Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Yes, I have posted about Xgeva and Faslodex but here goes. I starting getting Xgeva injections when I was first diagnosed in September 2013. The goal of this drug is to halt bone loss caused by the metastatic breast cancer. I believe my bone scans show that this has happened and much of the cancer in my bones has gone away. While I was in jeopardy of broken bones when first diagnosed, I think the Xgeva has stopped this. I was on a once monthly injection for about two years and get an injection every three months. Faslodex: When first diagnosed, I was not on Faslodex but Arimidex. When the Arimidex stopped working (shown by a drastic increase in my tumor markers - CA 27-29) my oncologist started me on a monthly injection of Faslodex. The CA 27-29 was 225 in June 2016 and has gone down monthly to 69.9. While I do not enjoy the Faslodex injections (two large needles) I do like the results. The plan is to stay on this until it stops working. I think I have been pretty fortunate - I have had very few bad side effects from any of the drugs I have been on since diagnosed. My hair does seem to be thinning - not sure if that is age (72), heredity or drugs. I can live with that. Hope this gives you some insight.

Hello @starrlight,

I'm so sorry to learn about your condition, but glad that you've come to Connect. Thank you so much for sharing your history; I know that your insight is much appreciated.

According to Mayo Clinic, metastasized cancers can become resistant to hormone-blocking therapies, and Ibrance (Palbociclib) is one of a new group of medications that can be added to make the cancer cells respond to hormone treatments. You can read more about it here: http://mayocl.in/2kV4c4g
Xgeva (Denosumab) injection is used to treat bone loss in women with breast cancer who are receiving cancer treatment: http://mayocl.in/2l6zqaz

@wandering, you have spoken in some detail about Xgeva and Faslodex; do you have any advice or suggestions?

Hi i am a new member and have just been taken off Anastrazole took it for one yr. to my knowledge had no side affects, however it did not shrink the tumor in my brst thus the Dr. is putting me on Ibrance which i have not rec.d yet as it is mailed to my Pharmacy. i am losing hair however this could be due to my age as i am in mid 70's. feel fine so far plus take Flavadex and Xgeva injections as well for the tumor. hopefully this will help you as far as Anastrazole, i waited to long in going to a Canc Dr. and the tumor had already advanced in size, i certainly would not have waited as long as i did to take care of this, thought i was healing it through natural means.

When I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer almost 4 years ago a bone scan showed that the cancer was definitely in my bones. My oncologist started me immediately on a once monthly shot of xgeva. My current bone scans have shown significant improvement in my bones. I am now on a quarterly shot of xgeva. It is very expensive (about $2,000 per shot) but my secondary insurance and medicare cover the cost. I also eat a Tums daily along with several vitamin pills. I was on arimidex for 3 years but it quit working for me so I am now on a monthly shot of faslodex. It seems to be doing the job. Some hair thinning seems to be my main symptom - I have started using a hair thickening shampoo. I have some bone and joint pain but take two Advil pills a day. So far, so good. Best wishes.

I have DCIS and had a lumpectomy and radiation. The oncologist suggested anastrozole (Arimidex) and after reading all of the people's issues, your post is heartening. Since it has been almost two years since you have been taking this, how are you feeling now? Any tips before I start taking this? Have you helped your bone loss in some way? I am not a smoker, only take vitamins, rarely drink, eat healthy, work fulltime and very active. Bone soreness is something I can handle, bone loss is concerning. Any helpful advice is appreciated!

As I read the lists of side effects so many people have with Anastrozole, I realize how lucky I've been. The only issue I'm aware of concerns my osteoporosis.

The study I saw about the blood vessel and heart damage was small (about 60 women, with breast cancer, half on Arimidex, half not). They showed that the use of the Arimidex may accelerate blood vessel and heart damage. The women who did not take the pills didn't have as much heart damage or heart attacks but then.........estrogen safeguards bones, the heart and keeps our hair from falling out of our heads 🙂 I lost a lot of hair when I went through menopause (about half of my hair and it never came back). Maybe if that hasn't happened yet maybe the hair loss is more extreme and happens more quickly on these drugs? I don't know of any organic shampoos or conditioners that will help it grow back or look fuller. I use a shampoo that's not organic but 'less chemically damaging' to create fuller looking hair. I am considering hormone tests to give me a starting point for my estrogen and then trying to get my estrogen levels lower naturally with diet and supplements (I'm working on that now but don't have the testing to see if it's working). Also, I wonder if that's enough or if the drugs are doing other things that help keep recurrence down? I'm seeing my oncologist this month and will be talking with her about this. A naturopath might be a good place to do some research. I have one but may be shopping around a bit. I hope the medical community figures out hormone balancing naturally soon! 🙂

So, did you not have these side effects when you first started taking the arimidex ? I started taking it about 4 months ago and had bad joint and bone pain but when the oncology nurse told me to take glucosomine & chondroitin , that helped the very next day. I'm just wondering if side effects can show up at any time while we are being treated with this or if gradually our bodies adjust. It kind of scares me when I read that it can damage the heart.

My hair is thinning (age or drugs or both?) I was using a shampoo with biotene (organic). Seems to be working OK but I am looking for suggestions. We try to stay organic if possible. Thanks.

It's such a difficult situation. The treatment to keep up from recurrence can have so many negative side effects. I'm still on the fence about what to do. I've tried two of the three medications and both have given me pretty much every side effect. I'm hopeful they'll come up with more solutions soon. I just read and saved a study that the aromatase inhibitor drugs can cause serious blood vessel damage. It was a very small study and only one but the study concluded that the drugs can raise heart attack risk so that you are actually more likely to die from a heart attack than the cancer (that the drugs pretty successfully block). What to do? I'll probably fritter along long enough that my cancer will recur while I'm deciding. Thank you for your reply and input on this. Hang in there everyone!