Aromatase Inhibitors & carpal tunnel and trigger finger: Anyone?

I know this is an old post, but I’d love to weigh in on this topic! I’m a 47 year-old white female, diagnosed with HR+ HER2- Stage 2A breast cancer in August 2021. After a lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy, chemo, and radiation, I started taking Anastrozole (along with a monthly injection of Zoladex because I am pre-menopausal). It was great until two months in, when my thumbs began locking. I learned it was called trigger finger, and it got progressively worse quickly, and was painful, but not intolerable. I also experienced joint pain and aches in my legs, but it was also tolerable. When my thumbs got to the point where I had to actually unlock them from a bent position using the other hand to pop them straight, my doc and I decided to take a break from Anastrozole and then try letrozole. My trigger thumb rapidly improved, but immediately returned when I began the letrozole. We then decided to ditch the AIs and go to tamoxifen. Once again, things were fine for two months, until I was walloped with sudden and severe anxiety followed by depression. I am lucky to have never experienced either before, but for the next two months I was absolutely miserable and unrecognizable to my family and friends. I can’t find any medical studies on this, but my brother unearthed a ton of anecdotal evidence that tamoxifen can cause severe anxiety and depression. My doctor gave the ok to quit the tamoxifen, and my symptoms disappeared within a week. I was entirely back to my old self, thank goodness. Interestingly, a friend (only 30 years old) went through the exact same thing when she took tamoxifen a few months after I did. I’d love to see this link between tamoxifen and anxiety/depression studied; I feel the medical community completely ignores this very serious issue, even though it seems awfully common. Since I am at high risk of recurrence, we didn’t want to abandon hormone therapy entirely, so I started the third AI, exemestane. So far it’s going great, no trigger thumb or joint/leg pain yet, although I am just now at the two-month point that seems to be my tipping point. I’m really hoping for the best, especially since my doc recommends ten years of hormone therapy to reduce the risk of recurrence. I will say that I would take trigger finger over the depression and anxiety caused by tamoxifen any day. I am a little worried that if the trigger finger returns and worsens, I will require surgery to fix the problem, but right now I’m just praying the exemestane works without issue! This was a long comment, I know; thanks for reading!

The kinesiology tape continues to work well to reduces pain in my right thumb area only. Hands, left thumbs and both wrist pain continues on and off.

Developed what I thought was plantar fasciitis (in November 2022) and had it continuously for months. This pain has subsided for awhile. Didn’t connect it to taking anastrozole until reading some of the comments here. Have yet to confirm medically if it was actually plantar fasciitis or something else, or was merely a coincidence along with taking anastrozole.

Am now paying much closer attention to my body and pain. Noticing now that I have some hip pain which is not severe and is intermittent. Merely a coincidence? Now have knee pain. Sometimes it is substantial. Need to get it checked out by a medical professional. Merely a coincidence?

Have an oncologist appointment in a couple weeks. I want to stop taking anastrozole and see if my pain subsides in any areas. Will review my areas of “pain” that have developed since starting on anastrozole. The hot flashes began immediately. The hand/thumb/wrist pain began after two months, the foot pain after three months, the hip pain, six months, the knee pain nine months.

I will also discuss with my oncologist if I can have Oncotype testing. Specifically. Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score Test for people diagnosed with early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative invasive breast cancer.

Depending on those test results, I will discuss with my oncologist to not only stop taking anastrozole, but also to not replace it with any other drug.

@jlynne89 thank you for your reply. That is helpful information & much appreciated. I’m glad you found the best way to used KT tape. I’ve used for my back. It works well. Best of luck. Come back and let us know how you are doing. Blessings

@jlynne89 thank you for your reply. That is helpful information & much appreciated. I’m glad you found the best way to used KT tape. I’ve used for my back. It works well. Best of luck. Come back and let us know how you are doing. Blessings

Hello - yes, shots x2 with short duration relief here, too. Ortho says could do surgery to release - but don’t see point if drug is source of problem and another year to go.
Weird is right!

Cortisone shot helped my thumb, but only for 2 months. Then stiff again. Then when j took two weeks off to switch from anastrozole to exemestane and started that early April my thumb is loosening up again..not perfect but a lot better. Weird

Well, guess I just learned another thing about 4 yrs of exemestane - trigger thumb for the last year; very painful and unexplained sudden appearance. No one - ortho, Onco or primary suggests side effect of the drug. So much they don’t seem to know; unsure they care - it’s always ‘just be glad’….Also now debilitating pain in hips, toes - though I remain active not sedentary. Long for the day they listen, connect the dots, do research related to one size fits all dosage of these drugs.

Thank you for your concern. I find that when I use my hands for longer periods of time such as computer work or sewing the pain level not only increases, it also remains for longer periods of time post hand use.

Someone in one of the posts on this site, mentioned doing hand exercises that they said helped them reduce pain. Unfortunately, I’m unable to locate the instructions for those exercises. Does anyone know who posted the hand exercises? Thank you.