Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

@srvtexas My thoughts alone: Each person will make their decision based on their age, where you are in efforts to raise a family, diagnosis, prognosis, and your quality of life before and after trying Anastrozole. If younger and still with young or teenage children to raise, I might have tried to tough it out. But, being 83, no young dependents, and an otherwise good outlook on my remaining life, I chose quality of remaining years vs. the side effects which worsened existing back pain and brought back depression. Don't need that!

Thank you for your response. I have been wrestling with my decision for weeks now. I have a doctor appointment today and want to tell him I'm not taking this medication. For me it's quality of life. I'm a very active 65 and would like to keep being active both mentally and physically. I 'm preparing a list of questions I have so I can feel confident I'm making the right decision. Thank you again.

Yes, hair thinning is one of the side effects, along with joint pain ( now trigger finger surgery to happen). Each AI has it's own side effects. Which, is why I most likely will not try the 4th medication Tamoxifen.

@srvtexas I’m 60 and have been on it for 2 years and have successfully managed the side effects (if you search my username, you should find the post) but we are all different. I totally understand someone not taking it too. Best wishes to you, and stay active no matter what!

The way I see it, one cannot make a rational decision about AIs or Tamoxifen without knowing one's risk of recurrence. If you have a tumor with very low risk of recurrence, you might want to try AI or T, and stop if you have bad side effects. But if your personal risk of recurrence is high, you might be willing to put up with even very bad side effects, rather than face a high risk of recurrence or an early death. One measure of risk of recurrence is the Oncotype test. Medical oncologist can order it--make sure you get it--or whatever test s/he recommends to assess risk. These tests (e.g. Oncotype) test the tumor's DNA (not of your DNA).

My personal risk of recurrence is 18%. I take both exemestane and Kisqali. Luckily, I have very few side effects from either. BTW, 70% of women who take AIs have few or no side effects. But 30% of us are unlucky. It would be great if we knew why!

@peggydobbs I would certainly agree that we need targeted research to see why some people suffer extreme side effects. 30% is still a high symptomatic burden and it seems that at times there is little awareness of the life impacts of these amongst professionals particularly amongst GPs. This is very unfortunate seeing how widely prescribed these drugs are and over protracted timescales.

I read the book "Estrogen Matters" and highly recommend it. Basically, it says your whole body needs estrogen: bones, brain, heart, and without it you end up with heard disease, osteoporosis - which can lead to early death after breaking a hip, and dementia. For me, I just did a Dutch test and am waiting results to get a custom hormone plan to balance the estrogen I have with testosterone/progesterone. I had terrible side effects with my short term memory, fatigue, and dryness internally, which caused me to search for another solution. I'm 59 and still working and my brain was failing so badly it was awful. My practioner is also fine with my cholestrol levels slightly elevated as the brain needs it to avoid dementia. So much for the mainstream medical system's advice. Only time will tell, but my Mom died of dementia so I'm doing what I can to prevent it.

@jkcares25 Thank you so much for sharing. I just looked into a Dutch test with Boulder Longevity Institute and also agree that our bodies need estrogen. I'll read the book you recommended. Would you update us on your progress? I'd be interested to know how to balance hormones in our bodies after BC treatment..

@brightlight66 I sure will. It's a journey for sure. I had no idea there would be so much to deal with after finishing radiation. So much for going back to a normal life. This is the "New & Improved" life I didn't know I needed. So much to be grateful for!

@srvtexas, how did the appointment with your oncologist go? What did you decide?