Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

I had mild hair “ thinning” as in much more on comb/brush especially after washing… returned to usual after a while then again after replacement surgery. I have “ decided” that it was an effect from physical ( and emotional) stress from the anesthesia.

Check out TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM. It describes the natural cycle of hair growth, rest and shedding… and what may interrupt that . It’s quite interesting.

I had some hair loss no change in bone density after five years on anastrazole accord manufacturer. Very low in side effects worth the results.

I was able to lose some weight on Anastrozole ( using WW) and at one year my DEXA remained stable … endocrinologist has prescribed a DEXA at year two as well and if I am still stable will go to 2 years.

Every BODY is different and responds differently. Ii wish we had more predictable possible outcomes. It would make our decisions so much easier. 🌸

You can always stop … or change… it’s a daily pill not a multi month infusion. I feel safer taking the meds. Best to you 🌸

Thank you, very helpful! I am looking at the odds percentages of recurrence versus the side effects of anastrozole. I hope and pray that I make the right decision.!

Yes, I have heard the difficulty losing weight about anastrozole. Also, I have thin hair to begin with and I am 72 years old and have heard about the thinning hair but my bigger issue is osteoporosis. since I already have osteopenia.

On Anastrozole I have mild and manageable joint stiffness (mostly in hips) that I could mitigate with walking and yoga stretching. I also have mild night sweats sometimes and mild insomnia sometimes. After one year these symptoms increased dramatically… after two months I decided to check everything I was taking in such as food and supplements etc. it turned out my pharmacy changed the manufacturer for anastrazole and my newly dramatic side effects coincided with this change. I found a pharmacy that could order the original manufacturer, and began looking into the brand name. Now that I’m back on the original my side effects receded back to mild/manageable.

So… when there is a change in your response to a med check any changes in generic manufacturing. Generic us not regulated in the same way as brand meds and they can fluctuate in main ingredient as much as 20% ( I’m told by a company rep) in either direction. Also they have different fillers. It would be nice if this were more tightly regulated.

Brand is always better but OMG $1700.00/mo vs $25.00/mo at CVS!

I have been taking anastrazole for almost 5 years. I think my hair is thinner, but I’m not sure if that was the result of the hair loss from chemo, the fact that I have thin hair to begin with, and I’m older, or the Anastrozole. The bigger issue I’m having with the anastrozole is an almost total inability to lose weight. I don’t think I’ve gained any or if I have, I haven’t gained much, but any attempt to lose weight almost always fails. When I talked to the chemo doctor about it and explained that I was getting , for a 71-year-old woman, an extremely high amount of consistent exercise, was following a sensible diet, and still could not lose anything. His response was it is the Anastrozole. For some reason it causes fat cells to settle in adipose tissue rather than be burned off by activity.

I had no side effects on Anastrozole for the first year. Then I got dry eye and a huge stye, which was treated with moist heat and antibiotics. Now I feel like I have a UTI, which is a side effect but may not be related. Otherwise, nothing else. No hair loss. Does depression count?

How are you responding to tamoxifen?