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Old 06-25-2012, 03:39 PM   #1
Firework
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Arimidex side effects

Hello Sisters!
I'm having trouble with the side effects from Arimidex. The joint pain has been a constant struggle but I'm getting through it using water aerobics and walking. And I don't mean strolling, I mean pushing myself to walk between 3-6 miles every other day! The warmer my joints get the better I feel. I've been on it since Jan 1st, 2012.
I have also found that taking a claritan every day helps with the pain. But, none of this is helping my trigger middle finger joint pain! On both hands the middle finger joint locks up and I can't lift it! Anyone else out there have/had this problem?
I appreciate the advice!
Lorraine
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Dx'd 5/2011 IDC 1.6cm, stage 1, grade 2, er+pr-, HER 2, 0/2 nodes, P53 75%, KI67 90%
6/23 bilat mast, port 6/27 expanders, 8/08 AC x6, Herceptin 1 yr., Arimidex -Jan 1st 2012- 5 years, reconstruction- exchange surgery 3/30, nipples 7/2012? Then tattoos......
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Old 06-26-2012, 08:33 PM   #2
Jackie07
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Re: Arimidex side effects

Sorry for the pain you are experiencing. According to the abstract below, athralgia is one of the side effects of AIs. Wondered if you can take pain meds designed for arthritis? If the walking has been helping, perhaps you can also do some 'finger' exercise?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677000
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Old 06-26-2012, 08:37 PM   #3
Jackie07
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Re: Arimidex side effects

The abstract below mentioned about steroid...

Anticancer Res. 2012 Jun;32(6):2331-6.
Short-term and Low-dose Prednisolone Administration Reduces Aromatase Inhibitor-induced Arthralgia in Patients with Breast Cancer.

Kubo M, Onishi H, Kuroki S, Okido M, Shimada K, Yokohata K, Umeda S, Ogawa T, Tanaka M, Katano M.
Source

Department of Cancer Therapy and Research, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. ohnishi@surg1.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.

Abstract

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are important therapeutic drugs for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. However, adverse effects of AIs such as arthralgia have been extensively reported. We performed a joint prospective, multi-institutional investigation to find out whether a low-dose and short-term prednisolone is effective against AI-induced arthralgia in 27 patients with breast cancer. Patients were administered 5 mg of oral prednisolone once a day in the morning for only one week. Patients were then asked to answer a questionnaire about joint pain symptoms at one week, one month and two months after the beginning of prednisolone use. Joint pain symptoms improved in 67% of patients immediately after prednisolone use, with 63% still reporting analgesic effect at one month, and 52% at two months after beginning internal use of prednisolone. At one week, one month and two months after the use of prednisolone, 30%, 30% and 26% of patients reported improved daily life, respectively. Our results suggest that prednisolone could substitute non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetoaminophen or cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in patients with AI-induced arthralgia.
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http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/06/doctors-letter-patient-newly-diagnosed-cancer.html
http://www.asco.org/ASCOv2/MultiMedi...=114&trackID=2

NICU 4.4 LB
Erythema Nodosum 85
Life-long Central Neurocytoma 4x5x6.5 cm 23 hrs 62090 semi-coma 10 d PT OT ST 30 d
3 Infertility tmts 99 > 3 u. fibroids > Pills
CN 3 GKRS 52301
IDC 1.2 cm Her2 +++ ER 5% R. Lmptmy SLNB+1 71703 6 FEC 33 R Tamoxifen
Recc IIB 2.5 cm Bi-L Mast 61407 2/9 nds PET
6 TCH Cellulitis - Lymphedema - compression sleeve & glove
H w x 4 MUGA 51 D, J 49 M
Diastasis recti
Tamoxifen B. scan
Irrtbl bowel 1'09
Colonoscopy 313
BRCA1 V1247I
hptc hemangioma
Vertigo
GI - > yogurt
hysterectomy/oophorectomy 011410
Exemestane 25 mg tab 102912 ~ 101016 stopped due to r. hip/l.thigh pain after long walk
DEXA 1/13
1-2016 lesions in liver largest 9mm & 1.3 cm onco. says not cancer.
3-11 Appendectomy - visually O.K., a lot of puss. Final path result - not cancer.
Start Vitamin D3 and Calcium supplement (600mg x2)
10-10 Stopped Exemestane due to r. hip/l.thigh pain OKed by Onco 11-08-2016
7-23-2018 9 mm groundglass nodule within the right lower lobe with indolent behavior. Due to possible adenocarcinoma, Recommend annual surveilence.
7-10-2019 CT to check lung nodule.
1-10-2020 8mm stable nodule on R Lung, two 6mm new ones on L Lung, a possible lymph node involvement in inter fissule.
"I WANT TO BE AN OUTRAGEOUS OLD WOMAN WHO NEVER GETS CALLED AN OLD LADY. I WANT TO GET SHARP EDGED & EARTH COLORED, TILL I FADE AWAY FROM PURE JOY." Irene from Tampa

