I'm surprised they're so adamant about not every other day. Considering that this one dose has a 50-hour half life. So you're doubling and tripling up every time you take a pill? Is that why you get sick later rather than at first. I am so tired I can't lift my head off the pillow. I sleep 24/7 almost. I have no energy to walk one small block to the pharmacy. I feel sick all the time. I swear to God this is not living. I do not even want to stay alive like this.
I was on it for 4 years , then the aches n pains hit really hit , oncologist cut the dose to every second day , that fixed the pain , did it for 6 months then back to every day.no aches
@saraabrooks Because they give the same dose to everyone, unlike in chemotherapy, the problems people have been experiencing are bound to happen. In Europe, they do prescribe every other day dosages. They even have available a 5mg for Tamoxafen specially compounded. I bet if men were taking this stuff, they would find a way to redirect.
I had ever increasing side effects from anastrozole. At 18 to 20 months, I was switched to Extemestane With greatly reducing side effects. I did need to take a month of prescription level NSAIDs to reduce the inflammation throughout my whole body. There is some research about taking Extemestane every other day, although it is not the standard of practice yet. Good luck with your journey!
I chose to take it only every other day fr beginning 10 mos ago and more recently I take it in halves in morn night with meal.
I do not really have any side affects accept a little knee joint pain , but I am quite active so it is a combo of why I think I have a little pain sometimes. I'm also 5' tall and I was told the prescription is the same for a 6' woman or other sz. I've had clear Cat scans---but I am worried for the next one.. I've been under so much stress that I feel panicky about the metastatic BC to my vertabrae--it feels achey where my frightening biopsy was to one vertabrae and they drilled through my muscle to get 3 dif. core samples of the 5-7 mm tumor. That achiness flares up with surprise debilitating issues that I am beset with. I try to deep breath & redirect or set boundries w/ offenders and go to positive thinking as best I can.
@rococo325 What I had was a minute DCIS. I am 78 years old, and this was not an aggressive type. Because I have a husband that has end stage kidney disease with accompanying cognitive issues, I have to be very sharp. I run all the family finances, I administer home hemodialysis three times a week. If I have another bout, I will deal with it. I discussed my decision with my surgeon and with my cardiologist. We all have to live with our decisions. Hope your New Year will be Healthful.
@rococo325 What I had was a minute DCIS. I am 78 years old, and this was not an aggressive type. Because I have a husband that has end stage kidney disease with accompanying cognitive issues, I have to be very sharp. I run all the family finances, I administer home hemodialysis three times a week. If I have another bout, I will deal with it. I discussed my decision with my surgeon and with my cardiologist. We all have to live with our decisions. Hope your New Year will be Healthful.
@pacentro I'm not clear on why you replied to me & w/ this information about yourself. I was confused by it and saw your previous post to Sara...so I think what patients are often expressing in regards to these side affects or effectiveness issues are what they are ACTUALLY doing or feeling. So can you clarify: are you taking Anastrozole? and if so the prescribed dosage, half, or not taking it at all? You made statements about European BC system as a whole prescribes 1/2 dosage of Anastrozole and Tamoxafen 5mg is available... I am aware in general that there are different protocols is various parts of Europe. It would maybe be helpful if you can provide this discussion with where we can also read this information for ourselves so that we have verifiable facts from such medical institutions.
My past 2 sets of scans since 2024 show my tumor is the same size. So my oncologist said my Met BC is "Asleep" it's not considered "in remission", but again I am surprised & thankful considering my life has actually been even more stressful since last year w/ increased responsibilities of various family health & finance issues that have been overwheling and my sleep is only 4-5 hrs avg. It's been grueling to have my own self care and peace of mind.
I like yr comment about "if men had to take these drugs ..." 🙂 Take care, be well.
I'm surprised they're so adamant about not every other day. Considering that this one dose has a 50-hour half life. So you're doubling and tripling up every time you take a pill? Is that why you get sick later rather than at first. I am so tired I can't lift my head off the pillow. I sleep 24/7 almost. I have no energy to walk one small block to the pharmacy. I feel sick all the time. I swear to God this is not living. I do not even want to stay alive like this.
