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Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole
Breast Cancer | Last Active: 5 days ago | Replies (1931)Comment receiving replies
It is not always the medicine causing a reaction, but sometimes the fillers. I switched from anastrazole to letrozole and when I still had a sensitivity, switched to another manufacturer and finally to the brand name, to which I had no reaction. You find an aromatase inhibitor you can take but I encourage you to try different manufacturers- and/or brand name- before giving up. (There is also tamoxifen....)
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The same is true for Tamoxifen brands/fillers. I was fine, very mild side effects (annoying but in no way life altering) until one prescription was a different brand. Leg/foot cramps woke me 3-4 times a night, and night sweats & joint pains were crazy. After a week I was so sleep deprived I couldn’t think straight, so I reached out to my Oncologist. She had me stop taking & we would discuss in 8 weeks at my next appointment.
I did some research and there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that different brands can increase side effects. I had already filled the next prescription, which was the same one I was on before. After a 2 week break, tried the “old” brand, and back to very mild side effects.
The pharmacist was skeptical, but when I told her that I would only take this particular brand & would not pick up any other, she agreed to only order my preferred brand. She asked that I have my oncologist revise the prescription to reflect the specific brand in case insurance pushed back.
My oncologist was glad I was back on Tamoxifen, but also kind of skeptical since there aren’t any studies that prove this … she’s great & we had a nice conversation about how Tamoxifen for prevention after invasive BC hasn’t been studied beyond the standard 20mg dose.