1. < Breast Cancer

Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Posted by tinalove @tinalove, Jan 31, 2016

I completed all treatments for breast cancer but now I am supposed to take hormone blocker, named anastrozole. im concerned about the side effects. Has anyone here taken it and did anyone have hair loss?

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cindylb | @cindylb | Apr 27, 2019
In reply to @samy "Hello. New member of the club, here. Stage 1 lobular on the left, LCIS right. Lumpectomy..." + (show)
@samy

Hello. New member of the club, here. Stage 1 lobular on the left, LCIS right. Lumpectomy surgery couple weeks ago. The surgeon says radiation for a month and Arimidex for 5 years. I’m 68 and wondering if I should just do the radiation and screw the hormone stuff. Former smoker with mild COPD, currently on BP and cholesterol meds that are doing fine. The internet research of Arimidex is the reason I’m here. … and … frankly, you’ve all terrified me. Quality of life on this drug sounds like an absolute nightmare.

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samy - Once you're settled in with your other treatments, give the Arimidex a try. You could be the person who has few if any side effects and yet you'll get the upside of lowering your recurrence. You don't know until you try. I wasn't able to use any of them BUT I'm allergic to many things (antibiotics is a big one) and I can't take ibuprofen anymore either (bleeding)......so I'm just not a 'pill girl'. I take no prescription meds at all and my doctors look terrified when they have to give me one, ha ha! Give them a try because you can always quit or change meds if you're having problems.
FYI - I was Stage 1 lobular on my right and LCIS on my left----we're like twins (only opposite?).
Hugs

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1 reply
samy | @samy | Apr 27, 2019

Thank you all for the replies. I’ll be asking a lot of questions of my oncologist (dear God, I can believe I have an oncologist). No doubt all my questions have been asked before by some other victim of this horror. 75% are good odds, but these stories are so distressing. If the day is filled with pain sufficient to debilitate, the cure is as bad or worse than the disease. I’ll be 69 in June, and it sure doesn’t sound like taking any of this poison until the age of 74 is worth it.

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2 replies
francine6829 | @francine6829 | Apr 27, 2019

I am struggling with the same decisions

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sparklegram | @sparklegram | Apr 27, 2019
In reply to @samy "Thank you all for the replies. I’ll be asking a lot of questions of my oncologist..." + (show)
@samy

Thank you all for the replies. I’ll be asking a lot of questions of my oncologist (dear God, I can believe I have an oncologist). No doubt all my questions have been asked before by some other victim of this horror. 75% are good odds, but these stories are so distressing. If the day is filled with pain sufficient to debilitate, the cure is as bad or worse than the disease. I’ll be 69 in June, and it sure doesn’t sound like taking any of this poison until the age of 74 is worth it.

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@samy,- Samy, I definitely understand your indecision and hesitation about taking an AI drug. You are only 69, though, and to me, that's YOUNG! I'm nearly 75. I have a husband, daughter, son-in-law, and two beautiful young grandchildren. I tutor children during the week. I don't want to take the chance of having a recurring bout of cancer that could possibly take my life away. I've been on Arimidex for 15 months and I have good days and not so good days with the side effects. It seems from this forum that most of the AIs have similar side effects. I guess we all have to decide how we're going to tackle this and I hope some day, a better medicine will be discovered. For now, though, I have to choose staying on the ones that are now available to us. I truly do understand your quandary, though. I hope you stay with this forum, though. It is a comfort!

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1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 27, 2019
In reply to @francine6829 "my doctor was the one who recommended Aromasin over Femura. I have not found any studies..." + (show)
@francine6829

my doctor was the one who recommended Aromasin over Femura. I have not found any studies that discussed the steroid effect of aromasin so I don't know if there is enough steroid to make a difference.

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There are two types of aromatase inhibitors based on their structure:
- Steroidal inhibitors, such as exemestane (Aromasin)
- Nonsteroidal inhibitors, such as the anastrozole (Arimidex) and letrozole (Femara)

Here is one study comparing them:
- Aromatase Inhibitors: Are There Differences Between Steroidal and Nonsteroidal Aromatase Inhibitors and Do They Matter? (2008) http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/13/8/829.full

The study focuses on the mechanism of action and effectiveness. It doesn't discuss side effects.

