For Arimidex (Anastrozole) users, new, past, and ongoing

tmh0921: I was on letrozole for nine months with lots of joint pain. I switched to anastrozole. I've been on it for eight months or so and have not had any joint pain. Give it a try and maybe you will be lucky too. Good luck.

Totally agree CeliaC. I try to walk 2+ miles every day. I still have joint pain but think I would be a lot worse if I was sedentary.

I'm only on it since July, no major weight gain, a lb or 2 maybe 3 but I'm walking a lot and it's going fine. All OK except for aches in my bones. X

Racheldog - I lost 35 or 40 pounds during chemo and have kept most of it off in spite of the AI (Letrozole in my case) for 21 months. I had some stomach trouble for awhile and lost a few more, and I have put those back on, since I've been eating more normally again. Like jennyjo20, I only do alcohol and sugar on holidays or special occasions; once in awhile on Sunday, just because, but keeping it in moderation. I do a lot of plant stuff along with fish and occasional chicken or turkey - I never eat as much as I used to, because I think the AI has actually lowered my appetite. I rarely strongly desire or crave anything. Sometimes I feel like I eat "just to eat", and I think the AI is the cause of that. I also do intermittent fasting (16/8) try to walk about 5 days a week for 30-45 minutes. I take the stairs a lot more now, park farther away than I need to, so I get a little more walking in, etc. I don't do any kind of gym stuff though. Just routine walking and getting up and moving around. So far my weight has been stable and my cholesterol is normal.

Well, I'll be and thanks for the positive vibes about the AI drugs. I will be doing Letrozole soon. Like some of you, I lost 18-20 pounds on chemo and that was the "good" part of this journey. Herceptin put some water weight back on with fluid retention but that should be going away soon, I hope.

Trying to do more plant based but that has been a challenge and a tough one to overcome my past diet. I do not drink alcohol but getting rid of sweets I plan to work on. Thank you all for answering about the weight issue concerns with these AI drugs.

Hi — I have just begun treatment and was prescribed IBRANCE and Anastrozole….for 8 days , all was well…and then suddenly I had severe hip pain, swelling in both hands and aching, and aching in my neck…the hip so bad had to start using a cane. My oncologist had me stop the Anastrozole for the weekend and up my Tylenol, and I see her tomorrow, anyway, so hope there is some solution. Anyone else have this experience and what happened?

Thanks for any help….

LadyGwendolyn, to help with that morning stiffness, try taking REGULAR Claritin! For some reason it helps - crazy as it seems. Do NOT use Claritin-D for this. I took mine at night because I wanted good "coverage" when I get up in the morning and am creaky. Good luck.

HUGS!

Hi, I'm a 42 year old that is currently getting a Zoladexshot once a month and taking Arimidex every day (5.5 years). For the most part, my SE are tolerable. However, the past three months my SE seem to have kicked it into high gear! Joint pain everywhere, digestion issues, mood swings. I am thinking about stopping AI or Zoladex, or both. I'm concerned of the SE of what happens when you stop taking everything at once. Should I stop one first, or go to every other day to ween off it? I have an appointment with my oncologist and will obviously discuss with her, but I wanted to hear from mypink sisters of your experiences..I apologize if this had already been covered somewhere. I'm new to the forum.

Yes! My body starts to react as if I'm panicking - heart pounding, body tension, breathing up - but there's nothing remotely threatening going on. My frontal cortex is, "What's up, dude? We're fine." But my limbic system is all, "AAAAHHHHGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!"

I tried to talk to my doc about my weird anxiety attacks, but he didn't really understand what I was actually describing. He wanted to put me on a 24/7 mood regulator medication, but I didn't need anything that extreme. When he went on hiatus and passed me on to a new doc, I hadn't had any recent episodes, so I didn't think to bring them up. Now they're back, and I've just been moved to annual check ups instead of quarterly. I'm debating whether I should make a special appointment or not bother.

I've also had a steep decline in motivation, lack of general follow through with plans that aren't urgent, and I feel overwhelmed a lot. But I'm not sure if that's from my medication or from being a naturally extroverted person trying to cope with the isolation and stresses from Covid precautions.

Christiekoe - I do weekly REIKI therapy sessions and attend monthly Breast Cancer Support Group Meetings. In addition to daily walks, these have really helped to help keep my stress level low. Does your oncology center or hospital offer support services? You might find something there that would be helpful for you.

Most of my anastrozole issues are aches and pains. Physical therapy helps, but my body snaps, crackles and pops every morning.

christiekoe, I experienced severe anxiety, agitation and insomnia from the minute the pill hit my tongue. I've tried them all. I currently take letrozole every other day, and I take lunesta to help me sleep, but still doesn't work great anymore.

NSBrown54, I also thought it was so "out there" when I first heard using Claritin. But I had nothing to lose and it was already hanging around my medicine chest (though it doesn't work on my allergies AT ALL! ). But work on those aches and pains, it sure does. If you have major aches and pains, I'm not sure how good it would work, but possibly help some. For minor ones, it did make a difference.

HUGS!

BJI, I took Fosamax for 5 years and I have acid reflux also. I took it in the morning, waiting 30 minutes after taking it before eating. It is quite doable. I also was taking pepcid. Just follow the instructions and you will likely have few problems.

HUGS!

PontiacPeggy - did you see results on dexa scan on the fosamax? I know they check it every 2 years, just wondering does it slow or stabilize the bone loss?

BJI, I know that I had no more bone loss but whether it improved or not can't be ascertained. Two years after starting Fosamax, I moved from Detroit to Spokane and they used a different type of DexaScan or something so there was no way to compare results. I discontinued Fosamax when my 5 years of Arimidex ended. I never had an issue with it. Definitely worth a try IMHO.

HUGS!