Arimidex & High Blood Pressure: should I switch drugs

VALLEYGIRL818

I started taking Arimidex about 2 months ago. I have found that exercise and stretching help alleviate some of the terrible joint pain/aches, and taking the drug in the morning helps with insomnia. And, the painful knots on my knuckles seem to have stopped appearing. Thanks to years of weight bearing exercise, my bone density is good. I don't love this drug but I am getting by. My health is excellent and I have never had high blood pressure before.

I am getting ready for reconstruction, and every time I go to the doctor and they take my blood pressure it is high. I have to say that this bothers me a lot and seems to concern them too. The complications of high blood pressure scare me more than the cancer did. Has anybody switched to a different drug because of this with a better outcome? I would welcome any feedback or thoughts.

er+ pr+stage1 right mastectomy

ChiSandy

Have your blood pressure taken at the end of the visit as well as at the beginning. “White-coat hypertension” is a phenomenon that occurs when one is fearful (consciously or not) of what the doctor will say or even of what one’s BP reading will be—it is a vicious cycle. At the end of a visit, the doctor-patient or nurse-patient dynamic is more relaxed and the reading will likely be more accurate.

katcar0001

I have only been on Anastrozole for a couple of weeks, so it's hard to know yet. But my blood pressure was a bit higher than normal yesterday. I had had a stressful night before the appointment... hoping that is all it was. It's disconcerting when you've always had very low blood pressure. From what I have read, all of the AIs can cause this unfortunate side effect. Did your doctor want to put you on blood pressure lowering meds?

farmerlucy

I took Effexor with Tamoxifen and the AIs. My PCP switched me to Prozac after I stopped HT. He said Effexor raises BP. Once I switched my borderline high BP dropped to normal.