Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Every drug effects people differently. The AIs , all 3 caused too much joint pain for me. I can walk without pain with Tom

Yes, it is mainly for premenopausal women. However, it Tom does not have the severe joint pain side effects. Its been around forever and oncologists prescribe it for those who want less joint pain and still be covered. I know many post M women who take it.

I started out with Tamoxifen. It caused liver problems. It has been over a year and a half since going off of it and my Liver counts are almost back to normal. That is when I started Anastrozole.

@francine6829,- isn't Tamoxifen prescribed mainly for premenopausal women?

Tomoxifen has fewer side effects than Femura which is just like Arimidex.

I was thinking that if I took at least a month off, I could see just how much Arimidex is impacting my life. I feel about 50 years older in every respect. I just don't know, judging by what I've been reading here, if any of the other Estrogen blockers have fewer, less invasive side effects. Of course I won't choose to not take one, I just want to know if taking a month off to evaluate my reaction to Arimidex will put me at risk for a recurrence.

I take Tamoxifen. My oncologist said I could take off 2 weeks while I am on vacation. They call it an endocrine holiday

I've been on Arimidex for a year and a half. I am experiencing joint and bone pain. My shoulders, hands, thumbs, feet among other things hurt. I'm considering taking a break for a month to see what happens. I'm 74 and conflicted as to whether the Arimidex is causing the pain, or just my old bones! My Oncologist is on vacation until mid- July. I wanted to ask her if taking a month off would put me at risk for a recurrence. Has anyone consulted their Oncologist about that, specifically one month off? OR, if anyone has taken a month off, I'd like to know what your experience was.

My knees seem to bother me, I ride horses so I notice it the most. I don't have the strength i normally have. I struggle now to get my saddle on my horse. You know it's funny that i had more side effects then i thought i did. I attributed most of them to getting older. But when i went off of Anastrozole for 2 months i got to feeling good, so now I know more what is caused from the Meds.

@dmgweiss - Denise, Due to bad reaction to anastrozole, I was switched to letrozole. Still having the bad joint aches, but I've found by slowly increasing vitamin D capsules to 5,000 dosage that that helps. I'm also walking an hour every other day and on the "off" days swim about 1/2 hour and do the breast cancer strength training classes taught by our Phys Therapy Dept. I've also recently added a 1-hr class (once weekly) of qi gong. With your history of dancing, probably all the stretching exercises you do will also help. All the best to you.