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Anastrozole Brain Fog

Posted by lisman1408 @lisman1408, Jan 17, 2019

I started taking Anastrozole in October 2018 after radiation for stage 2 breast cancer. Has anyone had ‘brain fog’ or memory loss with this medication? If so, what have you done to relieve this annoying side effect?

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lisman1408 | @lisman1408 | May 28, 2023
In reply to @sonjard "This is a great chat - just joining now. I'm 50 and I had breast cancer/lumpectomy/chemo/radiation...." + (show)
@sonjard

This is a great chat - just joining now. I'm 50 and I had breast cancer/lumpectomy/chemo/radiation. I was on Tamoxifen until I was fully menopausal (brought on by chemo) then Anatrazole, and now exemestane. It's only been a month on the exemestane but I don't see a real change. Very bad joint pain, serious brain fog, weight gain (strange protruding bloating) and the hot flashes. The brain fog is my biggest issue because I work full-time supporting my family at a fairly demanding job. I see the studies - taking an AI is important but I was curious if anyone is having any luck with a supplement or medication to help with the brain fog. Thank you in advance and good luck to you all!

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I had horrible brain fog from all the breast cancer medications. Exemestaine was the one with the least brain fog. I believe our brains need estrogen to function properly. Many women have these symptoms while going through menopause; and these breast cancer drugs lower our estrogen levels very similarly to the changes of menopause-and often even worse! It’s awful! I felt like such a fool when I first started on Anastrozole! My family made fun of me often, and I thought I was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s! I was terrified! I kept my mouth shut most of the time and refrained from joining conversations for fear I’d say something wrong and make a fool of myself. Unfortunately, I made mistakes at work also due to my forgetfulness.

Talk to your doctor, there are other medications you can try to see if they are any better for you. Most of all… Hang in there! Many of us on this website have been through what you are experiencing. Though we may not have a solution, we Totally understand! The support on this website made a big difference in helping me feel better emotionally, and realize that I wasn’t crazy because they had similar symptoms too.

REPLY
1 reply
auntiephil | @auntiephil | May 29, 2023
In reply to @lisman1408 "I had horrible brain fog from all the breast cancer medications. Exemestaine was the one with..." + (show)
@lisman1408

I had horrible brain fog from all the breast cancer medications. Exemestaine was the one with the least brain fog. I believe our brains need estrogen to function properly. Many women have these symptoms while going through menopause; and these breast cancer drugs lower our estrogen levels very similarly to the changes of menopause-and often even worse! It’s awful! I felt like such a fool when I first started on Anastrozole! My family made fun of me often, and I thought I was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s! I was terrified! I kept my mouth shut most of the time and refrained from joining conversations for fear I’d say something wrong and make a fool of myself. Unfortunately, I made mistakes at work also due to my forgetfulness.

Talk to your doctor, there are other medications you can try to see if they are any better for you. Most of all… Hang in there! Many of us on this website have been through what you are experiencing. Though we may not have a solution, we Totally understand! The support on this website made a big difference in helping me feel better emotionally, and realize that I wasn’t crazy because they had similar symptoms too.

Jump to this post

This is so helpful. It’s frightening experiencing brain fog and groping for words. My optholmolgists older mother was also experiencing this and thought she was going through dementia. Sharing your experiences certainly help. When she understood I was also having these issues, she felt so much better.

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lorettaflowers65 | @lorettaflowers65 | May 17 11:18pm

Hello everyone. I'm 59. I've been on Anastrazole since July of 2023. The hot flashes are nowhere near as bad as they were. I've been noticing that I'm more and more that I have no self confidence now. I can learn new things fast like I used to, I feel as if my co workers are smarter, learn faster and have no real use for me in my position. I have always been someone in the workplace that learned fast, was a trainer to other, a supervisor and now. I feel useless almost in everything I do. I've been going through menopause for a while and then diagnosed in 23 with breast cancer. I can't think straight, can't make decisions, over analyze everything. My Oconogist told me being on Anastrazole is like Menopause in overdrive. Can anyone relate?

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