Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Thanks so much for the kudos. I have been exercising like crazy for the last 1 1/2 years and have lost 30 pounds and put on a good amount of muscle. This was all before my diagnosis, but I feel that being in better shape, at the age of 51, helped me tremendously to get through the surgery, radiation, and now, the anastrozole and (upcoming) Zometa portion of the treatment. The decision to take the meds was difficult because of all of the collateral damage - bone loss (I already have osteopenia) and increased cholesterol (mine is finally coming down and I would hate to see it go back up again), among other side effects that seem to wax and wane. Hot flashes are killer now - much more so than before. I am postmenopausal but have had hot flashes for the past five years that were mild. Now, they are super-intense. Yuck.

Anyway, I do my best to work out. I do 20 minutes of elliptical every morning at 5:00 a.m., followed by 45 minutes on my Total Gym, then 20-30 minutes of elliptical over lunch, followed by more after work to make sure I get in my 10,000 steps each day. I was walking for 45 minutes over my lunch each day over the summer, but now it's just too cold and windy for me to go outside for my walks. I feel great, actually, and hope that continues. I take a number of vitamin supplements and Thrive products, which I believe help a great deal. I also drink water all day long and a green tea concoction with apple juice and take protein supplement powder in a smoothie each morning after my workout. It's a lot of work but is now the norm for me, and I feel great about it!

Knowing that you could have any of those effects early make you stop and think, don’t they. Oh my goodness, your post made me remember when I was first starting all of this and I would be doing something and the hot flash would come and stay and my poor husband was being frozen out. Lol. Fans and A/C everywhere, even in the winter. I will say they are better now when it is cool, but in the summer I just have to drink constantly because I sweat constantly in a hot flash.
Do you get one when you change from outside to inside, or when you lay down at night?

I get them randomly but find that fans and cooler temps do help quite a bit. When I was walking outside during the summer, I really, quite honestly, couldn't even tell when I was having a hot flash anymore because I was just so hot, LOL. One thing I have noticed that helps is not wearing socks. For some reason, my feet are like car radiators - if my feet are cool, I stay cooler. It's weird but it's the only thing that consistently helps. I also, wear light clothing. I'm a QVC nut, so I buy a lot of Susan Graver's liquid knit clothing and Renee Greenstein's como jersey clothing. That helps a ton!!!! It is rather life-changing.

I will be looking those up right away! 😂🤣😂

Oh, and one other thing, in case anyone is looking for help with redness and itching after radiation - Josie Maran's argan oil saved me!!! It helped things heal up quickly and 100% alleviated the itching and soreness. Her products are a Godsend!!!

ALWAYS a hot flash when I climb into bed!

Yep, this. ^^^^😂😂😂😂

Mine is as soon as I open my eyes in the morning! If o doze in my recliner and wake - BAM!!

Being on any of these drugs to lower our estrogen to help keep breathing cancer away, is just like going through a never ending menopause! During menopause our estrogen drops naturally and now we’re taking pills to make it drop even more! No wonder we are often miserable!

Yep, this too!! 🤪
I have learned to keep hand fans everywhere, and since I am still here 18 years in. I have learned to keep a sense of humor about it.