Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

@crandall65, dealing with health issues while also trying to manage financial limitations is really hard. You need an advocate in your corner. I might suggest you look into FindHelp https://www.findhelp.org/

FindHelp is a resource directory that helps people find and connect to social services in their area. Services include food pantries, help paying bills, housing, job training, after-school programming and more.

I wonder if FindHelp can connect you with a social worker who could help navigate resources available to you.

Another option to investigate is Pink Fund https://pinkfund.org/ According to their website "Pink Fund provides financial assistance for up to 90-days for non-medical cost-of-living expenses for breast cancer patients in active treatment*, so they can focus on healing, raising their families, and returning to the workplace."

It sounds like you're no longer in "active" treatment. However, they may be able to direct you to resources.

60. Lumpectomy Chemo and radiation , 8 years remission. Anastrozole fir 7 years. Off niw 6 months still can't function. Hair growing thicker. But hip and shoulder pain, anxiety, brain fog and arthritis in fingers persist. I need ss, disability advice. 8 can't work. No focus ability. Eye sight poor. Excema. Kust a wreck. Professional all of my life. I need income desperately. NEW YORK. MEDICAID CUT ME OFF.dimininished all but 5000 IRA. Help please

@supersphere67
May I ask why anastrozole was prescribed for triple negative bc? I thought anastrozole is for estrogen positive bc because it reduces/blocks the estrogen in the body to starve bc cells. If your cancer cells is triple negative, they don't use estrogen as fuel. So what anastrozole is doing for you? Thanks.

I've taken anastrozole for the past 6 months, kept expecting my hair to fall out. It never did. Maybe it will start falling out tomorrow! However, there are dermatologists who specialize in hair loss. Check into this if you're concerned.

@mmwagner46 Astrozole

@nanakathy1 What drug are you referring to?

Oh yes.....before starting treatment on an AI I had moderately high blood pressure, say around 140-150's, handled by drugs. The first AI I tried to reduce my chest wall tumor, Anastrozole, make it go up into the 160's & I had to add another BP drug. Doc switched me to Letrozole, which didn't seem to be raising it so fast. But 4 months in I started getting occasional "spikes" in BP at night up to 170. By the next month it was becoming spikes up to 190 even 200 nearly every night! I was visiting the ER. I told the Doc I was off all AI's & stopped. They threw me into "labile hypertension" which I still have & even with new drug Fulvestrant, I have to monitor my BP 8 times a day, and take a quick acting drug if it goes over 170. I am not a good candidate for hormone blockers; but the Fulvestrant is working well to shrink my tumor.
I've read that those with CVDisease should not be on AI's .
Patty

There are plenty of things you can do for these symptoms. Take more meds! They’ll give you Celebrex for joint pain, bp meds, lexapro, Ativan and a bunch of other stuff. There’s no winning with AIs.

I’m curious as to why you’re prescribed anastrozole. It lower estrogen in your body to starve your cancer cells. But yours is triple negative, what does anastrozole do for you?

Yes on the high blood pressure no on the cardiac