Hi anyone.
Have been on anastrozole for 4 months and can not take much more. I feel about 90. Actually I know 90 year olds fitter than me. My back, knees hands are the worst. Incredible pain and cramps. Tried the water thing, no good. I have had blackouts and getting quite scared. Please can someone says its gets better.
Hello Hardware,
I have been on this medicine gor about 8 months now. In that time have had 3 different brands, and for me the side efects i could best toletate are those from the ACCORD brand. Having said that, more frequently am waking in wee hours with gross leg pain. I am going to seek review with my GP to discuss, failing that will request further review with oncologist. Recommendation forme is 5 years of this medicationā¦
Have you noted what happens to you with the different brands ?
good luck, thinking of you x x
Hi Suzie,
ACCORD suited me best (Teva and another less so, for the less brands flyshes and creeping shivers dustuebed me). Leg pains now wake me at night and will see my onc in sept to discuss. Butā¦ each brand affects each woman differently. Others here gave sworn by TEVA. Good luck x x LL
Hi, never done this before but feel compelled to after reading previous posts and being in similar position.Ā I had BC surgery and was put on Anastrozole in March this year as Iām post menopausal and had only a very early small lump which was very ER+.Ā I sailed through the whole procedure, including 20 RAD sessions, without any side effects.Ā I was able to continue exercising throughout (aerobics, cycling and walking) and felt positive and really well.Ā Three months into taking Anastrozole I began to notice difficulty in walking up stairs.Ā This gradually got worse until I had pain and stiffness in most joints, particularly my hands which are worse in the mornings but pain lasts all day.Ā On 2 July I saw my surgeon and reported my symptoms.Ā She immediately took me off the Anastrozole and prescribed Tamoxifen but told me to wait 6 weeks to clear the Anas. from my system and give my body a chance to recover.Ā I am shortly due to start taking the Tamoxifen but Iām dreading this as my joint pain is worse than ever.Ā I have seen my GP who seemed disinterested and said the Anas. should be clear by now and that my joint pain could be a sign of something else.Ā He didnāt do or suggest anything!Ā Does anyone know how long it does take for the pain to subside and for joints to return to normal after taking Anas?Ā Also, can Tamoxifen have similar side effects? I donāt want to look at the leaflet giving the side effects as I am now feeling like a very grumpy, negative, tired old woman!
Hi
i was diagnosed in July 2011, and had lumpectomy, and 20 sessions of R/T.
I took Tamoxifen for almost 4 years, but it caused uterus changes, so had an hysterectomy. I am now on anastrozole, and suffer with bad joint pain. Like others the pain moves around different joints. Mainly in the mornings, and evenings. Ā Sometimes though I can hardly walk. Ā I think my GP thinks itās maybe all in my mind,(maybe she is right) Ā but I have been referred back to my oncologist.
cancer was a doddle compared to its treatment side effects! ? Ā People think once you have finished you initial treatment and had surgery you are ok, but the side effects are far worse! Ā Moan over lol
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Breast cancer Grade 1 plus Ā 25 doses radiation Ā Stopped taking anastrazole due to cronic leg pain. After 3Ā
months on the stuff I literally could not walk and always Ā felt vague and unable to concentrate.plus itching
I was a very fit (runner, weights,swimmer)57 year old ageing fast on these pills.A few weeks after stopped pills I had a heart attack. Called a SCAD No Ā I am not diabetic, no high cholesterol or high blood pressure
I was on no medication at all Ā My advice think carefully about taking the stuff if you have a low grade cancer.
Been told not to take cancer pills by doctors because of heart attack as this is a possible side effect. But they wonāt confirm or deny as the radiation was to left breast. If Ā you need to take the cancer pills by all means do so. I am now regaining health -legs still ache at times 6mths later. But thats better the laying on the sofa crying in pain unable to walk or move much. Nothing is wrong with heart now have a small stent put in were vein collapsed- had no clogged arteries-back running. Lifes good. Read up on side effects before you take the medication they offer youĀ
I have been battling with cancer since 1985, And have had various operationsā :- Lumpectomy, Bi-lateral Mastectomy, a year later implants inserted, further lumps all malignant, Hysterectomy, Transflap reconstruction, Ā Ā then finally, Metastasis in the spine in 2008.
During this time Iāve had Radio Therapy several times, as far as I can remember Iāve taken, or had administered various drugs, Tamoxifen, Zolodex more recently Anastrozole which Iāve been taking since 2007 after my last surgery. All have had their own particular obnoxious side effects some of which were quite severe.
