Anastrozole Brain Fog

I have been back on arimidex a month and some brain fog is there for sure....and the hardest for me is saying a wrong word while thinking or sometimes talking. I know it right away and correct it, but still is disturbing. I call it wrong word retrieval.
I will say when I was off Arimidex for a month by week 4 I had way more energy, much less pain and fatigue, and 50% less cognitive issues.

I was on arimidex for 18 months and while I didn't notice the brain fog the joint and muscle pain and insomnia were debilitating. I now have osteoporosis, arthritis and while I am not necessarily thrilled with my decision, I decided to stop taking it. It has been almost six weeks, I am sleeping much better but still have the joint and muscle pain, though less severe. My oncologist and I talked about other brands but they all have the same or worse side effects. I have never had high blood pressure but it shot up at my last visit to the doctor, I am 76, had a mastectomy in December, 2019. For me, my decision is based on quality of life and not number of years. I wish you well.

WHR, I was recently diagnosed with osteoporosis also. I’m on meds for that now too. But I totally agree with you that it’s the quality of life that is most important to me. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught me that there can be a good quality of life just with my family and close friends. Or just by myself. I’ve learned to really like my own company. I read more, and enjoy my days doing whatever I please. Now that it’s warmer outside it’s time for gardening in the fresh air. We just gotta stay positive, do what we can, and be grateful for the life we have.

Don't know that there's anything to do when the brain has no estrogen in it. I just suffer through the side effects but will be talking to my Onco next week about possible switch as the brain fog is just one of many symptoms. I now have a patch of numbness on my lower leg which I think may be happening to a lesser extent on my right....another lovely side effect of AIs. I'm more concerned about the side effects that we don't know are happening until it's too late like the osteoporosis and arthritis, which are irreversible.

I am been treated with exemestane after a year with letrozole and worry about the "brain fog" spacially at the verbal level. Is there a supplement or therapy that can mitigate this side effect?

I am 74 and just completed 4 weeks on Arimedex (anastrozole) Have no energy, am not sleeping well and have an ache at the base of my neck. Not sure if it's the meds or anger/depression over the current Covid situation. (I realize I have no control over anything other than my own actions, but still, this is NOT the way I envisioned "the golden years") Was hoping by now it would be mostly behind us, and we have had to modify our lives again. I'm in a study at Mayo until the end of August and have a low risk for return of cancer so not sure what I will do when the study is done.

I have been off the Arimedex for four months, joint pain is gone, I am sleeping again, no peripheral edema and my blood pressure is coming down closer to normal. The osteoporosis is another issue. I realize that by stopping this medication my risk for recurrence jumps up, but for me it is a quality of life issue. There is no doubt that the pandemic has severely affected all of us, but especially if you live alone and are older without nearby family. Whatever you decide is what is right for you is what you should do. I had the oncologist check my hormone levels when I recently had blood work done and they are quite low, but since there wasn't a benchmark taken before I started the medication, not sure what that exactly means but will have it checked again in October. The biggest risk is during the first two years after surgery, I had lymph node involvement, didn't do radiation or chemo, but so far am doing fine, my two years is up in December. Since I was told it would be "preventative" as my PET scan was normal, I opted out. I guess we all have to weigh our decisions on a personal level. I have no interest in trying another drug, they all have the same side effects or worse. Your neck issue could be tension, arthritis, or a bad pillow, just kidding. I wish you well, I finally started doing virtual visits with a psychologist to have someone to talk to and it has really helped.

So sorry to hear that you are having such trouble on Anastrozole. I had the problem sleeping for awhile, but after a few weeks, it did subside pretty well. I also found that Tylenol PM worked, but I only took it periodically. I hope your levels reduce so you don't have to go further on the study. Blessings on you!

Replying to whr : “ I had the oncologist check my hormone levels when I recently had blood work done and they are quite low, but since there wasn't a benchmark taken before I started the medication, not sure what that exactly means but will have it checked again in October.”

whr, I totally agree with your statement and I am exactly where you are right now. I asked my oncologist how did he know Anastrazole was working for me & he told me they take it for granted. He had to see IF there was even a test for estrogen levels. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I did the blood test. It was <10. No specific number and no benchmark prior to starting med. I had to call office for results and the said <10 is good. That’s not good enough fir me since I didnt have baseline number. Anyway, I’ve taken n this myself. I’m working with a hormone PA and did a saliva test after being off med for 1 month. I will perform this test again in 2-3 months since I started up the anastrazole again. During the month off I didn’t really notice too much difference in hip pain, but just overall feeling was better.
I did not get or ever been talked about Oncotype number. And my Oncologist never has said I should take osteoporosis med. I’ve been on for 1 yr 11 month and my 2021 bone density shows osteoporosis now vs osteopenia, but no recommendation on med. I had a mastectomy one side , no lymph node involvement and no radiation or chemo.
Best of luck 💜

It takes a long time (longer than a month) to get rid of the side effects. If I would go back on it my osteoporosis would be worse and I would need to take something other than the calcium I currently take, I "progressed" from osteopenia to osteoporosis. I would say it was three months before I got rid of the joint pain. I got the "score" after my surgery, it was used to determine my future treatment, PET scan followed. I will ask about the saliva vs blood test for hormone levels. Good luck to you as well.