Aromatase Inhibitors: Did you decide to go on them or not?

I started weight bearing exercises at the Y. I am building up strength and feeling good and the side effects are less. Best thing I have done for myself so far. I take Anastrozole and I am 63.

I have the side effects but I do what I can to stay active and deal with them. If in the end, it prevents my cancer from returning from which there likely is no way back, I will deal with the aches and pains from anastrazole. I am okay with that but everyone is free to make an informed decision based on their tolerance and outlook. And people are affected differently and to different degrees and what they can or want to tolerate.

Thank you @whr You give me hope and thank you for your prayers. Prayers are powerful.

Remember you are in charge of your healthcare. You have to process the information they give you and make a decision that you feel is right for you. I have been off the med for seven months and I can say it took at least six months to feel "normal" for me and my age. It is better each month but it takes time. When I started having problems with my big toe, I told everyone that was the last place the med was, I was joking but the toe is fine now. The oncologist offered up other alternatives but admitted they probably would produce the same effects, Tamoxifen was not an option for me, too many serious issues with that drug. At any rate, PT helped the knee quite a bit, I don't get enough exercise but with the cold and ice settling in it is going to be more difficult. I will add you to my growing list of people needing prayers, hang in there, it will get better.

@whr - your reply brought tears to my eyes. I woke this morning pretty achy and hip & feet pain. I was wondering how long it takes of being off of Anastrozole before the achiness goes away. I’ve been off 1 month, the overall fogginess & not feeling like myself has pretty much gone away but aches are still there everyday. Some days better than others.
I am so very happy that you are feeling so much better. There is hope for me I pray. I see my oncologist at end of month & I hope he does push me hard to take something else because I don’t think I want to. I believe my risk is quite low. Blessing to you, whr and may you continue to feel great and in good health. Thank you for your comment - I needed to hear that!

When I was diagnosed because of the location of the tumor we started Anastrozole six weeks before surgery to shrink the tumor. I was never told if that was successful or not but was excited after surgery and a clear PET scan and looked at this drug as an "easy" way to manage my cancer since I opted out of radiation and chemo that was suggested as "preventative". We talked about staying on it for 10 years, to "make sure". I overlooked the side effects in the beginning, insomnia (I would sleep when I could) joint pain, digestive issues, etc. but after I had taken it for 18 months my blood pressure had jumped over 40 pts., I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, I was in such terrible pain with my joints that I ended up in PT. At that point I decided at the age of 76 to quit the medication as quality of life is more important to me than the number of years on this earth and I have been off of it for 7 months, it is the best I've felt in two years. It is a personal decision, not entered into lightly, I am trying to take each day at a time, I am scheduled for a mammogram soon and pray that all will be clear. If not, I will deal with it then. All the options had similar or worse side effects so I wasn't interested in "experimenting". Stay tuned, may your journey be one of peace and confidence in the decision you make being the right one for you.

Many of us have very few side effects. I would try it, though yes, with stage zero DCIS you may have more latitude than those with more serious cases. Noone can say.

That is how I felt. I took Anastrozole for 2 years - stopped taking about 3 weeks ago. After about 7-10 days started feeling back to normal. Well normal for a 68 yo 😊

You did, it’s all good. I am not, I took tamoxifen and anastrazole combined total 15 years. I am 55. So my decisions will be based on different goals than you. I believe the years I have gained is worth the grief I have endured. I cannot say that I will always be willing to endure the next and the next treatment,but right now I still have a sense of humor about things. My doctor says inside I am a 70 year old woman, so I guess that means I only feel 100. Lol

oops, I meant to reply to Chris in the above.