I thought everyone might also appreciate this article about exercise and AIs:
- Exercise Helps Ease Aromatase Inhibitor Side Effects https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/exercise-helps-ease-ai-side-effects

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1 reply
tammyp | @tammyp | Apr 27, 2019
In reply to @samy "Hello. New member of the club, here. Stage 1 lobular on the left, LCIS right. Lumpectomy..." + (show)
@samy

Hello. New member of the club, here. Stage 1 lobular on the left, LCIS right. Lumpectomy surgery couple weeks ago. The surgeon says radiation for a month and Arimidex for 5 years. I’m 68 and wondering if I should just do the radiation and screw the hormone stuff. Former smoker with mild COPD, currently on BP and cholesterol meds that are doing fine. The internet research of Arimidex is the reason I’m here. … and … frankly, you’ve all terrified me. Quality of life on this drug sounds like an absolute nightmare.

Jump to this post

I had to think of it another way. It was this or risk recurrence! Exercise, Restorative Yoga and mindfulness help. A friend has encouraged me to take Claritin. Hopefully that will help.

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1 reply
samy | @samy | Apr 27, 2019
In reply to @sparklegram "@samy,- Samy, I definitely understand your indecision and hesitation about taking an AI drug. You are..." + (show)
@sparklegram

@samy,- Samy, I definitely understand your indecision and hesitation about taking an AI drug. You are only 69, though, and to me, that's YOUNG! I'm nearly 75. I have a husband, daughter, son-in-law, and two beautiful young grandchildren. I tutor children during the week. I don't want to take the chance of having a recurring bout of cancer that could possibly take my life away. I've been on Arimidex for 15 months and I have good days and not so good days with the side effects. It seems from this forum that most of the AIs have similar side effects. I guess we all have to decide how we're going to tackle this and I hope some day, a better medicine will be discovered. For now, though, I have to choose staying on the ones that are now available to us. I truly do understand your quandary, though. I hope you stay with this forum, though. It is a comfort!

Jump to this post

Thanks for the response. Family isn’t a real motivation for me, beyond my husband. Never had kids, everybody else distant, leading their own lives. Mine is a pretty quiet life of writing and this all seems like the life of character, not mine. A nightmare plot or sci-fi. The bad-guy wants to poison character with something that’s supposed to be good for her and she doesn’t know what to do. Cancer will kill her - maybe - not really sure when, but these pills will likely make her miserable for the rest of her life. What does she decide. The plot thickens and the writer wants to scream. Stupid ramble, but whatever ….

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francine6829 | @francine6829 | Apr 27, 2019
In reply to @colleenyoung "There are two types of aromatase inhibitors based on their structure: - Steroidal inhibitors, such as..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

There are two types of aromatase inhibitors based on their structure:
- Steroidal inhibitors, such as exemestane (Aromasin)
- Nonsteroidal inhibitors, such as the anastrozole (Arimidex) and letrozole (Femara)

Here is one study comparing them:
- Aromatase Inhibitors: Are There Differences Between Steroidal and Nonsteroidal Aromatase Inhibitors and Do They Matter? (2008) http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/13/8/829.full

The study focuses on the mechanism of action and effectiveness. It doesn't discuss side effects.

I thought everyone might also appreciate this article about exercise and AIs:
- Exercise Helps Ease Aromatase Inhibitor Side Effects https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/exercise-helps-ease-ai-side-effects

Jump to this post

Thank you Colleen for the two links. Since the AI article did not discuss side effects, I did not relate to it. Can you find a study that discusses the effectiveness or re-occurrence using Tamoxifen vs AIs for postmenopausal women. I am asking because I may end up with Tamoxifen as it does not cause the joint pain from AIs. On exercise, I exercise everyday for at least 90 minutes and do Yoga. Unfortunately, none of this has helped my joint pain.

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francine6829 | @francine6829 | Apr 27, 2019
In reply to @tammyp "I had to think of it another way. It was this or risk recurrence! Exercise, Restorative..." + (show)
@tammyp

I had to think of it another way. It was this or risk recurrence! Exercise, Restorative Yoga and mindfulness help. A friend has encouraged me to take Claritin. Hopefully that will help.

Jump to this post

Claritin did not help me.

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francine6829 | @francine6829 | Apr 27, 2019

I have been on letrozole and aromasin and have not had any hair loss - big joint pain.

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