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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exk | @exk | Mar 2 8:00am
In reply to @anjalima "When I realized that my sudden major increase in side effects after one year on Anastrozole..." + (show)
@anjalima

When I realized that my sudden major increase in side effects after one year on Anastrozole may have been related to a change in manufactured… I found a pharmacy where I could revert back to Anastrozole manufactured by Accord ( the original generic). My increased side effects faded back to the original manageable and mitigated ones… mostly joint stuff and interrupted sleep ( awake 2-3 hours in middle of night).

While figuring this out I found a route to try the BRAND ANASTROZOLE … ARIMIDIX !

Even less side effects and especially sleeping through the night!

Generics are not regulated by FDA… they have their own regulation body but the main ingredient ( Anastrozole in this case ) can vary up to 20% in either direction and fillers can be very different.

The BRAND is tightly regulated by FDA and cannot vary in ANY way from pill to pill.

The brand has worked for me.

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I just posted a few days ago about how my issues started after my brand was switched. I had only minor issues my first 15 months with Anastrazole. Long story short, my digging showed that the first 15 months were Accord, and then I was switched to Breckenridge. Starting again on Accord after a month break. However my cancer provider tells me that my aggressive palpitations that went away after 9 days off of Anastrazole were NOT related to the meds. Hmmmm , we will see.

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sessioja | @sessioja | Mar 3 10:33am

I’ve been on anastrozole about9 months; after 4 months I had had enough of the side effects— joint pain, hot flashes, trigger thumbs— and had decided to ask my oncologist to change my AI when things got better… all but right knee pain at night on and off and occasional hot flashes. After reading responses here I checked my prescription label .. CVS had changed the manufacturer that they used. This one works for me..the difference is phenomenal.
Jas

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jkh | @jkh | Mar 3 11:16am
In reply to @anjalima "Generics can fluctuate ingredients 20% in either direction whereas BRAND has to be exactly the same..." + (show)
@anjalima

Generics can fluctuate ingredients 20% in either direction whereas BRAND has to be exactly the same from pill to pill.

Jump to this post

An ingredient can not fluctuate 20% according to my pharmacist husband.

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1 reply
dlmdinia | @dlmdinia | Mar 3 2:12pm
In reply to @anjalima "When I realized that my sudden major increase in side effects after one year on Anastrozole..." + (show)
@anjalima

When I realized that my sudden major increase in side effects after one year on Anastrozole may have been related to a change in manufactured… I found a pharmacy where I could revert back to Anastrozole manufactured by Accord ( the original generic). My increased side effects faded back to the original manageable and mitigated ones… mostly joint stuff and interrupted sleep ( awake 2-3 hours in middle of night).

While figuring this out I found a route to try the BRAND ANASTROZOLE … ARIMIDIX !

Even less side effects and especially sleeping through the night!

Generics are not regulated by FDA… they have their own regulation body but the main ingredient ( Anastrozole in this case ) can vary up to 20% in either direction and fillers can be very different.

The BRAND is tightly regulated by FDA and cannot vary in ANY way from pill to pill.

The brand has worked for me.

Jump to this post

This is not true as to generics. (From the FDA website) FDA-approved generic medicines work in the same way and provide the same clinical benefit and risks as their brand-name counterparts. A generic medicine is required to be the same as a brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality, as well as in the way it is taken. Generic medicines also have the same risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts.

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dlmdinia | @dlmdinia | Mar 3 2:13pm
In reply to @jkh "An ingredient can not fluctuate 20% according to my pharmacist husband." + (show)
@jkh

An ingredient can not fluctuate 20% according to my pharmacist husband.

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He is so correct. Per the FDA website they must be the same dosage and strength to be FDA approved.

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dlmdinia | @dlmdinia | Mar 3 2:15pm
In reply to @anjalima "Generics can fluctuate ingredients 20% in either direction whereas BRAND has to be exactly the same..." + (show)
@anjalima

Generics can fluctuate ingredients 20% in either direction whereas BRAND has to be exactly the same from pill to pill.

Jump to this post

FDA-approved generic medicines work in the same way and provide the same clinical benefit and risks as their brand-name counterparts. A generic medicine is required to be the same as a brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality, as well as in the way it is taken. Generic medicines also have the same risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts.

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windyshores | @windyshores | Mar 3 2:24pm

Fillers are different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some of us react to certain fillers used by certain companies. That is different from side effects from estrogen deprivation.

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otas | @otas | Mar 4 11:46pm
In reply to @sterzi "I am wondering where you heard that taking anastrozole at night can make you sleepy. I..." + (show)
@sterzi

I am wondering where you heard that taking anastrozole at night can make you sleepy. I have trouble falling asleep (but there has been a lot of stress in my life lately). My oncologist didn't give me an answer on when is the best time to take it. Thanks1

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For the past 6 moths I was taking Arimidex around 8.00am and by 3/4pm I was getting very lethargic and sleepy, however I never took a nap during the day.
And at night I suffered from insomnia.
I could hardly get even a 3/4 hours sleep .
Now I’ve started taking the tablets at 7.00pm and I find that I have a much better sleep at night. Now I also go for a 1.00hour walk in the evenings which seems to help with my sleep.
Does anyone know what I can do to stop loosing my hair, this is also one of the side effects.
Best wishes

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1 reply
sterzi | @sterzi | Mar 6 10:14pm
In reply to @otas "For the past 6 moths I was taking Arimidex around 8.00am and by 3/4pm I was..." + (show)
@otas

For the past 6 moths I was taking Arimidex around 8.00am and by 3/4pm I was getting very lethargic and sleepy, however I never took a nap during the day.
And at night I suffered from insomnia.
I could hardly get even a 3/4 hours sleep .
Now I’ve started taking the tablets at 7.00pm and I find that I have a much better sleep at night. Now I also go for a 1.00hour walk in the evenings which seems to help with my sleep.
Does anyone know what I can do to stop loosing my hair, this is also one of the side effects.
Best wishes

Jump to this post

Thank you for your suggestion on taking Arimidex at 7p.m.
I will give that a try. I also am losing a lot of hair, plus it has gotten finer. Do you know if it will come back once we're off It?

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