Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Hope your medications work and your upcoming scans bring good news!

Has anyone experienced extreme chapped lips while taking anastrozole? I have tried absolutely every product (vaseline, aquaphor, eraclear, carmex, blistex, chap stick, AND MANY OTHERS) and have found no relief. It's starting to become a disorder where I am constantly applying some product to my lips. They are very painful especially if I am sweating or eating salty foods. This is not a life-threatening problem but definitely affecting my quality of life. Are there any prescription or other remedies that work? Thanks to you all for sharing!

Seems like such a little thing but it sure is a pain right! I took to keeping eos handy all the time. I have now added systane eye drops to the mix. Apparently I am drying up. 😂 As I spend a lot of time outdoors it just adds to the problem. People joke about the toughest girl in the barn can’t leave without her chapstick.

Hi there,
I don’t know if this would help, but it’s a product from France. I bought some years ago while visiting Paris and use it all the time (got a second time on Amazon as well). I use it on my chapped lips and a little goes a LONG way. I attached some photos of the description.
I hope you feel better!!

I'm curious how oncologists come up with their drug combinations, i.e., I was on Ibrance/Letrozole and when it stopped working was put on Faslodex (injected)/Afinitor. But I've seen Faslodex/Ibrance combos and many others. I wonder if it depends on the particular cancer (I'm mets BC) or is an institution or onco protocol, or? Can you shed any light on this? Thanks.

I watched a great presentation on meds for MBC on EMBRACE. It is on YouTube. In the meantime we can look forward to Colleen's answer 🙂

Thanks - those YouTube videos from EMBRACE are helpful and I appreciate that you mentioned them.

Adana

Thanks so much for your recommendation! I will definitely try it - I feel like I've already tried absolutely everything else.

There are many factors that contribute to the treatment protocol that is selected for YOU.
- Research and the latest evidence-based information available
- Your specific tumor type
- Your current medical status and ability to manage the side effects of some treatments
- Your medicial history and co-conditions, i.e., diabetes, autoimmune disease, bone health, etc.
- Your medication allergies
- Your previous cancer history
- Your family history and genetic history
- Your preferences, i.e., which side effects impact your quality of life negatively and which ones you may be able to tolerate.
- The goal of treatment: cure, control, comfort
- Insurance coverage and financial considerations
- etc.

This is why treatment may not be the same as another woman with the same cancer type. It depends.

You may also find this article from Mayo Clinic helpful in understanding the valuable contributions patients make in their treatment decisions:

- Cancer treatment decisions: 5 steps to help you decide https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer-treatment/art-20047350

Is this the video you are referring to @windyshores ?
https://youtu.be/1CDU3gg8PN0

Biomarkers for Treatment and Progression | 2021-2022 EMBRACE MBC Virtual Forum Series
"Caroline Block, MD, presents practical information on how Dana-Farber oncologists follow patients’ disease progression and work with patients living with metastatic breast cancer to make treatment decisions. Dr. Block covers topics such as scans, blood tests and tumor markers: when, why, and how they are used and the frequencies for each. The discussion includes areas of research including circulating tumor DNA based assays."