Anyone's joint pain not improve after stopping anastrozole?

Hi! @momandrph048 :

First of all, kudos to you for toughing it out enduring all the joint pain for 5 years! Your persistence and perseverance is remarkable!

I am so sorry that you are still suffering these pains even after you stopped taking Anastrozole for almost a year:( Have you tried PT (physical therapy) to reduce your pain yet? If not, please ask your primary care physician to refer you to a reputable PT as soon as possible, for my PT truly helps me a lot all through the years. In fact, I developed joints pain, muscle pain, etc., all over my body as soon as I started taking Anastrozole in January of 2024; however, due to the characteristic of my IDC (ER+>95%, PR+, Her2-), I truly need taking Anastrozole to prevent any recurrence or metastatic BC; so my kind PCP recommended me to a cancer patients' rehab center for PT, OT sessions, and they really help me mitigating all my pains all through the years - even though I am still on Anastrozole.

Sorry for such a lengthy note, I truly feel your pain and wish to help in some ways...

Wishing you all a better journey ahead with hope, peace and love!

I quit Anastrozole after 3 MONTHS, because I couldn't stand the pain.
My PCM offered to keep me supplied with pain Rx. Nice of him, but I have a 40-minute drive to work. "Homey" can't do that. No way!
So, I agreed to try the next in line, Letrozole (which, actually, is more potent than Anastrozole).
That was the beginning of May, this year (2026). As far as joint pain (which was an issue already from my many sports and nursing-moving patients- injuries), so far it isn't bad.
I did stop twice, for a week each time, since May, because of the WEIGHT GAIN that began with the Anastrozole.
At my ONC appt last week I agreed to remain on Letrezole until my next appt., in Dec...
I cannot imagine being on anastrozole for 5 years. Not with the pain I experienced.
Finally, I read, from several sources, that the SE from A1 Inhibiors usually go away within several months of stopping the Rx; but...may never go away.
I pray that isn't the case with you. BIG HUG!!

I was only on them(AI) drugs for 2.5 yrs. Joint/ muscle pain!! I stopped taking it a little over 6 months ago. I am finally feeling better. I go to an acupuncturist monthly, and have lost 25 pounds( that I put on during treatments) I’m 63. Staying active - This has all helped.

I was on Anastrazole then Exemastane for less than a year, but it took a year for the joint and tendon pain to go away. I needed 2 cortisone shots in each hand, trigger finger surgery, cortisone shots in my hip and ankle. These are wicked drugs.
I'm on Tamoxifen now with none of that pain, but I do find I pull or strain tendons much easier than before the BC. I actually tore a hamstring tendon a year ago doing nothing I didn't do a hundred times a day. We need estrogen, I wish they would find better medications for us.

I cannot imagine that toughed it out for 5 years. That's amazing.

Sorry to hear that you're still suffering from the side effects. Did you get your oncologist to weigh in why? They need to be informed that you're still miserable.

I could not stay on Anastrozole longer than 2 months. It was so painful, I could not get out of bed. Now on Exemestane, which is more tolerable, but I have to go on "drug holidays" since the joints and tendons get too painful at times and I need to stop and let my body reset.

Hoping that you start feeling better soon.

Have you been checked for osteoarthritis or osteopenia? Might be causing your pain. Please have a DEXA scan and ask your doctor about osteoarthritis. Hope you find relief.

I was only on it for 9 months when oncologist said “you shouldn’t have to live in pain” and took me off. Started exemestane about a month later and didn’t have the pain with it (however it had its own set of side effects). I feel it took a couple months for the pain to subside and was concerned being on the new one. After 18 months, the myriad of side effects from exemestane were too much and we stopped it. Currently starting 3rd month of letrozole and doing ok. My concern with these meds is less the existing side effects as they happen (maybe I can do something to lessen them) but if I continue the medicine long term, will the problems become permanent. If it’s joint inflammation causing the pain, will it develop into chronic unrelenting inflammation. So while this doesn’t answer your question because I only tolerated it for 9 months, better in 2 months off, hopefully while it may take longer after 5 years on, maybe it will still clear.

Sorry you are going through all that. I have been on Anastrozole for 3 years now, terrible pain. I am going to talk to my Oncologist. Also had a total hysterectomy so I have no estrogen and the hot flashes are terrible. Wow!

I can tell you that it took a full 8-9 months before I started regulating estrogen again. Then I was able to start sleeping. Your joint pain is from the lack of estrogen so it could be that it is taking you a little longer to regulate estrogen consistently. I would suggest you can help to lubricate joints a bit by doing some exercises, walking, and even strength training. I think that I avoided some of the joint pain by strength training for all 5 years of the hormone blocker. Hang in there. I do believe it will get better but it is a very hard time. We think once the 5 years of treatment are done everything will be good but it just does not happen that way for most of us.

@sboston1
Same here! I had a hysterectomy also, and I had been through all the aromatase inhibitors, and they were all basically the same for me.. I do have an appointment with my oncologist soon, so I’ll get her take on it..hope things get easier for us!