Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Thank you so much!! I am going to try (as I call them my 'icky pills') again shortly and I will try this suggestion as well. I take the same supplements you do (and a few others) and will try adding the Glucosamine/chondroitin and Aleve. Glad it worked for you, hope it will do the same for me. Appreciate your reply and I hope to stay in touch with you on this site since our cancers are both ILC, stage one. It's nice to find a fellow ILC person (there aren't as many of us) !

I have been taking anastrozole since Sept 2016. I started right after I finished my radiation treatments. At first I was very tired all the time, not sleeping well, and my bones and joints hurt a lot. I was also emotional and depressed. In December, I saw my nurse oncologist and she told me to take 2 tablets of glucosamine/chondroitin (1500 mg) each day and an Aleve PM ( 1or 2 Tabs) each night to sleep better. I have only been using 1 Aleve PM each night and I really sleep good. My bone pain went away immediately and most of my other symptoms also disappeared. It was like a miracle. I could tell the difference in 24 hours. I haven't noticed any hair loss and I also take magnesium 1200 mg a day, a vitamin D, and Calcium. My cancer was ILC , stage 1, and I had a lumpectomy, and radiation. Doing well now except for some fluid build up in breast. Wearing a sports bra helps a lot.

Thanks. Even though I have Stage IV cancer, I feel really fortunate. I have great support from my spouse, good doctors and feel pretty good most days. I have lived most of my life (I'm 72) and I have a great deal of compassion for the young women who have this incurable disease and young families. I really don't know how they cope. Anyway, onward and upward!

Thank you for your reply and encouragement! I'm so sorry your cancer is as advanced as it is. It's been hard to have the level I have and I can't imagine your journey. Glad to have found support and hope I'll be able to return the kindness.

I was on Arimedex for 2-1/2 years with virtually no side effects. I have metastatic breast cancer so much different from you. No longer on the drug since it quit working for me. Two and a half years on the drug is considered a pretty good run. Best luck with your treatment. Your doctor will probably have other "bullets" so keep on working on it and you will surely come up with something that works both for you and your cancer.

I've just now found this group and have joined. I am one year into my 'adventure' with breast cancer (lobular stage 1). I chose a bi lateral mastectomy and luckily my cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes. I thought I would be 'done', given my aggressive choice to remove my breasts and felt lucky I had caught it fairly early, but my oncologists say I should use the follow up drugs. I have tried both Letrozole and Arimidex so far and both have made me very ill. Of course I don't want the cancer back (I have a 15% chance, which is pretty low) but I also find it impossible to tolerate these drugs. My side effects have ranged from severe depression, joint pain, blood in my stools and Shingles (twice....on my butt of all places, ouch). I am considering trying the Letrozole again but I'm having a hard time facing the side effects. I have hormone difficulties and have my whole life. These drugs just seem to throw me back into the horrors I experienced with menopause and more. I'm happy to have found a support group (that's a big missing piece for me in my recovery) and hope someone might have some similar experiences or thoughts on how I can reconcile two seemingly bad options as I move forward?

On Feb 2, 2016 I was diagnosed with IDC, Mucinous type. I had 2 separate tumors in the right breast. I elected for bilateral mastectomy with natural reconstruction, a tough but very satisfying route. I was then prescribed Arimidex. I took it for about 4 months and had multiple side effects that were intolerable: severe insomnia, severe mood swings, depression to mention a few. As a result, I was prescribed sleeping pills and anti-depressants. I finally said this is crazy and my oncologist took me off the Arimidex and put me on Femora. I also stopped the antidepressants and sleeping pills! I took 2 Femora pills, 1 each day, and had the worst diarrhea I have ever had in my life that lasted a week with stomach upset for a month. That ended that. I am now on Aromasin. I started with 1/2 tablet for a month. I will now add a whole tablet every other day for a month. Pending my reaction, I will then move to the prescribed daily pill, taken in the AM with a full breakfast. If this does not work, I will go back to 1/2 tablet and stay on that for 5 years!

I am very concerned about several things. First, the protocol is for women to take the prescribed dose-1 tablet on any of the three aromatase inhibitors daily for 5 years. It does not take into account if you are 5'2" or 6'2" tall. It does not take into account if you are 120 lbs or 350 lbs. It does not take into account if you are Caucasian, African American, Asian, Native American or from Mars. It does not take into account if you are 25, 55, or 75. It is a one size fits all protocol and my oncologist is not very sympathetic about me altering the dose.

I am one of the most blessed women alive. I did not have to have chemo or radiation. I could have had a double lumpectomy as my breast surgeon said given what I have and my age, (slow growing, rare-2%, that strikes women 68-72 usually BRCA negative), with radiation and be fine. I could have had the right breast removed and left it at that. I was quite large breasted so didn't like that option. I had 2 breast biopsies a week apart, a third biopsy the next week on my hip (negative for anything) and a sentinel node biopsy the forth week. I was done. I elected to have bilateral mastectomy as I knew I was never going through this again. If anyone is interested in knowing what "natural reconstruction" is, I am willing to tell you.

My whole point is that these protocols need to be worked out with your medical team and you need to be in charge of our own health. I found an exceptional book that helped me through my decision making and can't imagine doing this without it. It empowered me to decide and keep deciding based on my body and how I physically reacted to all of this.

Blessings to you all on this horrible psychedelic trip God is good and is holding my hand every step of the way.

Im on anastrazole for 13 month . I just realize that my hair is getting thinner. Having the same concern like you.
Wondering if im going the be bold

I assume you are taking anastrazole b/c you need an estrogen blocker. There are other estrogen blockers that might have fewer side effects for you. I'm taking it b/c for me it had the fewest side effects - and yes it is thinning my hair, but that is better than the severe joint and muscle pain that the other 3 blockers I tried caused me. I agree w/ cautious. Talk to your doc about trying something else. As she said, everyone is different and one of the other blockers might work better for you. Ten years of the pain you are describing PLUS thinning hair sounds a little over the top to me. Nothing else you try is going to make you feel WORSE than you already do, so there is no downside to trying something else. Good luck.

Yes, the side effects you mention from anastrozole were the same for me. I was diagnosed a year and a half ago. I have since switched to letrozole, with much fewer aches and pains. Unfortunately my hair is still thinning and breaking. Every body is different, but I'd see if you could switch meds...life is too short!