1. < Breast Cancer

Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Posted by tinalove @tinalove, Jan 31, 2016

I completed all treatments for breast cancer but now I am supposed to take hormone blocker, named anastrozole. im concerned about the side effects. Has anyone here taken it and did anyone have hair loss?

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gldilli | @gldilli | Jan 19, 2023
In reply to @amajok "I am just curious to know if you have found another AI wich does not raise..." + (show)
@amajok

I am just curious to know if you have found another AI wich does not raise blood lipids.

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Not yet. I just had my lipids tested with my primary doctor a couple of weeks ago. My next oncology appointment is in March. That’s when I’ll voice my concerns.

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windyshores | @windyshores | Jan 18, 2023
In reply to @cathyn "You don’t “have” to take a hormone blocker. I had surgery for DCIS, and after going..." + (show)
@cathyn

You don’t “have” to take a hormone blocker. I had surgery for DCIS, and after going over everything (the biomarkers especially)and asking a lot of questions, I decided (and my doctor agreed) that it’s a very low risk of coming back invasive, we are just going to monitor more frequently. I have osteoporosis and depression, and it’s just not right for me at this time. Good luck and ask lots of questions!

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@cathyn your post is geared to DCIS, I assume. Those of us with grade 3 invasive cancers do tend to give serious consideration to these meds. Just to clarify different situations make for different points of view!

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1 reply
amajok | @amajok | Jan 18, 2023
In reply to @gldilli "I have not tried any other AI. Will ask Oncologist at next appt about other options..." + (show)
@gldilli

I have not tried any other AI. Will ask Oncologist at next appt about other options that don’t raise lipids.

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I am just curious to know if you have found another AI wich does not raise blood lipids.

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1 reply
meme5 | @meme5 | Jan 18, 2023
In reply to @orsejr "May I ask what stage your breast cancer was when you were first diagnosed. Also how..." + (show)
@orsejr

May I ask what stage your breast cancer was when you were first diagnosed. Also how old you were ? So sorry for your recurrence.

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I was stage 2B lobular carcinoma 2.1 cm tumor with 3 lymph nodes invasive. I was 65 at the time of original diagnosis. I am now 75. I had a double mastectomy and did 4 rounds of adromyicin/cytoxin and 4 rounds of taxotere. My radiologist decided against radiation because of my age (65) and because my tumor was right on the margin of not doing it which she said was 2cm. My cancer was in the left breast and the radiologist said I could develop heart problems and possibly leukemia down the road because it was near my heart. I also did 5 years of an aromatase inhibitor. My metastisis was found accidentally when I went to the ER for a stomach bug (which cleared up with antibiotics) and the CT showed enlarged lymph nodes in the portahypatic area (near the liver but not in it) I had multiple types of scans and no other cancer was found in any major organs or bones, lungs, liver or brain. I am back on letrozole as the metastisis is also er positive. I get pet scans every three months. I never had any symptoms that my cancer had returned and am lucky it was discovered on my trip to the ER. I feel great and live my life grateful. If things change, and they very well could down the road, I will deal with it. Since my reoccurrence in 2022 I have met numerous women who are living anywhere from 5-20 years after metastasis. I am not dying from cancer I am living with it.

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3 replies
orsejr | @orsejr | Jan 18, 2023
In reply to @meme5 "Here’s my 2 cents. I took letrozole (same drug as anastrozole just different manufacturer) for five..." + (show)
@meme5

Here’s my 2 cents. I took letrozole (same drug as anastrozole just different manufacturer) for five years after double mastectomy and 8 rounds of chemo. I stopped after my five years in 2018. Yes, I had bad side effects, achy joints, bone loss, always tired and also hair thinning. I had enough after 5 years. In 2022 I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the portahypatic area (lymph nodes near the liver but not in it). A laparoscopic surgery to remove 2 lymph nodes and pet scan confirmed that my breast cancer had returned. I am one of the lucky ones. It is not in my bones, brain, lungs or liver as of right now but I will live with metastisis for the rest of my life. I get pet scans every three months and am now back on letrozole which is helping keep the lymph node cancers in check, meaning they are not currently growing.
I wish to God I had kept taking letrozole after five years, which I had been advised to do but I stopped because I was tired of that little pill.
Today, I gladly swallow it every morning without fail and I bless it for doing its job in my body. To date I do not have to take any other drug but I know many others who do.
I pray none of you become metastatic. It is an uncertain, sometimes scary place to be. I am active, walk 35 minutes every day, eat a plant based diet and have excellent weight.
I now love that little pill that I cursed for five years. Perspective is everything.

