Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

It can cause joint and muscle aches/pain. I assume anywhere - my hands, toes & shoulders hurt. I'd check with your doctor, because it may be unrelated.

@sparklegram @kathyomaha55
I agree with Kathy. Anastrozole gives many of us joint, bone and muscle pains, here and there, and now and then. At our ages, it's convenient to blame everything on anastrozole, but there may be other issues going on for us (like cervical stenosis, for example). If it's muscular, doing gentle neck/shoulder exercises each day may help. If it's vertebrae-related, the exercises won't help and may even hurt the situation. It's best to have a doctor's feedback.

It’s interesting to hear this. I have been taking Letrozole (Femara) for 2 months and have constant pain when I move my neck. The pain even shoots up to the left side of my head. Since it’s not not listed as one the side effects (the neck is not a joint is it?) I’ve assumed it’s unrelated, perhaps to my left shoulder that I fractured over a year ago. I don’t think it’s an aneurism because it only happens when I move the neck. I also feel like I’m having cognitive issues, this is also not a list side effect. I had lumpectomy and radiation, no chemo. I’m 69 and active - walking and yoga every day. I definitely understand the benefits of taking the AI and will keep doing so. I’ve been wondering if it makes any sense to switch from one AI to another since all three seem to have the same chemical reaction in the body (maybe Aromasin is slightly different). I have my first appointment with an oncologist 10/23. Wondering if I should bring any of this up.

Absolutely bring up the side effects with oncologist. You might not think of neck as join, but the spine is set of joints, and if one joint is having problems, your body might compensate by tightening muscles, etc…

I suggest keeping track and writing down your symptoms prior to appt. What causes it to be worse, what helps, when it started and anything else that will help oncologist decide what needs to be done.

Laurie

Thank you!

@cfacarol Yes, by all means speak with your oncologist. If your medical group has access to e-mail, then e-mail your questions. I'm on my third AI (exemestane) and the side effects aren't as bad. The first two were quite difficult to handle. Everyone handles them differently and trying another one might be beneficial. Your doctor may order x-rays of your neck to be sure there is nothing suspicious there, but it could be something as simple as aethritis for which physical therapy can be of help

Yes - my oncologist said anastrozole aggravates arthritis - makes it worse. So check this possibility out.

I've been on Arimidex for 4 years and I have all kinds of bone and joint disorders. This runs in my familu so it's hard to know if it's due to that or the Arimidex. I had to herniated disc in my cervical vertebrae, and the pain went down my arm. The epidural steroid injection was ineffective, but PT REALLY helped. I know the drug can cause osteopenia and osteoporosis, which can lead to spinal compression fractures, so my oncologist orders a DEXA every year, and I get a Prolia injection twice a year. It might be worth looking into. I also have a spine, and rehabilitation medicine doctor, and he monitors everything as well.

After 2.5 years on Arimidex my neck started hurting a lot - it's been touchy for several years so this was not brand new, but more intense and worse on the right side. My Oncologist ordered an MRI which showed (in my doctor's words) "a ton of arthritis", 2 herniated discs, and bone spurs on facet joints, worse on right side... which made perfect sense. I'm now working with a spine group; they have me on Meloxicam, a strong anti-inflammatory, and I'm doing PT which is helping to stabilize the neck muscles. Hoping to keep making progress with PT; it's been very helpful for my therapists to have the imaging result to see what's going on in there. Doing Zometa for bone density. Thank you for sharing, it's helpful to know others are coping with this too.

@francine6829 and @sparklegram my oncologist has me have a mammy + ultrasound every year and a mri with contrast every year. So every 6 months I'm getting a checkup. I asked him for how long and he said the rest of my life...