Delay in side effects of Arimidex?

I was diagnosed with early stage ER+ breast cancer in 3/16. Had lumpectomy and radiation. Went on Arimidex to prevent reoccurrence. My side effects were not bad at first. Starting at about a year into this treatment, an occasional insomnia problem I had got worse. I am now struggling with chronic insomnia, daily bouts of fatigue, aching muscles, and temperature sensitivity. This is making it difficult to do normal activities and leads to depression. My blood work has been normal. I have good mammograms. I was wondering if there is a cumulative impact of no estrogen and that’s why I did well at first. Then the side effects began to build. I was wondering if other people have experienced a delay in side effects starting. I am worried that this will be ongoing and I need strategies to cope with this.

I had 2 early stage cancers, bi-lateral mastectomy and chemo. I have been on Arimidex for about 8 months now. It is definitely a difficult drug to tolerate. I was having major hot flashes, but those seem to have settled down. Now I am trying to deal with chronic shoulder pain, debilitating shoulder pain. I am not sure if its the arimidex or the prolia of which I have had 2 injections. My Doc seems to think its the arimidex. I may have to change drugs. It is an excellent idea to explore ways to cope with the medication. Figure out what helps and do more of that! I wish you well.

BHBC: Are youon prolia 60mg every 6 months, or the 120 mg every month? I have a lot of expierence with the former and in the overwhelming majority of people ( over 99%) they do not have major side effects from the drug in a percentage statistically significantly more than with placebo . I plan to start on it myself soon. Musculoskeletal side effects are super rare, whereas with arimidex it is 26-50 percent, so your doc is probably right,

But you have to watch your teeth with prolia to avoid the very rare osteonecrosis of the jaw, ONJ, as with dental implants, avoid them

Dia86, I've been experiencing something similar. Although I've only been taking Anastrozole (generic Arimidex) for 6 months, I have seen an increase in the number of SEs as time progressed. (Isn't temperature sensitivity frustrating?). Most are manageable (regular exercise helps a lot!) but I have recently struggled with severe depression/extreme fatigue that is anything but manageable.

If you don't mind me taking your initial post in a somewhat different direction, do you think it's possible that your depression is a result of the AI simply doing its job & preventing estrogen production? While you seem to feel that your other SEs are responsible for your depression, I am starting to think that the depression appears independently & then makes my SEs worse (or at least makes me believe that they're worse).

Last week, depression slammed me for 6 long days. By Day 6 I was considering abandoning the Anastrozole. Luckily, I woke up on Day 7 feeling much better but now I am wondering when the next bout will begin.

If I'm right about the depression being the result of lack of estrogen, it won't help to change AIs. And I don't want to forego the protection against recurrence that the AI provides. My BS is encouraging me to try Effexor to treat the depression but I worry about SEs it could cause. (BC treatment seems to a perpetual balancing act!)

I do believe that the continuing suppression of estrogen has a cumulative impact. Combined with our unique brain & body chemistries, it seems logical that the effects could vary between individuals & even change over time. The question is: What can we do to minimize the impact of this in our lives?

I'm sorry I don't have any answers for you (or for myself). I hope we all find ways to tolerate this harsh - but crucial - drug.

I definitely have had the same experiences over time. It makes sense that long term suppression of estrogen (and aromatase, actually) would have a cumulative effect.

At first, there were hot flashes and joint pains. For me, exercise (walking and very frequent tai chi classes) and a good mattress helped with pain issues. By the end of the second year, fatigue and depression were more of a problem, and now at the end of my third year I am realizing insomnia is too. My thyroid is lowish and sometimes my cortisol: I am switching to a PCP who is more interested in teasing these things out.

Estrogen is important in serotonin production. The nursing director at my 90 year old mother's assisted living said that women over 85 don't make estrogen anymore and many are on SSRI's. AI's put us in that category prematurely.

I am starting with a more functional medicine doctor (integrative if you will).  At some point one med causes a problem that requires another med, and our medical issues start bumping into each other so to speak. I am hoping a more "holistic" approach might help.

Doctors don't want to prescribe help with sleep these days. I really think sleep is so important. Would love to hear what others are doing for insomnia, fatigue or depression.

Tai Chi and art classes help me a lot!!  It is important to get out and do things.  Winter makes it harder here in the Northeast!

I was diagnosed with BC one week before turning 60 and now am 62. I had estrogen receptors found in almost all cells in my tumor and so there isn’t any doubt about this playing a role. I know I badly need the arimidex. I was healthy up until this happened to me and only took a daily vitamin. Now I sometimes feel as if I’m 90!

Does the time of day thatyou take an AI play a role in side effects?

I did the same thing. I couldn’t take Arimidex. I took Femara for 4 1/2 yrs and went off. My original plan was five yrs. I took radiation chemo and dbl mastectomy. I feel comfortable with this decision. The SEs had to be considered