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May I ask what stage your breast cancer was when you were first diagnosed. Also how old you were ? So sorry for your recurrence.

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1 reply
cathyn | @cathyn | Jan 18, 2023
In reply to @windyshores "@marcia115 many of the women I know, myself included, did not have significant side effects with..." + (show)
@windyshores

@marcia115 many of the women I know, myself included, did not have significant side effects with these meds. I found that walking more than 20 minutes helped. I did 5 years and wanted to do 7 but a test then showed no further benefit. I actually miss it!

I personally think it makes sense to try it since the experience seems to vary so much from person to person.

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You don’t “have” to take a hormone blocker. I had surgery for DCIS, and after going over everything (the biomarkers especially)and asking a lot of questions, I decided (and my doctor agreed) that it’s a very low risk of coming back invasive, we are just going to monitor more frequently. I have osteoporosis and depression, and it’s just not right for me at this time. Good luck and ask lots of questions!

REPLY
1 reply
gldilli | @gldilli | Jan 17, 2023

I have not tried any other AI. Will ask Oncologist at next appt about other options that don’t raise lipids.

REPLY
1 reply
windyshores | @windyshores | Jan 17, 2023
In reply to @laurapix "I tried all of Dr's estrogen blockers. asked Dr. to please check estrogen levels, I am..." + (show)
@laurapix

I tried all of Dr's estrogen blockers. asked Dr. to please check estrogen levels, I am 77. Dr. said no. I asked primary care Dr. to check estrogen levels, she did. My estrogen is below the charts I have no estrogen. side affects are not tolerable so I stopped anestrazole. Did have radiation.

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@laurapix ask your oncologist but I believe that lab tests on estrogen don't show levels below a certain number, and the estrogen produced by adrenals is below that number (and presumably it is that low level that fed our cancers). Just because you get "undetectable" on your estrogen test does not mean your body is not producing estrogen. They just don't have a test that is sensitive enough. That is what I have been told but check with your docs.

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windyshores | @windyshores | Jan 17, 2023
In reply to @meme5 "I did have the BCI test done and it showed that I had a higher than..." + (show)
@meme5

I did have the BCI test done and it showed that I had a higher than average chance of reoccurrence. Because I took the letrozole for five years I was so tired of taking it I decided not to continue.
Please explain the difference between letrozole and anastrozole for me as I thought they were both estrogen blockers. I did not mean they were both the same drug but they are both estrogen blockers
P.S. During my five years I tried all three estrogen blockers.. letrozole, anastrozole and exemestane. I took letrozole the longest but all three drugs gave me the same side effects.

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@meme5 the BCI test should have given you a yes or no answer as to the benefit of extended hormonal therapy past 5 years, not just risk of recurrence.

Yes they are all aromatase inhibitors. You initially said they were all the same drug with different manufacturers and I was just clarifying that they are different drugs, but yes they all suppress estrogen produced by the adrenals.

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Mentor
Chris, Volunteer Mentor | @auntieoakley | Jan 17, 2023
In reply to @eku "I, too, have noticed a rising cholesterol. I'm on anastrozole for a year now and since..." + (show)
@eku

I, too, have noticed a rising cholesterol. I'm on anastrozole for a year now and since I have MBC stopping it is not an option. By the way, it was during my annuals that the cholesterol was checked. My oncologist neither checks it nor is aware of its current level. Do fellow friends here on anastrozole for a while have any tips on how to keep cholesterol levels down?

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I ended up finally going on a low dose statin, mine started rising within a year of endocrine therapy. When I tried to go off statin for 6 months my cholesterol started climbing. So I am resigned to a low dose statin. Life is full of cost vs benefit decisions. I will accept it because I can feel like I am doing my best for myself.

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