@saraabrooks I am so sorry, this is how I feel all the time as well. I take a different AI called Exemestane but sounds like the same side effects. I can't do even half of what I used to around the house and some days I can hardly get myself out of bed at all. When I do try and push through the exhaustion and pain, I end up with even more pain and even more exhaustion that doubles or triples later that day or the next. I recently tried retelling my oncologist just how badly I feel all the time but he brushed it off. I was told I just need to exercise more........ I still feel like punching him in the face when I think of this. I HAD been trying to continue all the same activity as I did before my diagnosis for 2 years and I just CANNOT! After my back surgery a year ago, I was forced to take it easy and I realized how much less pain I had by doing so. So that's what I am sticking with, I am the one who has to live in this body every day, not my doctor. I am not going to cause myself unneeded pain and end up with injuries and feeling even worse everyday by continually pushing myself. I don't feel like this is living either. I feel far worse than I did before my diagnosis but no one cares. Doctors don't want to hear that, they just write down on my file that I have no side effects and am continuing to tolerate treatment wonderfully. Meanwhile I have been telling them of many different side effects, since they all began years ago. Talk about feeling like you are screaming at the top of your lungs in a crowd and no one even turns to notice. We shouldn't have to live like this, they need to do better.
@saraabrooks I am so sorry, this is how I feel all the time as well. I take a different AI called Exemestane but sounds like the same side effects. I can't do even half of what I used to around the house and some days I can hardly get myself out of bed at all. When I do try and push through the exhaustion and pain, I end up with even more pain and even more exhaustion that doubles or triples later that day or the next. I recently tried retelling my oncologist just how badly I feel all the time but he brushed it off. I was told I just need to exercise more........ I still feel like punching him in the face when I think of this. I HAD been trying to continue all the same activity as I did before my diagnosis for 2 years and I just CANNOT! After my back surgery a year ago, I was forced to take it easy and I realized how much less pain I had by doing so. So that's what I am sticking with, I am the one who has to live in this body every day, not my doctor. I am not going to cause myself unneeded pain and end up with injuries and feeling even worse everyday by continually pushing myself. I don't feel like this is living either. I feel far worse than I did before my diagnosis but no one cares. Doctors don't want to hear that, they just write down on my file that I have no side effects and am continuing to tolerate treatment wonderfully. Meanwhile I have been telling them of many different side effects, since they all began years ago. Talk about feeling like you are screaming at the top of your lungs in a crowd and no one even turns to notice. We shouldn't have to live like this, they need to do better.
@coco46 I'm sitting here at 4:00 in the morning and decided to reread some of the comments. It's so awful that I am overwhelmed with how people have to live with the so-called life saving medications. I have made a decision which was right before Christmas really. I was going to see my family and I thought I want to feel so much better. So I stopped an astrozole two days before Christmas which was really dumb on my part because it has a 50-hour half life which means I didn't change anything by going off of them at that point. I wanted my Christmas to be better than I knew what it was going to be. It was awful. I was dizzy nauseous some of the time but the worst thing was my cognition was gone. I couldn't even play a simple game with my family. I couldn't figure anything out,
@myoga I have finally given up. I've never felt so bad and almost bedridden in my whole life. 2 days before Christmas I stopped anastrozole. It is now December 31 and I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better. I can't live like that I'd rather be dead so that's I guess what I've chosen. No more drugs. I know I'm facing almost certain death but I'm 80 years old and I've lived a full life. Why am I hanging on to it for. My faith is strong and what will be will be.
@myoga I have finally given up. I've never felt so bad and almost bedridden in my whole life. 2 days before Christmas I stopped anastrozole. It is now December 31 and I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better. I can't live like that I'd rather be dead so that's I guess what I've chosen. No more drugs. I know I'm facing almost certain death but I'm 80 years old and I've lived a full life. Why am I hanging on to it for. My faith is strong and what will be will be.
@saraabrooks
Yes! I believe you’ve made the right decision considering such a horrendous side effects. We have to live too. Anastrozole is not a guaranty to prevent recurrence.
The half life of anastrozole is 50 hours, why do we have to take it everyday? After 100 days we accumulate over 50 pills(?) in our system. The pharmaceutical companies would not do research to lower doses, and why would they do that to lower their profits? So far I only see lower dose research for exemestane which found that taking it three times a week is non inferior to every day and that research was not done by pharmaceutical companies. Exemestane half life is 24 hours. Imagine anastrozole taken twice a week?
I wish you all the best. Please come back to update on your healing process.Hugs.
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Anastrozole gave me crippled fingers on top of joint pains. My oncologist switched me to exemestane and it’s a whole lot better. I experience petechiea from the drug, so I decided to take a break once or twice a week. My oncologist probably wouldn’t approve that, but I found this research that reinforces my decision.
https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/reduced-dose-exemestane-noninferior-standard-daily-dose-postmenopausal-women-early-er
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1 ReactionI was on it for 4 years , then the aches n pains hit really hit , oncologist cut the dose to every second day , that fixed the pain , did it for 6 months then back to every day.no aches
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3 Reactions@pacentro thank
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1 ReactionI had ever increasing side effects from anastrozole. At 18 to 20 months, I was switched to Extemestane With greatly reducing side effects. I did need to take a month of prescription level NSAIDs to reduce the inflammation throughout my whole body. There is some research about taking Extemestane every other day, although it is not the standard of practice yet. Good luck with your journey!
