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Aromatase Inhibitors: Did you decide to go on them or not?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: May 12, 2023 | Replies (1190)Comment receiving replies
None of my friends had trouble with anastrazole. Forums are creating what you call "terror," because people with side effects post. I sympathize with them because I am sensitive and even intolerant of many meds.
Keep in mind that with this hormonal drug, it takes 7 days to reach steady state. And because side effects are mainly from hormonal changes, which I believe have different effects over time, I observed that side effects did evolve. But over a long period of time.
There are options to take a partial dose by alternating days. The Femara insert says that 20% of the normal dose is effective. My doc said I could take it every other day to reduce side effects. However I don't really understand how that could be, since if the med is effective enough to eliminate estrogen, the side effects would be the same, regardless of dose!
Anyway, I would try to focus on the positive benefits of anastrazole and the fact that many many women tolerate it just fine- with all due sympathy for those who don't.
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I took tamoxifen for a number of months and felt its estrogenic effects almost immediately. Fear of possible resultant endometrial polyps or cancer or DVT scared me off the drug. I have been taking anastrozole for a few months and find the side effects less noticeable. For me it does seem to affect hair texture and may cause some insomnia and depression, although the latter may be more related to aging and having BC in the first place. I sometimes skip my dose and often contemplate quitting the drug, but for now I take the pill because I don't want to have to confront this disease ever again. Unfortunately it only reduces that probability by half. I would suggest that the younger you are the more important it is to take an estrogen blocking precaution if you are ER+ because BC is statistically more aggressive in young women and you have more years for possible recurrence.