Advocacy is a passion .. not a pastime - Joe
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Old 06-26-2012, 09:30 PM   #4
Pray
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Re: Arimidex side effects

I also have some pretty bad joint pain also but doesn't it go away after we stop arimidex? I'm counting on this!
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Old 06-28-2012, 03:40 PM   #5
Firework
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Re: Arimidex side effects

Thanks everybody! @Pray....I'm on Arimidex for 5 years and I just started January 2012!
The steroids, low dose or not have ugly side effects for me...voracious appetite and I get moody & mean. Bad combination!
Last night I taped my middle finger joints to stop myself from curling those fingers, oh the things we're willing to do! Lol
Have a great weekend,
Lorraine
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Dx'd 5/2011 IDC 1.6cm, stage 1, grade 2, er+pr-, HER 2, 0/2 nodes, P53 75%, KI67 90%
6/23 bilat mast, port 6/27 expanders, 8/08 AC x6, Herceptin 1 yr., Arimidex -Jan 1st 2012- 5 years, reconstruction- exchange surgery 3/30, nipples 7/2012? Then tattoos......
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Old 07-29-2012, 08:54 PM   #6
v-ness
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Re: Arimidex side effects

i ceased taking Arimidex after only a couple weeks. it had rather ferocious effects on me. the worst was blurred vision. i thought i was going crazy. daily headaches. i also had balance/dizziness issues and found i could barely finish a sentence when speaking. i had not heard of such SE's. i had the routine body aches and fatigue. but the others were serious (oh and a rash on my face too). i finally read that they were serious enough to cease the drug immediately and call the doctor. turns out they are signs of an allergic reaction - so word up to anyone out there who ever experiences the blurries and the rash!!! so i am now on a 2 wk hiatus from any med at all, and i have to admit it is wonderful. my vision returned to normal in 2 days flat. i have only about 2 hot flashes a day, and mild at that. i HOPE my oncologist will just put me back on tamoxifen for the duration. i have 3 more years to go, though i am post menopausal. i saw her partner friday and he said there is minimal difference between taking tamoxifen for the duration or an aromitase inhibitor. i will take my chances! i don't like the looks of femara either. for 2 cents i would go off all drugs, but my sister's friend who battled stage 4 HER2+ cancer for 7 years died today. so that gave me a kick in the ass. pardon my french. i can tolerate tamoxifen and i'd be an idiot not to take it, especially when i've got such a good survival rate. but to me, arimidex was the devil.

p.s. my feet, ankles and hands also swelled, and i guess my whole body too. i lost 5 whole pounds in water weight between thursday and today, sunday.






\\
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8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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Old 08-16-2012, 11:13 AM   #7
healthytilnow
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Re: Arimidex side effects

I have had terrible shoulder and right arm pain with Arimidex and it has not progressed to the frozen shoulder stage which means it hurts to move my right arm in any direction. Physical therapy has not been much help. I am scheduled for a cortisone injection tomorrow. Any suggestions? I also find it almost impossible to lose weight on this drug despite a very healthy low cal diet, and at least 45 minutes of excercise each day. I have to continually remind myself that this drug keeps the cancer from returning.
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Old 08-16-2012, 11:37 AM   #8
v-ness
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Re: Arimidex side effects

wow, sorry to hear about the shoulder, and you are really doing such great work with the diet and exercise. it's frustrating to have to then cope with pain and failure to lose weight. on the up side, though, remember that if you're building muscle doing weight-lifting etc, you might not lose much. my boyfriend does CrossFit, which is brutal, 5x a week and has only lost 10 lbs, but his body has changed dramatically. and lord knows, weight lifting is excellent for our bones dealing not only with menopause and these bloody drugs.

that said, my onco took me off arimidex after my problems and now i am on femara. it's only been a work, but so far i've only noticed some insomnia. so i simply switched to taking it in the morning instead. slept like a baby last night. sure, arimidex is the first go-to drug, but it's not the only game in town. you can try asking your onco about femara and see if that works. valerie
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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Old 08-16-2012, 12:11 PM   #9
Firework
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Re: Arimidex side effects

Hi all! Thanks for writing, it helps to hear from others.
I've been on Mobic 15mg for my joint and bone pain. Believe it or not, it helps! I'm so excited about this medication. It sure beat using narcotics to sleep! Hope all is going well with all of you.
Love~Hope,
Lorraine
__________________
Dx'd 5/2011 IDC 1.6cm, stage 1, grade 2, er+pr-, HER 2, 0/2 nodes, P53 75%, KI67 90%
6/23 bilat mast, port 6/27 expanders, 8/08 AC x6, Herceptin 1 yr., Arimidex -Jan 1st 2012- 5 years, reconstruction- exchange surgery 3/30, nipples 7/2012? Then tattoos......
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Old 08-16-2012, 12:26 PM   #10
v-ness
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Re: Arimidex side effects

it sure does. thanks for the Mobic tip. so far i have no joint or body pain with femara, though i know it can possibly cause that. i'll keep that in mind, though i currently just took myself off Oxybutynin (for hot flashes) because hallelujah and knock wood, femara is causing fewer of those for me. but since i run and already have osteoarthritis in my knee, it's good to hear about something good. i used to just run. now i run against cancer.

