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Completed 5 years of anastrozole. Withdrawal symptoms? Side effects?

Posted by christinej @christinej, Jul 24, 2018

Monday, July 23rd, after consulting with Dr. Loprinzi, we decided to have me stop taking anastrozole. (Arimidex). It has been 5 years since I started the drug after breast cancer surgery and radiation. Has anyone stopped this drug and had any withdrawal symptoms? The nurse from Blue Group sent me an email today saying that there are no withdrawal symptoms after stopping this drug. Soooooooooooooo, is this all in my head? Definitely having some type of withdrawal.

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eleanorrigby | @eleanorrigby | Sep 24, 2025

So did anyone else get off anastrozole, and how long were you on it before you stopped? And did you have surgery at some point along the way? Thank you!

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brightlight66 | @brightlight66 | Sep 24, 2025
In reply to @dmosssadler "I had 3 positive nodes, but I was thrown back when the doctor said the world..." + (show)
Profile picture for dmosssadler @dmosssadler

I had 3 positive nodes, but I was thrown back when the doctor said the world "qualify"...that didn't sit well with me. So I didn't want to take the Versenio..It just didn't sit well with me...I'm still on the fence...
I do want to thank you for sharing your experience with me.

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I had 3 positive lymph nodes too and prescribed Verzenio. Just wondering if you ever took it and what your experience was?

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biddle1267 | @biddle1267 | Sep 24, 2025
In reply to @kensiejames "For me it took about 6 months to feel like myself again. Those drugs really beat..." + (show)
Profile picture for kensiejames @kensiejames

For me it took about 6 months to feel like myself again. Those drugs really beat the sh⭐️t out of me . The fatigue was the least of my problems. My bones were in constant pain .

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I took myself off the anastrozole 2 weeks ago and still have the severe stiffness in my fingers and shoulders. I see my oncologist in 3 weeks to discuss these problems.

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kensiejames | @kensiejames | Sep 23, 2025
In reply to @megunique "I appreciate your comments. I have felt fatigue on anastrazole and still 4 weeks after stopping..." + (show)
Profile picture for megunique @megunique

I appreciate your comments. I have felt fatigue on anastrazole and still 4 weeks after stopping (finished 5 years). Each year fatigue got a little worse and I too just do what I need to do. I am still able to strength training 3x a week and push myself but rest when I feel.like doing nothing much. I have been assured that the fatigue will get much better but to set realistic expectations because it can take months for your body to readjust. Patience is hard but I trust my oncologist!

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For me it took about 6 months to feel like myself again. Those drugs really beat the sh⭐️t out of me . The fatigue was the least of my problems. My bones were in constant pain .

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annedenner | @annedenner | Sep 22, 2025
In reply to @marthannw "Greetings everyone, I’m really happy to find this discussion about withdrawal from an AI. I took..." + (show)
Profile picture for marthannw @marthannw

Greetings everyone, I’m really happy to find this discussion about withdrawal from an AI. I took anastrozole for 7 years and stopped in mid-November 2020. I just couldn’t deal with the side effects any longer. Since I stopped I’ve had some symptoms that I did not have while taking it!
Frequent headaches, intense hot flashes preceded by feeling so weak I have to lie down and much worse pain in my hips. On the bright side, I no longer have daily muscle spasms in my back, the brain fog is lifting and lately I’m sleeping at night for longer stretches of time - sometimes five hours!
I’ve searched online for information on withdrawal and I can’t find any formal studies, only a few message boards like this one, including one in the UK. I’m thinking that stopping suddenly may not be the best method, but no evidence based information exists.

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Hi, would you be able to give me the website for the message board in the UK?
Thank you!

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megunique | @megunique | Sep 21, 2025
In reply to @cancersucks "It’s related to the drug and it may take time to get energy back but it..." + (show)
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It’s related to the drug and it may take time to get energy back but it will come back . I push myself to do what ever I have to get done . I have been off it 2 months

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I appreciate your comments. I have felt fatigue on anastrazole and still 4 weeks after stopping (finished 5 years). Each year fatigue got a little worse and I too just do what I need to do. I am still able to strength training 3x a week and push myself but rest when I feel.like doing nothing much. I have been assured that the fatigue will get much better but to set realistic expectations because it can take months for your body to readjust. Patience is hard but I trust my oncologist!

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megunique | @megunique | Sep 21, 2025

I finished 5 years on Aug 24. No withdrawal but it is taking time to feel like I am not on it anymore. A lot of fatigue but I had terrible sleep for 5 years. So I think this is going to take time.

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ebtexas55 | @ebtexas55 | Jul 7, 2025
In reply to @timely "@ebtexas55 What heart symptoms developed on Exemestane? Did you have prior heart issues?" + (show)
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@ebtexas55

What heart symptoms developed on Exemestane?

Did you have prior heart issues?

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I wrote that in 2024. I had no heart issues before exemestane. Long story short.. in 2021 or 2022 i went to the ER. I was told i had either had passed a blood clot or had an arterial spasm. Cardiologist didnt know. He asked me if exemestane was a prothrombotic. I didnt know.
I took myself off exemestane because i didnt know what caused the heart episode neither did the docs.

Since April2025, im now back on exemestane.
However, since my heart episode in 2021/22, i immediately got off coffee and caffine.
Ive not had any heart incidents to attribute to exemestane but now, I do have afib randomly, but that started PRIOR to me going back on exemestane.

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timely | @timely | Jul 7, 2025
In reply to @ebtexas55 "My yoga, thank you. I looked it up and youre correct! I was on Letrozole prior..." + (show)
Profile picture for ebtexas55 @ebtexas55

My yoga, thank you. I looked it up and youre correct!
I was on Letrozole prior to Exemestane and that has 48 hours. It was Letrozole that was crippling so I switched to Exemestane. Sadly, I was in the low percent on Exemestane that caused the heart problem.
Again, thank you for your correction!

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@ebtexas55

What heart symptoms developed on Exemestane?

Did you have prior heart issues?

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deedyp | @deedyp | Apr 28, 2025
In reply to @auntieoakley "I am hoping you will get through this transition period soon. I did age more quickly..." + (show)
Profile picture for Chris, Volunteer Mentor @auntieoakley

I am hoping you will get through this transition period soon. I did age more quickly than my peers because of years of endocrine therapy. I also feel like the year i finished, that accelerated a bit. Like you, the “sad” was a real problem. I attributed that to circumstances but looking back, it did get better after a period.
Please talk to your doctor about this, our primary care folks just don’t get it and after a while my oncologist just didn’t either. Sadly unless they have been through it, I don’t believe they can. It isn’t because they don’t care, they just don’t see it.
Are you seeing your oncologist again anytime soon? How are you dealing with the sadness?

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I see my oncologist this week. I'm sure she will not really "get it" but today is better and I'm hoping each day improves as I adjust.

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