Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

I have been taking arimidex for 8 months since dx of lobular carcinoma. I have many side effects, including hair thinning. Has anyone else experienced this? Will I eventually lose it all?

@hopeful64 Not everyone has side effects from Anastrozole. If some have them, they are all different. We must listen to our bodies. I took Anastrozole for 2 1/2 years. What happened slowly was that my hip joint was hurting, I thought, Oh I've done something to overstretch it. Then an overall cloud throughout me started. It was slow, but I was noticing differences. I started paying attention to ME. Then I got a trigger thumb and started looking things up. Trigger thumb/fingers are a side effect. My oncologist said 'oh no it couldn't be that", I got a thumb brace and it went away after a few weeks. Then things progressed that I could hardly walk and get in and out of the car. I felt 80+ years old. I just turned 70. I stopped the Anastrozole 8 months ago and I feel like a million bucks. Back to exercising, yoga, walking (with a lift in my step), my outlook is great. I'm BACK!! 2 1/2 years is better than nothing I am and always have been active and living pretty healthy so all is good for me. I have my screening done every 6 months (MRI & mammogram) plus my physical exams with oncologist and surgeon. My Quality of Life is very important.
Pay attention to your body, it will talk to you. Talk to your doctor and be proactive with what you have to say to him. My oncologist just did not listen to me. He has since retired and I will be seeing a new on this February. Good luck Hopeful64. Stay strong and vigilant and do what is good for you.

I have been taking Anastrozole for 10 months. My biggest concern is progression of my osteopenia to osteoporosis and elevation of my cholesterol levels. Like others have mentioned my aches have been kept in check by lots of walking and strength training. I even took off the extra 20 lbs that I was carrying when diagnosed. If the cholesterol keeps creeping up despite diet and exercise then I need to consider if a risk for cardiac event or stroke outweighs the risk for BC recurrence.

I have been taking Anastrozole for 10 months. My biggest concern is progression of my osteopenia to osteoporosis and elevation of my cholesterol levels. Like others have mentioned my aches have been kept in check by lots of walking and strength training. I even took off the extra 20 lbs that I was carrying when diagnosed. If the cholesterol keeps creeping up despite diet and exercise then I need to consider if a risk for cardiac event or stroke outweighs the risk for BC recurrence.

I’m in the same situation, 10 months in, lost 15 since diagnosis last January, minimal side effects but concerns for the unseen. I’m focused on mitigation; reduced cholesterol foods, increased weight bearing exercises, upcoming appointment with an endocrinologist and repeating a DEXA at one year ( vs. two) to monitor any possible trends. In the meantime, when I take that pill, I envision the reduction of any estrogen that could potentially harm me.

This is definitely an ongoing journey.

Blessings on the path 🌸

I have been taking Anastrozole for 10 months. My biggest concern is progression of my osteopenia to osteoporosis and elevation of my cholesterol levels. Like others have mentioned my aches have been kept in check by lots of walking and strength training. I even took off the extra 20 lbs that I was carrying when diagnosed. If the cholesterol keeps creeping up despite diet and exercise then I need to consider if a risk for cardiac event or stroke outweighs the risk for BC recurrence.

Here’s my 2 cents. I took letrozole (same drug as anastrozole just different manufacturer) for five years after double mastectomy and 8 rounds of chemo. I stopped after my five years in 2018. Yes, I had bad side effects, achy joints, bone loss, always tired and also hair thinning. I had enough after 5 years. In 2022 I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the portahypatic area (lymph nodes near the liver but not in it). A laparoscopic surgery to remove 2 lymph nodes and pet scan confirmed that my breast cancer had returned. I am one of the lucky ones. It is not in my bones, brain, lungs or liver as of right now but I will live with metastisis for the rest of my life. I get pet scans every three months and am now back on letrozole which is helping keep the lymph node cancers in check, meaning they are not currently growing.
I wish to God I had kept taking letrozole after five years, which I had been advised to do but I stopped because I was tired of that little pill.
Today, I gladly swallow it every morning without fail and I bless it for doing its job in my body. To date I do not have to take any other drug but I know many others who do.
I pray none of you become metastatic. It is an uncertain, sometimes scary place to be. I am active, walk 35 minutes every day, eat a plant based diet and have excellent weight.
I now love that little pill that I cursed for five years. Perspective is everything.