AIs and cognitive impairment?

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Kaneli
Kaneli Member Posts: 100
edited August 2016 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hey everybody!

I am taking anastrozole (Accord brand) and started on June 5th. So 2 months ago today. I am really in a fog, it seems. I am forgetting things, lose track in the middle of an activity, and just kind of out of it. Aside from that, a bit of moodiness and hot Flushes. Those arent too bad, and so far i have no joint pain, etc. I saw my MO on Wednesday and he agreed that this "fog" can be an SE. I was going to try to hang in there with the Anastrozole, but I felt so unclear while trying to work today, that I called my MO a little while ago and asked to try something else. He recommended lestrozole (?) or whatever the one is that begins with an L! (See? I told you....I'm out of it!) Anybody have similar SEs and also any comments on the L drug? Thanks!

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  • muska
    muska Member Posts: 1,195
    edited August 2016

    Hi Kaneli, I am taking anastrozole from the same manufacturer. I have been on it for 2.5 years. I don't have any 'cognitive impairment' from it - I continue working full time in a rather stressful corporate job that requires constant focus and multi-tasking.

    The problem with the anti-hormonal drugs is, everyone reacts differently. I think most of the time the side effects come from the lack of estrogen in the body that these drugs are designed to produce, not from a particular drug or brand of drug. As time goes on our bodies adjust to that lack of estrogen and some people start feeling better. I have not had any mental fog from anastrozole but I did have some other minor issues soon after I started taking anastrozole that got much better with time. I would say it took me five or six months to adjust and learn how to deal with it better. By six months, minor pains in the arms were completely gone and regular exercise took care of the legs discomfort. Sleep got better too.

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  • Kaneli
    Kaneli Member Posts: 100
    edited August 2016

    Thanks Muska! That's what I was thinking too. I guess that the first month went so well with the anastrozole, that I thought it was smooth sailing. I know that it takes some time to adjust, and I'll have to keep that in mind. The lack of clear headedness and the moodiness, combined is kind of wreaking havoc on my mental state. We'll see what my MO says.

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  • doxie
    doxie Member Posts: 1,455
    edited August 2016

    Another option is to try Aromasin. It works differently, but is still an AI. When I switched from anastrozole to Aromasin/exemstane, I got a bit of a buzz and then started to sleep much better. I still have troubles with memory, such as remembering names.

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