Anastrazole and anxiety

I began Anastrazole last Nov 2022. By January 2023, I had to increase my Zoloft dose from 100 to 150 for depression. I'm feeling great now!

My final oncologist appt is next week. My breast w/lumpectomy from last August is now pink with dryness and toughness which is not located by the incision.! I'm petrified that something else has gone wrong.

I hope you can cheer up and enjoy your summer. The Anastrazole is one drug that has bad side affects. I don't like!! Joints, tough getting to sleep, sleeping too much, joint ache, depression ugh!!

Welcome @momandrph048 , when I started on endocrine therapy I went from zero to 100 mg Zoloft. Like @lynnokok that seemed to keep me off of the ledge. I am still on it 19 years later, and thankfully it still works.
I found that walking mitigated almost all of my side effects. Made my joints feel better, cleared my head and helped with anxiety too. It did not really help with the hot flashes. Lol🥵
Have you talked to one of your doctors about this yet?

I have actually talked with my oncologist about it.. she wants me to increase my Effexor, but I’m hesitant because I know it can be a tough drug to discontinue , when the time comes.. I’m also pretty sensitive to side effects of my meds , so I didn’t really want to increase the dose if I could manage another way..
She tells me anxiety is common with these drugs, but that sure doesn’t make it easy!!

I had breast caner and anastrozole years ago. I was diagnosed in 2014 and started anastrozole a year later after chemo, lumpectomy, and radiation. I blamed a lot of things on the anastrozole, but I really hated the Effexor. It didn't do any good and I had to wean off it.

That’s kind of the way I feel about the Effexor,also.. it helped in the beginning, but not anymore.. I don’t want to keep increasing my dose.. How did you end up managing your symptoms?

My symptoms were not extreme. I was mostly tired for 5 years and couldn't lose the weight put on during treatment. I took dexamethazone during chemo and that stimulated by appetite. I also ate a lot of cookies snd convenience foods. I couldn't taste mildly flavored, healthy foods like chicken and apples. I was too tired to prepare meals so I ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Chips Ahoy cookies, as I bing-watched Netflix. I was retired so I wasn't missing work or anything like that. After treatment, I did what I could to live life - even bought a house because I was shopping for one when I was diagnosed. I actually moved the day after my lumoectomy. I wore my wig to the closing. Soon after my elderly mother, who was in her last years of life, came to live with me. In ordinary circumstance this would have cramped my style but I did have much energy for a social life anyway. Three months after chemo, I stopped wearing my wig, Seven months later, while still caring for my mother, I decided to get out at least one night a week, so I took at class. I eventually lost the weight. I took Ambien for sleep. I got off it eventually, but restarted it during the pandemic, So in short, cope by living your life but realize you have to take it easy. Be patient. Figure out what you can do. I took up painting; I was introduced to it earlier through one of those Canvas and Cocktails businesses, which still exit online. Find something to enjoy. If you are taking anastrozole the really hard part is over. I have been clear for 8 years. I think the problems are not just Anastrozole. I think your body need a lot of time to recover from not only the cancer, but from the treatment and the stress fo the whole ordeal. Take care. You are healing and taking preventative steps at the same time.

I had very little side effects with anastrazole. Very warm and losing hair gradually Not terrible. I am off now after five years.

Thank you! Good advice! Photography is my passion, so I’m trying to get a little side business started.. I just have to remind myself this is part of the journey and I just need to find what works for me to manage it! Thanks for understanding!

I came down with anxiety and depression, not to mention bad joint and muscle pain, when I was on Letrozole. I have been switched to Anastrozole and am now also taking Lexapro to handle the emotional symptoms of this drug. I initially fought going on Lexapro, but I decided that I needed to do whatever I could to stay on my aromatase inhibitor. Good luck with your own journey!

I’m on Effexor, which initially helped quite a bit, but not for that long, if I try to increase the dose, I end up with more side effects.. Maybe it’s time to talk to my oncologist about switching to something else.. Thanks for your input, it always helps to know I’m not alone!!