Anastrazole and anxiety

I am so happy I could be of help. It is a scary road but totally doable.

Thank you so much, this was exactly what I needed to hear today.. 🌸

I too was on lexapro after very serious brain aneurysm. If I can do it you can stay on anastrazole. Stay in the company of those that make you happy. Be good to you. This anxiety will pass.

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!!

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!

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

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.

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?

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.