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?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Breast Cancer Support Group.

I just started taking Tumeric. We will see what happens on Aromosin.

REPLY

@elizm @francine6829
I've used it over the years for arthritis and spine pain and it does bring the pain level down a notch. Be sure to drink lots of water when you take it - you might get some "burpees."

REPLY

What is your dosage of Tumeric?

REPLY
@francine6829

What is your dosage of Tumeric?

Jump to this post

@francine6829 how is the aramosin going? Turmeric?

REPLY
@gwinter

@francine6829 how is the aramosin going? Turmeric?

Jump to this post

Feeling some aches but not as bad as Femura. It’s only been a week tho. I am taking Tumeric

REPLY
@francine6829

Feeling some aches but not as bad as Femura. It’s only been a week tho. I am taking Tumeric

Jump to this post

How much turmeric?

REPLY
@sparklegram

@gwinter- This is interesting to me, too. I just did a two week trial of going off Arimidex for 2 weeks. I started back on it today. I have been taking it for 14 months with all the side effects we've been reading about on this post. I wanted to see if it was responsible for unbearable leg and knee pain I was having, or if that was being caused by my spinal stenosis. The leg pain did go away after about a week off of Arimidex. I'm waiting to see if it comes back now that I'm back on it To be continued...

Jump to this post

@gwinter- Good morning everyone. I wrote several weeks ago to say that I've been on Arimidex for 15 months now and the side effects for me, anyway, are hard to tolerate. Bone and joint pain, weakness in my knees, a general feeling that I've aged about 100 years. (I'm 74 now!) I just wrote a pretty lengthy email to my Oncologist enumerating all these symptoms and more, and asking for her experience and feedback about other choices of AI's. she said other people have fewer side effects from Letrozole and/or Tomoxifen (not an AI)). I know that Arimidex is said to be the most effective in preventing a recurrence, so I am conflicted! I'd love to hear feedback from anyone who has switched from Arimidex to another AI to see if you found relief from side effects.

REPLY

I was on Femura/Letrozole for 6 weeks and had all the symptoms your described for Arimidex. Horrible. My oncologist told me to take a break for 2 weeks, which I did. I am now on Aromosin for 3 weeks and the jury is still out. Have some aches, but I think the worse kicks in about 5-6 weeks. I would love to try Tomoxifen but my Oncologist wanted me to try Aromosin first.

REPLY
@francine6829

I was on Femura/Letrozole for 6 weeks and had all the symptoms your described for Arimidex. Horrible. My oncologist told me to take a break for 2 weeks, which I did. I am now on Aromosin for 3 weeks and the jury is still out. Have some aches, but I think the worse kicks in about 5-6 weeks. I would love to try Tomoxifen but my Oncologist wanted me to try Aromosin first.

Jump to this post

@francine6829 - I've read online about the comparative side effects of Arimidex, Letrozole and Tamoxifen, and it seems to me they are almost identical. I don't know about Aromosin.

REPLY
@sparklegram

@francine6829 - I've read online about the comparative side effects of Arimidex, Letrozole and Tamoxifen, and it seems to me they are almost identical. I don't know about Aromosin.

Jump to this post

I was on anastrozole (Arimidex) for about a month and had headaches 25 days and then none for 5 days. Then....Boom...horrendous headaches, nausea, sweats,, fevers, extreme weakness, etc. but found out that it was from a bacterial infection and diverticulitis. My oncologist has told me to go off of anastrozole for 2 weeks and we'll talk again then. I probably had the infection for about 2 weeks before seeing my doctor while blaming the anastrozole for all the side effects! Now that I'm off of it, I've noticed more bone and joint pain and sweats which I think must be withdrawal from it. The joint pain I had from the AI had been managed by 5,000 U of vitamin D3. So I guess I'll find out what's really what once I get put back on whatever it is I have to go on.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.