1. < Breast Cancer

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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Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira | Jun 25, 2018
In reply to @roch "I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018...." + (show)
@roch

I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018. I will be having surgery later this year and goal of hormone treatment is to prevent need for chemotherapy after surgery. I have read some of the replies and did not see anyone mention of depression. I am having problems with depression since started taking medication. I was so bad at last oncology appointment they referred to psychiatry. At his point treating the depression symptoms rather than change cancer treatment.

My opinion is the depression is related to Anastrozole and not the fact I have newly diagnosed cancer. Prior to starting meds, I was dealing with diagnoses fine, after starting meds I have crying spells often. I have history of depression, so maybe I was more susceptible to changes in hormones. I am glad I talked to doctor about by symptoms and getting help.

I had some hair thinning, my solution is to cut hair shorter. No problems with hot flashes. Had some neck stiffness and minor headaches, those symptoms are tolerable compared to depression. .

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Welcome to Connect, @roch.
A cancer diagnosis is life-changing, and I'm so glad you recognized your symptoms of depression and sought help.
My research about anastrozole also led to this article which echos your insights:
Electroacupuncture Helps Ease Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression in Women Taking Aromatase Inhibitors: http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/electracupuncture-helps-ai-side-effects

@roch, may I ask how you are treating and managing the depression?

REPLY
Molly MIller | @mollymiller | Jun 23, 2018
In reply to @roch "I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018...." + (show)
@roch

I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018. I will be having surgery later this year and goal of hormone treatment is to prevent need for chemotherapy after surgery. I have read some of the replies and did not see anyone mention of depression. I am having problems with depression since started taking medication. I was so bad at last oncology appointment they referred to psychiatry. At his point treating the depression symptoms rather than change cancer treatment.

My opinion is the depression is related to Anastrozole and not the fact I have newly diagnosed cancer. Prior to starting meds, I was dealing with diagnoses fine, after starting meds I have crying spells often. I have history of depression, so maybe I was more susceptible to changes in hormones. I am glad I talked to doctor about by symptoms and getting help.

I had some hair thinning, my solution is to cut hair shorter. No problems with hot flashes. Had some neck stiffness and minor headaches, those symptoms are tolerable compared to depression. .

Jump to this post

Hello, Roch ~ Rest assured that you are not alone in having depression as an Arimidex side effect. I don't quite know what else to say, as mine comes in waves. Some days I truly feel upbeat and it lasts for a day or two and then i wake up and don't want to get out of bed. Pain also varies ~ Hot flashes pretty constant but I can deal with them . 18 months since diagnosis, 36 radiation treatment, turned down chemo and am now 13 months on Arimidex. At age 69, I did not want to even TRY chemo and my doctor conceurred, I was diagnosed with Stage 2A Est and Pro positive, HerpII negative . One node effected, 16 others removed, all clear. As you coan tell from this typing I am experiencing visual problems. Prayers, etc. are in heavy use. WIshing you good days ahead.

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elizm | @elizm | Jun 23, 2018
In reply to @roch "I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018...." + (show)
@roch

I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018. I will be having surgery later this year and goal of hormone treatment is to prevent need for chemotherapy after surgery. I have read some of the replies and did not see anyone mention of depression. I am having problems with depression since started taking medication. I was so bad at last oncology appointment they referred to psychiatry. At his point treating the depression symptoms rather than change cancer treatment.

My opinion is the depression is related to Anastrozole and not the fact I have newly diagnosed cancer. Prior to starting meds, I was dealing with diagnoses fine, after starting meds I have crying spells often. I have history of depression, so maybe I was more susceptible to changes in hormones. I am glad I talked to doctor about by symptoms and getting help.

I had some hair thinning, my solution is to cut hair shorter. No problems with hot flashes. Had some neck stiffness and minor headaches, those symptoms are tolerable compared to depression. .

Jump to this post

Roch: I, too, have experienced bouts of depression (unusual for me) this spring since going on anastrozole in January, even though I only take a half dose. I associated it with not being able to exercise every day (the chemo-induced neuropathy seemed to increase following the end of chemo). My reaction was to exercise earlier in the day (treadmill at the gym) and spend more time with outside activities (Stephen Ministry and working with foster care students). My personal analysis of being a cancer survivor is that it's always going to be something... some things I can control (like asking for a different aromatase inhibitor if the depression bouts continue, exercising earlier in the day, taking Chinese herbs, etc.) and some things are out of my control (like the nerve damage, insomnia, and extreme arthralgia). For me, trying anything and everything beats having to go through chemo, again. Don't hesitate to ask your oncologist to switch your AI to letrozole or exemestane to see if you can avoid experiencing the bouts of depression. Each of us reacts differently to a particular hormone therapy, depending on our body chemistry. Just be aware that all of these meds can cause various side-effects. Wishing you a better outcome in future!

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cindylb | @cindylb | Jun 23, 2018
In reply to @roch "I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018...." + (show)
@roch

I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018. I will be having surgery later this year and goal of hormone treatment is to prevent need for chemotherapy after surgery. I have read some of the replies and did not see anyone mention of depression. I am having problems with depression since started taking medication. I was so bad at last oncology appointment they referred to psychiatry. At his point treating the depression symptoms rather than change cancer treatment.

My opinion is the depression is related to Anastrozole and not the fact I have newly diagnosed cancer. Prior to starting meds, I was dealing with diagnoses fine, after starting meds I have crying spells often. I have history of depression, so maybe I was more susceptible to changes in hormones. I am glad I talked to doctor about by symptoms and getting help.

I had some hair thinning, my solution is to cut hair shorter. No problems with hot flashes. Had some neck stiffness and minor headaches, those symptoms are tolerable compared to depression. .

