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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Profile picture for jkcares25 @jkcares25

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.

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@jkcares25 in light of the major study published today in uk about the relationships between menopause symptoms and dementia I too am concerned. For those of us on long term AIs we are having the equivalent of ‘menopause on steroids’! What does this almost total loss of oestrogen for many years augur for us? I too have a strong history of female family dementia ( six out of seven paternal aunts all developed it) does this mean that in trying to save us from cancer we are being steered towards dementia? Serious urgent further research needed here! The increasingly apparent downsides of these drugs were never clearly spelt out to me at commencement of treatment. In fact it is fair to say they were almost trivialised! I am very angry at the quite blasé attitudes of some of the medical professionals I have had contact with , and as a retired nurse even more so.

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Profile picture for reflector75 @reflector75

@jkcares25 in light of the major study published today in uk about the relationships between menopause symptoms and dementia I too am concerned. For those of us on long term AIs we are having the equivalent of ‘menopause on steroids’! What does this almost total loss of oestrogen for many years augur for us? I too have a strong history of female family dementia ( six out of seven paternal aunts all developed it) does this mean that in trying to save us from cancer we are being steered towards dementia? Serious urgent further research needed here! The increasingly apparent downsides of these drugs were never clearly spelt out to me at commencement of treatment. In fact it is fair to say they were almost trivialised! I am very angry at the quite blasé attitudes of some of the medical professionals I have had contact with , and as a retired nurse even more so.

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@reflector75 Thank you for your reply. It's true. When I confronted my PA, she said their job was to make sure that breast cancer didn't return. According to the book, it's more likely for a breast cancer survivor to die of heart disease than of cancer. I am glad you are researching it, too. The definition of "cure" for BC patients is that we are alive 5 years later. That's not how most of us define cure. The research saying outcomes are better than 20 years ago are faulty as it's discovered earlier these days, so it appears as though they are more successful when it hasn't changed significantly. What good will it do if we lost our minds earlier since we deprived our brain of estrogen and cholesterol? I pray for all of us to find the best solution for our health and longevity.

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