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2 Reactions@rococo325 What I had was a minute DCIS. I am 78 years old, and this was not an aggressive type. Because I have a husband that has end stage kidney disease with accompanying cognitive issues, I have to be very sharp. I run all the family finances, I administer home hemodialysis three times a week. If I have another bout, I will deal with it. I discussed my decision with my surgeon and with my cardiologist. We all have to live with our decisions. Hope your New Year will be Healthful.
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1 Reaction@pacentro I'm not clear on why you replied to me & w/ this information about yourself. I was confused by it and saw your previous post to Sara...so I think what patients are often expressing in regards to these side affects or effectiveness issues are what they are ACTUALLY doing or feeling. So can you clarify: are you taking Anastrozole? and if so the prescribed dosage, half, or not taking it at all? You made statements about European BC system as a whole prescribes 1/2 dosage of Anastrozole and Tamoxafen 5mg is available... I am aware in general that there are different protocols is various parts of Europe. It would maybe be helpful if you can provide this discussion with where we can also read this information for ourselves so that we have verifiable facts from such medical institutions.
My past 2 sets of scans since 2024 show my tumor is the same size. So my oncologist said my Met BC is "Asleep" it's not considered "in remission", but again I am surprised & thankful considering my life has actually been even more stressful since last year w/ increased responsibilities of various family health & finance issues that have been overwheling and my sleep is only 4-5 hrs avg. It's been grueling to have my own self care and peace of mind.
I like yr comment about "if men had to take these drugs ..." 🙂 Take care, be well.
@saraabrooks I am so sorry, this is how I feel all the time as well. I take a different AI called Exemestane but sounds like the same side effects. I can't do even half of what I used to around the house and some days I can hardly get myself out of bed at all. When I do try and push through the exhaustion and pain, I end up with even more pain and even more exhaustion that doubles or triples later that day or the next. I recently tried retelling my oncologist just how badly I feel all the time but he brushed it off. I was told I just need to exercise more........ I still feel like punching him in the face when I think of this. I HAD been trying to continue all the same activity as I did before my diagnosis for 2 years and I just CANNOT! After my back surgery a year ago, I was forced to take it easy and I realized how much less pain I had by doing so. So that's what I am sticking with, I am the one who has to live in this body every day, not my doctor. I am not going to cause myself unneeded pain and end up with injuries and feeling even worse everyday by continually pushing myself. I don't feel like this is living either. I feel far worse than I did before my diagnosis but no one cares. Doctors don't want to hear that, they just write down on my file that I have no side effects and am continuing to tolerate treatment wonderfully. Meanwhile I have been telling them of many different side effects, since they all began years ago. Talk about feeling like you are screaming at the top of your lungs in a crowd and no one even turns to notice. We shouldn't have to live like this, they need to do better.
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5 Reactions@coco46 I'm sitting here at 4:00 in the morning and decided to reread some of the comments. It's so awful that I am overwhelmed with how people have to live with the so-called life saving medications. I have made a decision which was right before Christmas really. I was going to see my family and I thought I want to feel so much better. So I stopped an astrozole two days before Christmas which was really dumb on my part because it has a 50-hour half life which means I didn't change anything by going off of them at that point. I wanted my Christmas to be better than I knew what it was going to be. It was awful. I was dizzy nauseous some of the time but the worst thing was my cognition was gone. I couldn't even play a simple game with my family. I couldn't figure anything out,
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Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@myoga I have finally given up. I've never felt so bad and almost bedridden in my whole life. 2 days before Christmas I stopped anastrozole. It is now December 31 and I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better. I can't live like that I'd rather be dead so that's I guess what I've chosen. No more drugs. I know I'm facing almost certain death but I'm 80 years old and I've lived a full life. Why am I hanging on to it for. My faith is strong and what will be will be.
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2 Reactions@saraabrooks
Yes! I believe you’ve made the right decision considering such a horrendous side effects. We have to live too. Anastrozole is not a guaranty to prevent recurrence.
The half life of anastrozole is 50 hours, why do we have to take it everyday? After 100 days we accumulate over 50 pills(?) in our system. The pharmaceutical companies would not do research to lower doses, and why would they do that to lower their profits? So far I only see lower dose research for exemestane which found that taking it three times a week is non inferior to every day and that research was not done by pharmaceutical companies. Exemestane half life is 24 hours. Imagine anastrozole taken twice a week?
I wish you all the best. Please come back to update on your healing process.Hugs.
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3 Reactions