Sheesh I hope not. I’m on Femara and side effects are pretty awful already.
I have been taking Arimidex for 3 years. I had the usual side effects,hot sweats, stiff and painful joints and sleeplessness which were manageable. Four months ago I was given Anastrasole by Teva. I had no problem with this, if it saves the NHS money and is effective,thats fine.
In the first week I noticed very little change but gradually the side effects became increasingly worse. These included:-
Awake until 4 or 5 am most nights
Dreams and nightmares- I even fell out of bed, hitting my head on the bedside table… the first time ever!
Severe cramps in legs. constant exhaustion.
Feelings of extreme anxiety and panic. Very tearful and jittery. Unheard of!
Hot flushes - up to eight an hour. Burning sensation on face.
Very high and erratic B/P, rapid irregular pulse - very frightening.
I watched my diet and exercised daily, I don’t drink or smoke. It continued to get worse. After two months my GP changed me back to Arimidex. Three weeks later all the awful side effects had gone!
I suggest anyone else experiencing side effects notifies their GP and chemist,in order to help others in a similar position. I hope this has been helpful.
That was just like me Nicky , and i did´´nt know it would be any different on the real Femara , thought they would all be the same , So very different , it was just much better for me .
I did not feel like “ME” on the letrozole , my head seemed to have been taken over by someone else , like nicky , I was panicky , nervy , so many nasty s/e .
If you say to your doc or onc , they say "oh no, they are all the same ". Well unfortunately they are not , and ladies who have had problems know this to be true . If only they were , we could all be chenged to the cheaper ones saving everyone a fortune , cos if i want to stay on femara , I will have to buy it . I definately won´t be taking any more generics , don´t know why they don´t like me , but they don´t , time is a precious quality , I don´t want to waste it feeling awful , aftre BC I want to embrace my life
luvkris
Letrozole is now off licence mypharmacy was all ‘gung ho’ to give me the generic which I refused as I have enough SEs and do not want to take the chance of developing more!!! Thankfully my GP changed my prescription to read Femara.
Would be interested to hear from anyone who has been put onto the generic Anastrozole and who ISN’T experiencing any worse side effects then they had on Arimidex
Hi Topsymo - that’s me!! I really feel no worse or better than I did on Arimidex - my knees are pure hell but they were then too, so grin and bear it - or rather cocodamol, ibuprofen and tramodil…
I must confess to posting on this thread much earlier, questioning whether those people who wanted Arimidex proper thought twice about buying themselves non branded paracetamol, ibuprofen etc, but my post was thought inflammatory and deleted so don’t know how much longer this post will survive!!
Hi Broomsticklady- good to hear from you: I tend to share your view -as you will see from my original post!
After 2 years + on Arimidex I have just had the first dreaded -TIVA script - so maybe I will have to eat my words- we shall see.
Like everyone else I have had hot flushes but have found these have moderated over time- and sometimes they seem worse than at other times - and for no particular reason.
I also suffer with joint pain in my shoulders and knees for which I take paracetamol and co-codamol- but I had joint pain long before BC; arthritic pain is SO common in people of our age (post menopausal) - and sometimes my arthritis seems worse than at other times . My knees are painful at the moment- if I’d already started on my ‘new’ drug maybe I’d be blaming the change of drug on that…?
I will keep you posted!
After 3 requests to my GP to have Astra Zeneca Arimidex having been on it for 11 months( I had been paying for a private prescription after a terrible time on Teva anastrozole) she refused and said her ‘hands were tied’ as the pharmaceutical advisor of the PCT had had a meeting with all the GPs and told them quite categorically that they were to prescribe only generic anastrozole. So I rang the advisor to be told that was not what she had said, I was asking her if there were any circumstances that due to numerous and severe s/e I could have Arimidex again. She told me she would speak to the practice. She rang me the next day to say the practice would ring me. That was 2 weeks ago and still no call. Nor a letter chucking me off their list. I will follow up at the beg of next week. My private supply of Arimidex is due to run out late next week and I need to get some more. Heres hoping, as the cost is crippling but so where the s/e.
