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Anastrozole: How long do side effects last once you've stopped?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Aug 29, 2023 | Replies (43)Comment receiving replies
After 6 months of anastrozole, I just had a painful, sudden side effect yesterday. When I woke up, getting out of bed was very painful. I called the doc's office. He said to stay off the med until my next visit in mid-March. I'm now walking with a cane. I am managing the pain with one Aleve and one Tylenol every 4 hours. [Taken together they potentiate each other.] I had both knees replaced and that's where most of the pain is today. These replacements aren't new. One was almost 3 yrs ago and the other was 5 years ago. But they never hurt this much once they'd healed.
Yesterday I hurt all over. Today it's mostly in the knees. In addition I am very anxious and my appetite has increased. I think I might have gained 8 to 10 pounds, which I didn't need. Has anyone else had such painful joints after 6 months on anastrozole?
Replies to "After 6 months of anastrozole, I just had a painful, sudden side effect yesterday. When I..."
I have been experiencing similar side effects on this drug—joint pain, stiffness, weight gain, exhaustion. I went off of it for a few months and started feeling like myself again. The oncologist prescribed exemestane as a replacement and a couple months in, I was experiencing depression, which I have never struggled with, so I went off that, tests were done, now back on anastrozole (3 mos). Just like you, my symptoms seem random, some days tolerable and other days really difficult. I exercise daily, am getting acupuncture and massage (every other week), eat well... none of this is helping much. This drug is only offering 6-8% protection against recurrence and maybe it's not enough to justify the daily misery. My quality of life is sorely depleted.
I also suffered crippling knee pain while on Anastrozole. I switched to Letrozole and started taking collagen supplements. My knees improved back to normal within a month or two. This was 20 months ago, and I have only the stiffness and occasional discomfort I has before the drug. I'm 69.
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Hi I have been on it for 7 months and 2 months ago I started having numbness in my hands at night. So I told my doctor and got tested. I have a little carpal tunnel. I bought some hand braces to sleep with. It have helped. My joints hurt off and on. I do get bone injections every three months.