Anastosole the generic Arimadex

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blorene
blorene Member Posts: 1
edited June 2014 in Stage I Breast Cancer

I had stage 1 aggressive breast cancer in 2009. I had a lumpectomy and had mama site radiation. In Sept. 2009 I started taking Anastosol because I am post menepausal. I have taken this medicine for 3 and 1/2 years. For the last year I have been having joint pain, mostly in the wrists. Also stiff body and am on depression medicine. All of this has been since taking this medicine. Does anyone know what the side effects will be if I quit taking this medicine? I am suppose to take it for 5 years. Any help would be appreciated.

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  • Pessa
    Pessa Member Posts: 519
    edited March 2013

    If the joint pains/stiffness you are having are a side effect from the AI, that should mostly go away if you stop taking it.  The purpose of taking an AI (if your tumor was ER+) is to decrease the chance of recurrance.  If you stop it prematurely (and studies are suggesting that taking it for more than 5 years might be better) then your chance of recurrance may increase.

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  • flannelette
    flannelette Member Posts: 984
    edited March 2013

    Joint pain in the wrists is very common on arimadex/anastrozol - but wearing properly-fitting wrist splints at night usually helps a lot.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited March 2013

    blorene, we're sorry you're experiencing these side effects!

    In the section on Aromatase Inhibitors on the main Breastcancer.org site, it says "If you're experiencing side effects from taking one aromatase inhibitor medicine, tell your doctor. You may be able to take a different medicine. Arimidex and Femara have similar chemical structures, while Aromasin has a different structure."

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