With Anastrozole it took a while to connect some of my side-effects with this drug as Ā Iām in constant pain with my spine and take several other drugs to try and combat it, all of which have their own particular obnoxious side effects too!!
However after reading either victims stories I began to connect the dots and have come to the conclusion that Anastrozole may be the main culprit with alot of my symptoms which are:- terrible joint pain, considerable weight gain, 3 stones in all which, no matter what I do to try and reduce it, it just doesnāt want to shift, terrible heartburn, hair loss/thinning, loss of height, depression, this is to name but a few.
Even though Iāve had a full Hysterectomy, which in itās self can cause joint pain because of loosing my ability to produce oestrogen, my consultant obviously thought it best that I should take it because of the small amount of oestrogen produced by the adrenal glands.Ā
I know itās a risk, but Iām seriously thinking of coming off the drug, mainly so I can regain some quality of life. Iām nearly 57, but am feeling, moving and thinking like an old woman, I canāt walk properly, and Iām constantly in pain, I know the Anastrozole is helping to keep me alive, but at what cost? Itās a play off, stay alive, but have no quality of life, or take a chance and enjoy living? The question is āWhat to doā?
Hi all,
After many disturbed nights due to leg pain my onc specified my script for Anastrazol is Arimidex - the original medication upon which the other brands are based. My nights are better, i have had this now for 3 months, but it costs so much more, Ā£ 60ish rather than Ā£2ish per packet. But sleeping better is so much better for me.
Good luck all x
Also m6 fab pharmacist said to get UK brand of arimidex too, seemingly some arimidex can come from Poland. Not against Poland, just need most relief !
Hi,
I started taking Anastrozole after finishing treatment of rads back in May 2015, at first all seemed ok apart from the odd ache here and there. Went away on holiday I the september, and walking up or down stairs started getting worse, saw my GP after my holiday and again the same thing was said to me its early days take your time? So I adhered to this advice come Noveber when I went for Ā check up and see consultant to make sure all was ok, I mentioned this to him his reply come off the Anstrozole if you like? So I thought about this and then spoke to my GP again and the answer was the same come off the tablet for a month to see if its the tablet thats causing the aches and pains, so I did, absoloutley no change for me. I contacted GP again and said I would restart the tablet, Iām making an appointment toorrow to see GP again I feel that i have worsened and now reading all the comments it has made me feel that Iām not going mad! Ifeel that Iām now limited to what I can acheive during the day, I thought I would have been starting to get some normality back into my life after all the treatment and the op.I feel that my body doesnt want to do the things it used too, I walk my dogs out everyday with my husband and try and move about as much as I can, but by the end of the day I can just about shuffle about, I take codiene at night to relieve some of the pain, and getting up in the morning my body is so stiff it feels that if I mpve suddenly iāll snap. After having a bone density scan it said that I had some bone thinning going on, I canāt believe that this tablet doesnāt help with taht I know its a preventor and Iām worried it might come back, but I canāt go on like this its debilitating, Iām only 57 but feel ore like an 80 year old my mum gets about better than me and she is in her 80ās. It is also noy helping my depressive state of mind either. I try to be positive Ā but some days its a chore.Ā
Just read through the thread. Ā I am also taking Anastrozole for BC. Ā I have been taking it now for about 8 months after trying Letrozole. Ā I feel like crap. Ā My body is seizing up all over. Ā The mornings are tough trying to move my hands, standing up very slowly, I hang on to every surface in the house as I move about, my ankles and knees are sore and stiff, lower back pain kicks in if I try and stand for too long. Ā I have now started having pain in my leg muscles and random shooting pains down my legs and in my feet. Ā I am so fed up and miserable, the GP has now put me on antidepressant pills too. Ā Lost count of the medication I take ā¦ Ā Anastrozole, Naproxen, Omeprazole, Vitamin D, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Gabapentin, Cocodamol, Trazodone ā¦ Canāt remember if I have missed anything out ! Ā This has taken over my life, it rules everything. Ā My husband and I are just living like flat mates now, he doesnāt seem to get how things have affected me. Ā Working full time is a struggle too, trying to focus on my job with all this is getting tougher and tougher. Ā Ā It frightens me also to think that the effects of this drug on my body are permanent, I thought things would improve once I was off it. Ā
Itās so interesting reading about different experiencesā¦ My friend and I were diagnosed around the same time. We are both on Anastrozole. Iāve suffered few side effects. Achy hands In mornings for 5 minutes but thatās it. My friend can hardly walk down stairs and is in constant pain. The only difference is branding. Iām on Accord. Sheās on Teva. Sheās going to try my brand and see if her symptoms go. Iāll report back.
