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Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Jul 28 9:25am | Replies (1934)Comment receiving replies
I was on Arimidex for over a year and a half, and finally the side effects became intolerable for me. I understand this is not true for everyone. After 9 weeks off the Arimidex, my Oncologist switched me to Exemestane . After 2 weeks, the side effects of the Exemestane became similar to the Arimidex. Again I'm taking a month's break and have an appointment with my Oncologist in December. I'm 75 and trying to decide if I want to stop the drugs altogether or try Tamoxifen. I have osteopenia and moderate to severe arthritis in multiple places. I'm hoping my Oncologist can help me with my decision.
Replies to "I was on Arimidex for over a year and a half, and finally the side effects..."
Thanks for sharing about your journey. As you will know from this group there are four or five options for estrogen blockers, so i hope you can find one that works for you. Please keep us posted. Denise
i was on anastrazole for 5 days and Mayo had me stop it completely the side effects were very severe. i was quite nervous about taking other aromotase inhibitors because my reactions were so severe. They started me this year on Faslodex, which is a monthly shot. thus far my reaction is fatigue the day of the shot and a sore tush as it is a thick shot. tylenol helps to relieve the pain and my tush only hurts for a day or two. somewhat new on the market, but it works for me. upside is it only once a month. downside is that as i am so sensitive to estrogen that i must get it every 28 - 30 days. for those of you who take aromotase inhibitors it may be worth looking into this if your side effects are not tolerable.
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I wish you all the best of luck making this decision. After 3 weeks on Exemestane, my hands feel better. (so It's been 4 weeks since I took Anastrozole). They also told me 5 to 10 years on the drugs. But I'm only 64 now & just passed my 1 year mark. I hope the doctor has a frank talk with you about your side effects and your chances of recurrence. You have to trust them, even though it's scary.