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Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole
Breast Cancer | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (1931)Comment receiving replies
I am a bladder cancer and er positive breast cancer survivor in one year. I did 6 months of chemo and 20 of radiation i am presently on anastrazol my hair on top of my head is really thin sides and back growing great i called my doctor i never had thin thin hair and don’t want to keep thin thin hair so my question is should i ask my doctor to give me a break for a month i had beautiful hair
Replies to "I am a bladder cancer and er positive breast cancer survivor in one year. I did..."
Oh shucks..........the hair 'thing'. I had SO MUCH HAIR, that was my main complaint my whole life.....then menopause hit and cancer and now I have thin, dull, so nothing hair. It's tough to lose a nice asset like that. I am not using the AI drugs (can't) and my hair decided to take a nose dive anyway. I'm not sure if holding off on the drugs would be a good idea for your overall health (your doctor can tell you more) but the lack of hormones causes the hair loss and changes no matter what. You can use the over the counter hair products that 're grow' hair. My doctors said they were safe if well tolerated and they do make a bit of a difference, but you have to keep using them. I wish I had happier news on the hair front. I continue to try new things to get more luxurious hair myself. I have seen some improvement with body building type shampoos and conditioners.
I wanted to add something to you about the hair thinning/loss. I was fortunate (no chemo, radiation) so I was surprised when I started losing so much hair. I thought maybe it was stress (and perhaps that made all of this happen much quicker) but......I really mourned the loss of my hair for about a year. It's hard to have changes like this to your appearance when you've already fought the cancer battle or are continuing to do so. I actually mourned the loss of my hair more than the loss of my breasts (had a bilateral mastectomy). I just wanted to say.....it's no small thing to have these changes on top of the stress of cancer, the treatments, the unknowns. Seems pretty unfair and frustrating. I was already in menopause for a few years when I was diagnosed but the real changes and aging started just after the cancer diagnosis.....hair thinning, wrinkles, the loss of my waistline. I do my best with what I have left (ha ha) but I'm pretty much relying on my winning personality now.......Hugs to you.
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@ellenveragilmor
Yes, always ask your doctor for his advice. IMHO, stopping anastrozole for a month will not help the thinning hair on top of your head, and there is no way to tell if the reason is the anastrozole or an aging issue. I take 20,000 mcg of Biotin each day and the hair on top has not recover. Perhaps ask the doctor if using Rogaine will help?