Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Posted by tinalove @tinalove, Jan 31, 2016

I completed all treatments for breast cancer but now I am supposed to take hormone blocker, named anastrozole. im concerned about the side effects. Has anyone here taken it and did anyone have hair loss?

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I had lumpectomy, 33 radiation treatments last year. Started anastrozole Jan 1 - a few hot flashes - not big deal. HOWEVER mid February I started forgetting simple words, fact, date, lists and that has gotten continually worse. I see oncologist in April - I promised to do a 3 month trial - but at this point, not considering continuing. Switch for another 3 months? Take a break and see if my brain gets better? Anyone else have brain dysfunction? Thanks.

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I have been taking Anastrozole for 6 months now and I have lost almost 30% of my hair (also with thinning) & still losing.
I’m also having arthritic type pain in my fingers and overall fatigue.
I did not have any of these health issues before.
According to my specialist The bottom line is all AIs have more or less the same symptoms. It is toxic but we have no other choice… or do we?

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Profile picture for otas @otas

For the past 6 moths I was taking Arimidex around 8.00am and by 3/4pm I was getting very lethargic and sleepy, however I never took a nap during the day.
And at night I suffered from insomnia.
I could hardly get even a 3/4 hours sleep .
Now I’ve started taking the tablets at 7.00pm and I find that I have a much better sleep at night. Now I also go for a 1.00hour walk in the evenings which seems to help with my sleep.
Does anyone know what I can do to stop loosing my hair, this is also one of the side effects.
Best wishes

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Thank you for your suggestion on taking Arimidex at 7p.m.
I will give that a try. I also am losing a lot of hair, plus it has gotten finer. Do you know if it will come back once we're off It?

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Profile picture for sterzi @sterzi

I am wondering where you heard that taking anastrozole at night can make you sleepy. I have trouble falling asleep (but there has been a lot of stress in my life lately). My oncologist didn't give me an answer on when is the best time to take it. Thanks1

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For the past 6 moths I was taking Arimidex around 8.00am and by 3/4pm I was getting very lethargic and sleepy, however I never took a nap during the day.
And at night I suffered from insomnia.
I could hardly get even a 3/4 hours sleep .
Now I’ve started taking the tablets at 7.00pm and I find that I have a much better sleep at night. Now I also go for a 1.00hour walk in the evenings which seems to help with my sleep.
Does anyone know what I can do to stop loosing my hair, this is also one of the side effects.
Best wishes

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Fillers are different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some of us react to certain fillers used by certain companies. That is different from side effects from estrogen deprivation.

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Profile picture for anjalima @anjalima

Generics can fluctuate ingredients 20% in either direction whereas BRAND has to be exactly the same from pill to pill.

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FDA-approved generic medicines work in the same way and provide the same clinical benefit and risks as their brand-name counterparts. A generic medicine is required to be the same as a brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality, as well as in the way it is taken. Generic medicines also have the same risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts.

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Profile picture for jkh @jkh

An ingredient can not fluctuate 20% according to my pharmacist husband.

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He is so correct. Per the FDA website they must be the same dosage and strength to be FDA approved.

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Profile picture for anjalima @anjalima

When I realized that my sudden major increase in side effects after one year on Anastrozole may have been related to a change in manufactured… I found a pharmacy where I could revert back to Anastrozole manufactured by Accord ( the original generic). My increased side effects faded back to the original manageable and mitigated ones… mostly joint stuff and interrupted sleep ( awake 2-3 hours in middle of night).

While figuring this out I found a route to try the BRAND ANASTROZOLE … ARIMIDIX !

Even less side effects and especially sleeping through the night!

Generics are not regulated by FDA… they have their own regulation body but the main ingredient ( Anastrozole in this case ) can vary up to 20% in either direction and fillers can be very different.

The BRAND is tightly regulated by FDA and cannot vary in ANY way from pill to pill.

The brand has worked for me.

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This is not true as to generics. (From the FDA website) FDA-approved generic medicines work in the same way and provide the same clinical benefit and risks as their brand-name counterparts. A generic medicine is required to be the same as a brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality, as well as in the way it is taken. Generic medicines also have the same risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts.

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Profile picture for anjalima @anjalima

Generics can fluctuate ingredients 20% in either direction whereas BRAND has to be exactly the same from pill to pill.

Jump to this post

An ingredient can not fluctuate 20% according to my pharmacist husband.

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