v
__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!
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Old 08-16-2012, 05:39 PM   #11
Firework
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Re: Arimidex side effects

V-ness,
You run against cancer....I walk against it!!
Best to you,
Lorraine
__________________
Dx'd 5/2011 IDC 1.6cm, stage 1, grade 2, er+pr-, HER 2, 0/2 nodes, P53 75%, KI67 90%
6/23 bilat mast, port 6/27 expanders, 8/08 AC x6, Herceptin 1 yr., Arimidex -Jan 1st 2012- 5 years, reconstruction- exchange surgery 3/30, nipples 7/2012? Then tattoos......
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Old 08-17-2012, 06:10 AM   #12
Mtngrl
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Re: Arimidex side effects

Talk to your doctor. A different AI might be more tolerable for you.
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4/19/11 Diagnosed invasive ductal carcinoma in left breast; 2.3 cm tumor, 1 axillary lymph node, weakly ER+, HER2+++
4/29/11 CT scan shows suspicious lesions on liver and lungs
5/17/11 liver biopsy
5/24/11 liver met confirmed--Stage IV at diagnosis
5/27/11 Begin weekly Taxol & Herceptin for 3 months (standard of care at the time of my DX)
7/18/11 Switch to weekly Abraxane & Herceptin due to Taxol allergy
8/29/11 CT scan shows no new lesions & old lesions shrinking
9/27/11 Finish Abraxane. Start Herceptin every 3 weeks. Begin taking Arimidex
10/17/11--Brain MRI--No Brain mets
12/5/11 PET scan--Almost NED
5/15/12 PET scan shows progression-breast/chest/spine (one vertebra)
5/22/12 Stop taking Arimidex; stay on Herceptin
6/11/12 Started Tykerb and Herceptin on clinical trial (w/no chemo)
9/24/12 CT scan--No new mets. Everything stable.
3/11/13 CT Scan--two small new possible mets and odd looking area in left lung getting larger.
4/2/13--Biopsy of suspicious area in lower left lung. Mets to lung confirmed.
4/30/13 Begin Kadcyla/TDM-1
8/16/13 PET scan "mixed," with some areas of increased uptake, but also some definite improvement, so I'll stay on TDM-1/Kadcyla.
11/11/13 Finally get hormone receptor results from lung biopsy of 4/2/13. My cancer is no longer ER positive.
11/13/13 PET scan mixed results again. We're calling it "stable." Problems breathing on exertion.
2/18/14 PET scan shows a new lesion and newly active lymph node in chest, other progression. Bye bye TDM-1.
2/28/14 Begin Herceptin/Perjeta every 3 weeks.
6/8/14 PET "mixed," with no new lesions, and everything but lower lungs improving. My breathing is better.
8/18/14 PET "mixed" again. Upper lungs & one spine met stable, lower lungs less FDG avid, original tumor more avid, one lymph node in mediastinum more avid.
9/1/14 Begin taking Xeloda one week on, one week off. Will also stay on Herceptin and Perjeta every three weeks.
12/11/14 PET Scan--no new lesions, and everything looks better than it did.
3/20/15 PET Scan--no new lesions, but lower lung lesions larger and a bit more avid.
4/13/15 Increasing Xeloda dose to 10 days on, one week off.
7/1/15 Scan "mixed" again, but suggests continuing progression. Stop Xeloda. Substitute Abraxane every 3 weeks starting 7/13.
10/28/15 PET scan shows dramatic improvement everywhere. All lesions except lower lungs have resolved; lower lungs noticeably improved.
12/18/15 Last Abraxane. Continue on Herceptin and Perjeta alone beginning 1/8/16.
1/27/16 PET scan shows cancer is stable.
5/11/16 PET scan shows uptake in some areas that were resolved on the last two scans.
6/3/16 Begin Kadcyla and Tykerb combination
6/5 - 6/23 Horrible diarrhea from K&T together. Got pneumonia.
7/15/16 Begin Kadcyla only every 3 weeks.
9/6/16 Begin radiation therapy on right lung lesion that caused the pneumonia.
10/3/16 Last of 12 radiation treatments to right lung.
11/4/16 Huffing and puffing, low O2, high heart rate, on tiniest bit of exertion. Diagnosed as radiation pneumonitis. Treated with Prednisone.
11/11/16 PET scan shows significant improvement to radiated part of right lung BUT a bunch of new lung lesions, and the bone met is getting worse.
11/22/16 Begin Eribulin and Herceptin. H every 3 weeks. E two weeks on, one week off.
3/6/17 Scan shows progression in lungs. Bone met a little better.
3/23/17 Lung biopsy. Tumor sampled is ER-, PR+ (5%), HER2+++. Getting Herceptin and Perjeta as a maintenance treatment.
5/31/17 Port placement
6/1/17 Start Navelbine & Tykerb
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