Jump to this post

Hello "roch" - don't know if this will help but........the first symptom I noticed when starting Arimidex and Letrozole (tried both) was depression. It was almost immediate and severe. I generally am not depressed so I'm certain it was the meds. It's also common, of course, to have anxiety and depression with a cancer diagnosis and treatment, so perhaps a double whammy. I do feel the meds cause depression so if it's any support - know that the meds are saving you from future chemo possibly and that would be a very good thing and soldier through the best you can. Altering hormones causes it's own set of problems.

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Mentor
Laurie, Volunteer Mentor | @roch | Jun 23, 2018

I have been on Anastrozole for 3 months since diagnosis of breast cancer in March 2018. I will be having surgery later this year and goal of hormone treatment is to prevent need for chemotherapy after surgery. I have read some of the replies and did not see anyone mention of depression. I am having problems with depression since started taking medication. I was so bad at last oncology appointment they referred to psychiatry. At his point treating the depression symptoms rather than change cancer treatment.

My opinion is the depression is related to Anastrozole and not the fact I have newly diagnosed cancer. Prior to starting meds, I was dealing with diagnoses fine, after starting meds I have crying spells often. I have history of depression, so maybe I was more susceptible to changes in hormones. I am glad I talked to doctor about by symptoms and getting help.

I had some hair thinning, my solution is to cut hair shorter. No problems with hot flashes. Had some neck stiffness and minor headaches, those symptoms are tolerable compared to depression. .

REPLY
5 replies
oilermama | @oilermama | Jun 22, 2018
In reply to @leemiller "I'm not aware of problematic side effects after a little over a year on anastrozole, except..." + (show)
@leemiller

I'm not aware of problematic side effects after a little over a year on anastrozole, except my last DEXA showed a bit more loss of bone mass in my spine. My hair is back, post chemo, sleeping okay, joint pain is from arthritic knees, pain linked to hip weakness. The anastrozole is giving me so little trouble my oncologist is reluctant to try anything else, even with the osteoporosis.

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My oncologist said that she prefers to use the generic form/name because it tells her what is in the drug... She knows if she sees the generic exactly what the drug contains -- and research says that drugmakers are now using z and x in drug names because they are appealing to users. Go figure!

REPLY
Molly MIller | @mollymiller | Jun 22, 2018
In reply to @leemiller "I'm not aware of problematic side effects after a little over a year on anastrozole, except..." + (show)
@leemiller

I'm not aware of problematic side effects after a little over a year on anastrozole, except my last DEXA showed a bit more loss of bone mass in my spine. My hair is back, post chemo, sleeping okay, joint pain is from arthritic knees, pain linked to hip weakness. The anastrozole is giving me so little trouble my oncologist is reluctant to try anything else, even with the osteoporosis.

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Oh, good! I thought the afternoon/evening fog had begun to spill over into my mornings! Thank you, my friend!

REPLY
elizm | @elizm | Jun 21, 2018
In reply to @leemiller "I'm not aware of problematic side effects after a little over a year on anastrozole, except..." + (show)
@leemiller

I'm not aware of problematic side effects after a little over a year on anastrozole, except my last DEXA showed a bit more loss of bone mass in my spine. My hair is back, post chemo, sleeping okay, joint pain is from arthritic knees, pain linked to hip weakness. The anastrozole is giving me so little trouble my oncologist is reluctant to try anything else, even with the osteoporosis.

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Molly, You are correct. Anastrozole is the generic of Arimidex.

REPLY
Molly MIller | @mollymiller | Jun 21, 2018
In reply to @leemiller "I'm not aware of problematic side effects after a little over a year on anastrozole, except..." + (show)
@leemiller

I'm not aware of problematic side effects after a little over a year on anastrozole, except my last DEXA showed a bit more loss of bone mass in my spine. My hair is back, post chemo, sleeping okay, joint pain is from arthritic knees, pain linked to hip weakness. The anastrozole is giving me so little trouble my oncologist is reluctant to try anything else, even with the osteoporosis.

Jump to this post

Glad to hear you are coping well with Arimidex ~ Am I correct in thinking that Arimidex and anastrozole are the same thing? If they aren't...Well, I better re-educate myself.

REPLY
elizm | @elizm | Jun 21, 2018
In reply to @colleenyoung "Welcome to Connect, @eljayem. According to this description of anastorzole at Cancer Research UK "tiredness or..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

Welcome to Connect, @eljayem.
According to this description of anastorzole at Cancer Research UK "tiredness or fatigue happens in up to 2 out of 10 women (20%)". Read more at http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/cancer-drugs/anastrozole

Cancer fatigue can be caused by many contributing factors. While you may not of experienced fatigue from surgery, chemo and radiation, I wonder if this is a late side effect from all the treatments compounded by anastrozole. Heck, you've just been through the wringer! Post active treatment is a challenging adjustment. Have you considered that post-treatment might be a contributor?

I'm interested in hearing what @floramart @grandma41 @cautiousoptimism @susanao1 @teege1 @leemiller and others who have been there have to say from their experience.

eljayem - have you tried taking the medication at night time?

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For what it's worth, everyone in my cancer support group (there are about 10 of us who continue to meet monthly for lunch) are experiencing fatigue. We're all on either Arimidex or Letrozole, we all were diagnosed last summer, have had varying diagnoses and treatments, are different ages, some work and others don't, we're all frustrated that we're not as quick mentally as we were a year ago... and by ap. 4 p.m., we're exhausted. Those of us who must prepare dinner for others find that the evening is a total loss as our brains simply stop working by then. Considering what we've been through (and some are still receiving treatments), it doesn't surprise us. Our oncologists tell us this reaction is to be expected... regrettably.

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