Anastrozole...has anyone had an increase in glucose or cholesterol

I was on Anastrozole for only a month & my BP (already on 2 BP pills) was climbing fast. So the Doc said, let's switch to Letrozole. My BP still inched up slowly over the next 3 months, which made me worry. Then I began to have big night BP spikes up to 180/ & 190/ some nights; I started a 3rd BP drug. By the 4th month it was happening every night. After a trip to the ER again, I told my Doc I was going off the Letrozole. So now I have developed "labile hypertension," which annoys me. The Doc switched me to a different type of hormone therapy called Fulvestrant, which works differently, a "hormone antagonist," delivered as a shot in your bum. Hoping for shrinkage of the tumor. She wants me to add a pill to that called Verzenio, but I'm hoping to wait until fall to add that....I told her I want to enjoy my summer and gardening and not feel too exhausted. So there are 2nd level options if the Aromatase inhibitors don't work for a person.
Wishing you the best in your decisions.

Thank you for replying to my post. Since I've posted my issues with anastrozole, I'm still taking the hormone suppressant, but, I've been playing with the dosage of my b/p meds, hoping to find a measurement that doesn't cause me so much stress. It has helped somewhat, but I know (and I believe you do also) it's the estrogen suppressant that's causing the problems. I've not heard of those different option you suggested, but, I'll bring it to my MD's attention on my next visit.
Good luck to you with your treatments...and Thanks!

Interestingly I was also wondering what my cholesterol / glucose readings might be doing as I have noticed an uptick in my self measurement bp readings. I was on the point of contacting my GP to ask for bloods to be done but have just been approached by my regular supervising Pharmacist to have bloods taken for ‘monitoring purposes’. These were taken today so I will be interested to see the results.

I am currently on exemestane because had trouble with Anastrazole. I had elevated lipids a cross the board (with low HDL) before all this started. Put on Crestor 5mg and jad bad side effects. it caused a lot of problems during chemo because if I was on a medication rest, chemo went ok, back on I was almost incapacitated for weeks after infusion. It did normalize all the high values but I just can’t take them. First tests after off and all were elevated again but I declined meds since still finishing chemo and radiation. Then this spring - he put me as prediabetic - glucose 120 and A1c of 5.9. I started taking berberine as a supplement because supposed to help with both and was just retested (after 2 months on berberine) and glucose was 84, A1c was 5.4, HDL now up in normal range and only abnormality was elevated ldl of 115. I refused to start cholesterol meds (Zetia) because it could be related to the exemestane and research said slight elevations don’t need to be treated. I figure the less side effects I have, the better I’ll be.

I just got blood results from my Primary doctor. My cholesterol went up despite the medication and a good diet for 6 months. She agrees that Anastrozole can cause this. She raised the dose for the cholesterol medicine and said I might want to talk it over with my oncologist which I’ll do in two weeks.
Good luck. If I find a solution I’ll let you know. 😊

Thanks so much for the info. It will help me when I talk to my oncologist. Good luck with everything. 😊

I started Anastrozole in October 2019 after chemo and radiation. By my January physical, my triglycerides were up from the low 200s to over 400. Dr. increased my Simvastatin from 20 to 40 mg. A month late it was up again. Increased to 80 of Atorvastatin. By April it was up to 636. Stopped the Anastrozole and switched to Tamoxifen. In May it topped out at 644. My cholesterol didn't change much.

After doing some research about anastrozole and triglycerides, I told the doctor I was going to stop either medication. If it was supposed to prevent disease what happens when my pancreas explodes. Without changing diet or exercise, just stopping the meds, my triglycerides were down to the low 400s in 2 months. Over 200 points. Still have trouble with it now and I have to take 2 Gm. Icosapent twice a day.

I'm now 6 years out and last mammogram was negative.

Thanks for the input. Congratulations on your negative results. I go to the oncologist next week. I’m going to mention this input. It is hard to know what to do.
Good luck with everything. 😊

I was diagnosed with ER PR positive HER 2 negative invasive ductal carcinoma, with a side order of extensive pleomorphic lobular carcinoma in situ, classical lobular carcinoma in situ , and ductal carcinoma in situ back in January of 2020. Which I was not informed of when I made the decision for a lumpectomy. After my two kinds of radiation treatments I was started on hormonal suppressant chemotherapy medication called arimidex (anastrozole). Within 6 weeks of starting the medication I expressed my overwhelming physical unwell feelings to my oncologist. I was told that I would feel better as soon as I got used to the medication. Within that 6 weeks I had to go to the hospital because I felt like I was having a heart attack . Which I did not associate with the medication. Less than 4 months the headaches became unbearable. Again my doctor assured me that the initial side effects would pass. Thinking that it could possibly be an optical induced headache. Because I was also experiencing vision issues, I went to my eye doctor. Who I saw 16 months earlier. And was told I only needed reading glasses. When he examined me, I was diagnosed with angle closure glaucoma, and two different forms of cataracts. Within a year I had high cholesterol, and glucose. Which I never had before. Still expressing to my doctor that something's wrong I still don't feel well, shouldn't I be feeling better by now. My bone density levels plummeted, and I developed tendonitis, and dupuytrens contracture. Finally...That's when my oncologist realized that I was one of the less than 8% of women that have these severe and irreversible side effects from the medication, and he stopped prescribing it to me. Through researching the different types and brands of hormonal suppressant chemotherapy medications I came to find out that the REAL percentage of lowering a recurrence of breast cancer by taking them was less than 13%. I'm sorry but if this medication is going to cause other major physical and metabolic side effects, not to mention a severe reduction of quality of life. Is the 13% really worth it? I don't know, I can't speak for anyone else but, they give you a medication to help one condition, which causes side effects, and then they give you another medication because of the side effects that the first one caused, and then the second medication causes side effects it's never ending. I think we all need to being more proactive, do our own research. But MOST of all, listen to OUR bodies!! Nobody knows our bodies better than WE do. If something doesn't feel right, don't ignore it.!! We need to weigh the pros and the cons and decide what is right for us individually. I still find it shocking that so many women I've talked to that have been diagnosed with breast cancer, I have no idea what kind of breast cancer they have!! Do your homework! This is your life we're talking about!!!