Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

@mimi09
Hooray for you!!! No one knows us better than us. Especially at our age . I say "no" more than I've said it for most of my life. Now it's my favorite word. LOL. We're Oldies but Goodies. You go girl!!! Hugs back at ya!!!!!

@katrina123 I had a lumpectomy in 2016 and went on Tamaxifen. Like you, I got another cancer in the other breast anyway - 4 years later. I have been on Anastrozole for the last year or so and concerned it may not protect me.
I do understand it is not 100% protective, so I just have to hope for the best. I hope you will be ok also. It is urgent to catch these early.

Although I know some people have side effects, so far I have not had anything major and I've been on anastrozole 10 months. A friend of mine just switched from another AI and she too is relieved that she doesn't have the aches anymore. I guess it just depends. Our systems are all different. I'm 79 and I'd like to live long enough to go to my grandchildren's weddings. And I'd like to spend some years not dealing with cancer. If lobular comes back, "it isn't pretty." That was how my radiation oncologist put it. So I'm taking these pills. Don't like my hair and my thumbs are feeling funny. Don't like the thinning of my brows, but hey, I"m alive and looking forward to Thanksgiving. Recently I went on ChatGPT to get info on recurrence, fed them my stats (stage of tumor, treatment, etc) and it was amazing. I could see the sources spinning as it gathered data from the top medical resources. Some of you might want to try that. The site's free unless you use it all day. (I don' t know if I"m allowed to make suggestions like that on here. If not, sorry) I'm still not sure that all oncologists understand that lobular is different from ductal. Ductal can recur in 2-5 years (and for most, it does not come back) but lobular (if it's going to come back) comes back later and often in a distant site. Gulp. Give me those pills!

@anniez1943 I’m so glad that this is working out for you! My hats off to you at 83 as I’m 79 and find folks are amazed that I’m a fighter and stand up for myself! You sound like an independent woman so keep at it.
A quart of ice cream is what lifts me up on the rare occasion when I need a yummy boost. Hugs from afar!

I had Tamoxifen 5 years, then 2 years Anastrozole, don't have obvious side effect, stoped on 2019, recurrent on 2022. I don't know it tells Anastrozole works or not?

@katrina123
Like you I had estrogen positive cancer this summer and had a lumpectomy. I refused the radiation since my surgeon said all the margins were clear. Oncologist recommended it. I hope I won't be sorry later, but I didn't feel the need to go through it. To me it just seemed like they do it as a just in case they didn't get all the cancer. I was put on Anastrozole 1mg, but after 3 weeks I have decided to stop because of the side effects. I am a little worried doing that after reading that some of you had recurrence 4 years later. I don't drink, don't smoke and eat pretty healthy. Hoping that will keep me from getting it, but I may be totally wrong. I am willing to take that chance just so I can feel myself again and enjoy each day.

@briarrose
I really don't have a secret. Just made up my mind that Anastrozole was necessary to, hopefully, keep me from breast cancer for a third time. And I trust my oncologist completely. We are "working" on me together. I talk, she listens and then WE decide. I know that cancer is a horrible disease that I have no control over so I make myself think positive about most things, including what I can do in the present and if something would happen to me down the road, I know that I did my very very best. That's how Ive left it and my faith gets me thru any negative thoughts. I'm a super happy girl anyway, and happiness overpowers sadness. Plus, it's much healthier! I do lots of energy so I keep busy. Remember, if Anastrozole doesn't work for you, there are other AIs to try. My hair never got thin or fell out. I consider myself happy and so blessed. At my age, I want to have fun and live a great rest of my life and this cancer is just a rut in the road. You gals take charge of yourself and your bodies. I love you all!! Hugs

I've done my research as well. I'm glad anastrozole is working for you. Because of the IRREVERSIBLE side effects I'll not be taking it . I want to live the next 5 years of life not taking pills to counteract what damage anastrozole has done.
My oncologist had a very open and honest conversation about this drug. We came to an agreement that it's my decision and she supports that.
My particular type of cancer is unique. Paget's disease.
I did have a bilateral mastectomy, although Paget's affects only one breast. No chemo or radiation.
As you said everyone's experience is different.

@tullynut

We all have to make the AI decision if we have estrogen positive cancer. In my case I had terrible side effects, so I decided against taking them. Consequently, I got a different breast cancer in my other breast 4 years later, so I had to go through another lumpectomy and 4 more weeks of radiation. The decision to not take the AI's could be a deadly one for some. I think if I had not been an elderly woman I may have made a different decision regarding taking the AI's.

It has been almost 2 years since my second breast cancer and I am still here, but I continue to be concerned.

My next MRI is in December. We will see how that goes.