I started out on Letrozole but my hands became so stiff and achy my consultant put me on Anastrozole instead after about nine months.  This did nothing to alleviate the problems with the hands.  I've now been on the medication for nearly four-and-a-half years.  It's not easy.  The flushes can be really extreme.  I have put on weight and have suffered at times from diarrhoea which I am sure is linked to taking this lousy drug.  I'm sure it is affecting my liver.  I suffer a lot of digestion discomfort.   I do get palpitations sometimes as well.  I recently had a DEXA scan which found Osteopenia in my femurs and the spine reading heading the same way.  I am now very lethargic which doesn't help when I should be exercising (walking) more to counteract the Osteopenia as exercise is supposed to help.  I'm getting weaker too.  I am seriously thinking I've had enough of this drug.  I've put up with it long enough.  I started taking the Letrozole six months before the Op, so if I go the whole term stipulated that will be five-and-a-half years on the drugs.  As far as the hands go, I can't do any serious craftwork, only light stuff because of the Trigger Finger, where fingers gets stuck in one position.  I massage my hands every day and have a couple Chinese metal weighted exercise balls to twirl around, which at least stops them getting too weak.  I do feel quite depressed having to take this drug for so long and dealing with all the side effects. 

I have contacted my GP and had a blood test, as the hospital recommended I take an additional drug (either Alendronate or Risedronate) to slow down the bone density loss.  This drug is taken once a week with water and it is acidic.  I haven't had a prescription yet, and hope there can be some other way of combating the bone loss.  Do I really want to take yet another drug which could affect the throat and stomach because of the acidity?  I already get the occasional acid reflux when I eat food which is too greasy and I can do without extra acid. 

So there you are, now you know what to expect if you've just started taking Anastrozole.