I take Letrozole but get aches and pains etc and sometimes find a glass of tonic water very helpful, Also cod liver oil tablets do help too.Ā
Somewhere on the boards some had good results with Devils Claw as well. All worth a try to ease the symptoms. Ā Ā
Thanks so much for all of the posts on here. I have extreme pain in both wrists now. Fingers ache and I have trigger fingers! I feel fortunate it is just my wrists but such a change in how I used to be. My oncologist said all of this pain is definitely from Arimidex. Iām actually on the Accord Brand of Anastrozole. I tried Letrozole for a while but it got worse and caused my 1st 3 fingers on one hand to tingle too so I switched back. It took more than a month for the tingling to get better so perhaps this stuff stays in our system longer than 30 days. Iām looking forward to trying some of the suggestions listed and hope to be able to post some myself. Yāall have given me hope and a new outlook on this pain. My 1 year cancer free is coming up in June also.
I will be breast cancer free 4 years in May of this year.Ā I have been taking the Arimidex for three years.Ā Until now, I will doing okay.Ā But for the last three months, Iāve been having strange ankle, lower leg, inside thigh and wrist cramps that are horrendous.Ā I am happy to have found this forum.Ā I cried as I read your words realizing that we share so many of the same symptoms.Ā Itās actually a relief.Ā I paced the hallway last night three separate times because my body became so rigid.Ā Scary stuff.Ā I was not happy when I woke up this morning because the cramping is still here though intermittent.Ā Whether I walk 30-60 min a day or not, I have the same seize up nights.Ā Thanks for letting me vent.
What a relife to realize its not just me having the joint pain, i can cope with the rest but the joint pain is really bad. Iām 43 and feel like im 70, my mates just smile, i guess they dont understant truely what its like and think iām boring cos i dont want to go to the pub after work. Iām knackered thats why, yes i say iām ok but only because its difficult to explain how painful it can be. if i sit for more than 10mins i seaze up!!!.
i have read some of the other comments and i am on the teva brand too and my surgeon said well dont take them too.Its so confusing of what to do for the best.My doctor has written to the surgeon to ask advice too, if the doc dont know then how am i supposed to know Grrrrrrrrr
rant over.
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Hi everyone iām lisa aka Bigbird, got BC in sept, op nov, anostrazole for 5mth
Iām so happy to have found this site!
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Itās been 18 months since I was de-lumped. I went to my oncologist yesterday and all is good (thank God) but these pills! Ugh! Before BC, I was a gym rat and proud of my strength - but itās been so hard to get back to it. I really thought after going through all of this crap that I would have a new lease on life but instead I find myself making excuses and just plain feeling worn out! I should probably add that Iāve gained 16lbs since the surgery. Any advice would be welcome!
Hello Everyone,
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I was diagnose January 14, 2015 and Iāve been taking anastrozole since October 2015 before that it wasĀ raxifeneĀ but I couldnāt take that anymore the side affectsĀ were too much.Ā My joint pain is sometimes unbearableĀ with anastrozoleĀ but I know I need to continue to take it.
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I execise two to three times a week and it does work but nothing can touch the pain during the night sometimes.
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Any suggestions for joint pain?
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Thanks,
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Lisa
I was diagnosed with breast cancer late October, with lumpectomy, and SAVI brachytherapy in November and December. Due to my motherās exposure to DES drug during her pregnancy with me, both of us got breast cancer, so anastrozole was recommended. Very few side effects during the first 3-4 months, but now I am hurting. Severe pain in right wrist and fingers, and right ankle site of a previous sprained ankle. Waking me up at night. Iām too young (relatively speaking) to feel this crappy. Can anyone tell me if it is worth it? Without meds supposed to have 80% chance of āfreedom from cancerā with med 90%.
Hi Fearless,
I struggled with different brands and leg pains, finally asked onc to recommend the drug in its trial fornat ie Arimidex, this cganged my quality of life, has enabled me to increase my wirking hours. Still some stiffness, but got to be worth a discussion. Some dismiss brand variations, but my pharmacist was fab, and my local support group. Good luck.
LL xx