Ann and although I was shattered I was so chuffed when I passed the finish line.
I think I have come to the decision, that I need this drug to keep the BC away. When I was diagnosed Dec 05 I spoke to my 79 year old neighbour who also had been diagnosed with BC . I asked her how she was coping with Arimidex and she was my inspiration. She said she didn’t think about it and took it each day and forgot about it… She is so positive and I try to be like her. That’s not to say I don’t get my bad days like us all. Zoe, I think pain is the price we may have to pay but we have a much better chance of survival if we take this drug. I hope you have more good days than bad. Take Care Jan
Hi Zoe I’ve been on Arimidex for about three months now and I am also struggling with joint pain. I take Glucosamine, Omega 3 fish oil and caltrate each day but haven’t noticed any difference at all.
There really is no such thing as a free lunch is there? Every drug we take has it’s own side effects and long term problems. But really, what choice do we have?
Like everything to do with this bl#### disease, it’s different for everyone. I know ladies who have no problems at all with Arimidex and I’ve also heard from some with joint pain lasting years! The more forums you go on the more it seems to be a problem for a lot of people!
I feel like a ninety year old when I first get out of bed in the morning. And walking up steps is even worse. I have tried ignoring it and I’m sorry to say it hasn’t helped. I used to be so active and can’t imagine being that person ever again. Having said that, I’m determined to keep trying to get on top of this. It’s hard to get the balance right between doing too much and not doing enough. It’s a vicious circle.
I’ve heard that swimming is very good. But, we are advised to do weight bearing excercise after menopause! Anyone else struggling with the weight appearing around the middle?
If anyone has found anything that worked for them, please let us know (joint pain or weight gain). I know that we are not alone in this, at least we can support each other. And that is such a positive thing. A ‘good’ friend gave me a lecture on how you can ‘imagine’ side effects if you know about them! I ‘imagined’ her with a life threatening illness and how she wouldn’t be able to cope with it. I hope she never has to.
Good luck to all the braveladies out there. Don’t be too hard on yourselves. It’s good to be positive but unrealistic not to have some bad days. We have earned the right to have the occasional whinge and moan. We are only human, even though we sometimes feel like aliens!
Love Amazonwoman x
i’m due to start taking Arimidex on the 10th of july,
how long on average did everyone take it before you got the joint pain?
i’m hoping i dont get the joint pain but it seems most do.
kim x
Joint pain Hi Zoe
Ive been on Arimadex since April, and its relly good to hear that Im not going mad and that others are experiencing the aches and pains too.
When I get up in the morning I hobble around for a few mins until I get going. I too have always been very active, and for 25 years have rode horses and walked everyday. I cant even get onto the floor now, and once I do get down I cant get up!! If you dont laugh at it you would go mad. I often think that I now know what it must be like to be very old, (im 46 years of age). I find also that the stifness is worse in my knees and feet, but I get twinges all over the place, hands, back, neck, head…
I also have had swelling of my feet and legs, when I checked on the Arimadex web site it does list this as one of the side effects, although my GP didnt have it in his book.
Although I dont want to talk to my oncologist I perhaps will mention it at my first check up visit. I suppose if it does its job I shoulnt really moan, but sometimes it does get you down.
I am going on holiday next week and I am going to swim to see if it helps. Ill let you know.
Debbie x
ARIMIDEX JOINT PAIN iVE BEEN ON ARIMIDEX 4 MONTH AND THE JOINT PAINS SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE BUT WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO IT MIGHT JUST BE ARE LIFE SAVER I HOPE FOR ALL OF US THING WILL GET BETTER BECAUSE SOME DAY I FEEL ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
Arimidex 8 months on. Hi all,
I now have completed over 8 months on Arimidex and I am able to say that the first two and a half months were the worst for pain.
My pain began in my hip area and two months after starting the drug, I found it painful to walk for long, and going upstairs was very sore. It took about four months for the pain in my hip to disappear completely but I was amazed it did and now I have no pain there.
I still have joint pain but not as bad as it was at the beginning. It seems to be going around the bones in my body, affecting my knees, my back, my wrists and my arms.
Getting up in the morning tends to be the time when I am aware of stiffness and slowness in my movements… I think my aches are also affected by the weather.
At the moment, my major ache seems to be in my left shoulder and sometimes down my arm. It is nowhere near as sore as my earlier hip pain, but it has been going on for at least four months and doesn’t seem to be waning like my hip pain.
I am just wondering if my radiotherapy (on my left breast) could have made my left shoulder/arm more susceptible to pain with Arimidex.
I have had a bone scan and a bone blood check and the results were within a normal range. I am not taking any medication for bone health.
At my last support group meeting, I met a lady who has just finished 5 years on Arimidex. She even had pain in her jaws.
However now that she is finished, she finds she is definitely improving in her problems with joint pain.
There is hope, so keep taking the tablets.!
Pollyanna
other side effects I had breast cancer three years ago and felt great after all my treatment finished - just so glad to be alive. However I’ve just switched from Tamoxifen to Arimedex and I’ve been feeling really anxious - not about cancer but about other things. I’ve always been a worrier but now I’m waking up in the night panicking about whether my husband loves me. I’m in constant need of reassurance and it’s driving him mad and making me feel pathetic.
I’ve read that there are side effects to Arimedex of anxiety and depression but I’m hoping they go off as my body adjusts to the new drug. Does anyone else suffer from anxiety?