Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

I have had surgery and radiation but not chemo because of my weight (at the time 72 lbs) and have been on anastrozole for 2 1/2 years now, I had a scary experience today when I went to the store my right arm wouldn't lift I was short of breath and had pains in my right chest, is this another side effect?

Thanks for the info Starlight, I wish you well

I took Anastrozole for one year as my oncologist told me it would shrink the tumor in left breast, one year later nothing happened, i did gain weight and still losing hair on top. Did not experience any side effects other than the two mentioned. Found out via research that Anastrozole is suppose to keep cancer from spreading!!!!! About one month ago she started me on Ibrance/Chemo pill which i do not know results as to shrinking tumor as too early to know, it does lower white blood cells however. Still losing hair, i wear hair pieces and have a wig which have not worn yet. Hopefully something in this reply will help. As far as weight gain just this week went to a Dietician who has given me a list of food to eat that can help with diabetes and cancer, i do not eat meat so the list will help me and being able to still walk get some exercise daily walking my companion dog.

starlight

Thank you for your feedback!

I had almost the same diagnosis as yours, only left breast,in May of 2015. I switched to Letrozole because of the aches/pain side effects. I also experienced the hair loss and thinning. I no longer have the aches with the different medication, but I still had the hair issue. Now, though, it seems to be leveling off. I don't have as much hair in my brush and my hairline seems to be staying as is. I'm hoping this is the way it will continue; I was told it's very rare for someone to lose all their hair on these meds....so I'm hopeful!

I was treated for Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the right breast fourteen months ago. I had a lumpectomy and 20 radiation treatments. I have been on Anastrozole for one year now. Some aches and pains that I can live with. Some weight gain which I am fighting. Main concern is the thinning hair. Does anyone have longer term experience with that issue? If it stopped right now, I could live with it. I'm just afraid of what will happen in another year or any time between now and four years from now when I expect to be finished with this. Any success in fighting back against the hair loss? I have researched but dont really know if there's a good answer out there that won't cause some other issue.

Hi Kat,
We took your question about finasteride to a Mayo Clinic pharmacist. This is what she responded:

"Finasteride is used for male pattern baldness in lower doses than those used for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). In rare cases male breast cancer has been reported with finasteride use. Even though this is rare I would expect an oncologist to avoid finasteride in someone with a history of breast cancer especially if other options are available. Around 5% of patients using anastrozole (Arimidex) will have hair thinning. Hormonal therapy does not usually cause complete hair loss. You can find tips on managing hair loss at http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/side-effects/hair-loss-or-alopecia

@wandering and @kat9606 how are you managing the thinning of hair?

I wonder if we can use Finseteride to prevent hai loss, or thinning, with the Arimidex?

Hi, sent you the wrong email add. this is her web add. just in case or you know someone.  identify with you on the runaround it tends to wear me out at times however i just have today to get through and thankful when i do.  try to stay positive however sometimes it is hard and not realistic yet when i talk to someone on Connect it is real as want to help make their life happier however need to be realistic.sounds like you live in the mtns. i had thought about moving to showlow in fact a mgr. of apts there called me the other day, it is beautiful yet very cold.Hope to talk to you again and will keep in touch.starrlighthere is her site http://checkforalump.org Holly Rose

Thanks for the wig information. I don't need one yet. We are snowbirds. The hospital at our summer place has a service for free wigs. Their supply is pretty low right but they should be getting some in soon according to the nurse navitator. It is my understanding that at this time metastatic breast cancer is not "curable". My hope is to keep it under control and enjoy my life as much as possible. If some of the facilities I go to (labs, etc.) could get their stuff together it would make my life much easier. When I have to do things over and over and over it's very frustrating - i.e. spend 30 minutes registering every time I go to the lab, then wait an hour to get my labs done only to have to request results several times - what a waste of time. These are issues with our winter facility - the guys at our summer place in Montana are excellent. Still working through getting the winter labs organized - have changed locations for my blood work next month so we will see how that goes. Should be pretty simple - take blood, send the results to my oncologist, post on the patient portal. So far this has not happened but I am eternally hopeful. It's raining here in southern Arizona so I am enjoying my quiet time inside. Best wishes to all.