Hand pain and anastrozole

I have been on Anastrozole for just over four months. Just over a month ago, I started getting pain in my right thumb joint and it is getting worse and worse. The thumb joint is stiff and painful, plus I am now really sore in the wrist bone immediately beyond the thumb joint. Knocked it a couple of days ago - only a glancing blow - and it was really painful.

 

Unfortunately I am right handed, so this is all now affecting me a LOT on a day to day basis - holding a mug, holding a pen, gripping the steering wheel etc. etc.

 

Is there anything I can do to alleviate this, or am I just stuck with it? 

 

xxxx

Hello Rosie, could you have trigger thumb? - where it clicks when you bend it, v painful.  I had been taking anastrozole for about 18 months, and had trigger thumb in Dec 2016. I had a cortico-steroid injection (at my docs), which stopped the pain and then allowed normal movement after a few days.  Due to other s/e I stopped anastrozole last Sept and started exemestane & hoped bone problems were in the past. No, of course not. Had trigger thumb again last Nov, but looked up trigger thumb exercises on youtube, and doing those and constant ibruprofen gel, my trigger thumb has now gone.  It would have been quicker to go back to the docs, but at the time I’d had enough of constant doc appts.  It did take until only a few weeks ago for my thumb to feel normal, but then have also developed peculiar sore pain right across both wrists, and found it difficult to do anything at all, except trying to rest my wrists all day!! Any movement could be excruciating. Kept using more ibruprofen gel and gentle wrist exercising, and have now begun to feel more normal again.

Would suggest getting to your doc asap, also trying ibruprofen gel, and no, you should never have to put up with pain.  (I regret not taking my own advice and seeing my doc again.:catfrustrated:) Hope you feel better soon.:catvery-happy:xxx

I have been using voltarin generic brand. I rub it in my thumb and thumb joint twice a day. Does give relief. I cannot open anything jars etc with my right thumb. I have learned to adjust. Reports on how great anastrazole is that I try to get by 

I have been using Voltaire’s twice a day. I got relief from that. If I play cards for white it feels painful. I would live to try the cortisone shot. I see oncologist next Tuesday. She will say it is not the anastrazole. She always tells me to stop reading. I hate that she says that. You guys are my only safety net. Try the voltaren. Need prescription 

I have been using Voltaire’s twice a day. I got relief from that. If I play cards for a while  it feels painful. I would live to try the cortisone shot. I see oncologist next Tuesday. She will say it is not the anastrazole. She always tells me to stop reading. I hate that she says that. You guys are my only safety net. Try the voltaren. Need prescription 

I have been using Voltara cream. It is a script but it helps. 

I can’t tell where I am replying. Here goes again. I use Voltarens cream. It is a script but it does help 

I know this is an old thread but the original post talks about a pain in the thumb and wrist which is what i now have. It is not trigger thumb.  I had that on letrozole together with other joint pain which is why i moved to exemestane 14 months ago.  From what i can tell from google it appears to be related to a tendon or sheath around a tendon.  I was wondering if anyone else had this problem on any of the hormonal treatments? 

The side effects seem to be getting worse rather than better and i was hoping this would be a drug i could actually tolerate with out wanting to curl up in a ball and cry with pain.  If anyone has a remedy i would be grateful. I can’t take over the counter anti inflammatory tablets due to interactions with other medication.