Am a bit concerned about Sheil’s post with the quote that increase in s/e mean it works better.
J xx
libby 2010 - can you explain the situation to your oncologist or someone in the onc dept? My GP practice would only go back to the AZ version for me after onc had sent a letter to them telling them I had to be given it rather than the generic version. Difference has been amazing (see my post on last page).
Good luck,
Liz
Hi Liz as I am not due to see my Onc until Jan 2012 I sent him a message via my BCN. The response was that whilst he ( Onc) can recommend AZ Arimidex to my GP it is their budget and therefore their final decision.Interestingly the dispenser at my surgery had told me that as there were 2 new partners at the surgery and my GP has partly retired it is the new docs who have vetoed the drug. I really don’t care about the reason I know I could not cope for another 4 yrs as I was. Thanks for taking the time to reply. J xx
Bumping for lemongrove
libby - sorry only just seen your reply. Is there any way you can take it further with either surgery or onc??? Tell them how desperate you are. This cost thing is dreadful when you look at the amount of money that is wasted on unused pills etc being dished out willy-nilly. Another of my rants!!
Hope you can get somewhere and get what you need on prescription.
Liz
post deleted
I posted a few months ago to say that most of the time i have received Arimidex, but not always … now i have received a letter from the GP practice to say that from now on it will be generic anastrozole. I’m going to keep a close eye on the se’s - hopefully will be fine. But clearly, this is now the practice across the country, i guess. Mo
Hi just to update I have been holding fire as after the PCT pharmaceutical advisor told me that the GP practice would let me know whether they would prescribe Arimidex (AZ) they didn’t (worried about this) so next week I am due to collect my repeat script.I still have some very expensively acquired Arimidex and I know this real Mc Coy has made a really big difference for me.I will be following this up if The real Arimidex is not made available.I do so hope that it is.Fighting for drugs which work and do not have horrendous s/e is so tiring. AND I work in NHS too so my going off sick would surely cost more?
Norberte hope you feel OK soon enough to post ? Hugs and Love to all J xx
post deleted
Hi everyone, I have at last had a letter from my GP after they had their PCt meeting and I am back on Arimidex!!! So its worth keep trying I think. Good luck to you all and hoping you get the same!
xx
I am sorry to hear that others are struggling to get Arimidex. It is deeply unfair that some do and some don’t.
I think I have got to the bottom of why I am getting Arimidex again (after only 1 prescription of generic anastrazole) - one of the female GPs in the practice has had BC. I suspect she has tried the generic and thought s*d this!
Hi everyone
I was put back onto Arimidex - after 1 month of hell on anastrozole
my GP said that there was no problem with going back to Arimidex
it was the patient’s welfare that mattered - there are some considerate
GP’s out there. I considered myself to be very lucky. It can happen!!
Pat
I am feeling so fed up. Called at surgery this am for my meds told not ready was on way to work, come back after 4pm. Called on way home from work and anastrozole only available. Queried this with dispenser and she went into see GP who re-iterated that it was up to PCT YES YES I know that, Allegedly the practice say they have not heard from pharmaceutical advisor,she pa, tells me that she has spoken to them, they say they cannot go ahead without her say so!!! GP actually sent a message via the dispenser that it would be OK for me to miss some doses while they get this sorted out!!! Staggered out almost in tears. It’s Friday and am worn out work FT in NHS !!!
I will be e-mailing the lot of them on Tues morning. Someone, somewhere is tellling fibs couldn’t care less who I just need meds to keep at bay my 100% hormone receptive tumour without too many difficult and cripplingly awful s/e.
AND I am now so seriously cheesed off I might just write to my MP but as that is Theresa May I think she is a bit busy with rioters and the like sorry I don’t normally rant but this is so important and I am becoming worn out with the struggle ,all I want is a med that works and has manageable s/e…OK rant over thanks for ‘listening’ J xx