I have read your message,more than once.

 I just wanted to say thank you. I have come off Anastrozole after 6 months. I thought I was going mad with the hip pain. 
good luck with everything 

Hi 1956

Just wanted to let you know you’re not going mad!

I’ve been on Anastrozole for 3 months and the pain is off the scale!

I’ve gone from being a fit, active, energetic 52 year old who walked 3 miles every morning (and ran it once a week just to keep things moving) to being a physical wreck.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer I have had a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy and feel like I have coped well with all of it until now! I have pain in my hips, knees,feet, hands and throbbing bones and have tried really hard to keep walking and stretching in the hope it will subside. All this and chucking down ibuprofen and paracetamol like it’s going out of fashion!

In desperation I have been to see the breast cancer nurses and they have told me to stop taking it for 4 weeks and monitor any changes. The difference already after only a week is massive. I managed 2 miles this morning! A few aches but nowhere near as bad!

Do whats best for you and go and see someone.It’s your body.

Take care.

Hi 1956, 

I just wanted to wish you luck - I would have responded sooner but I have been having extreme difficulty signing in! but finally got there. Stephi is right, you have to do what is best for you, but it’s important to be as well informed as you can be so you can weigh up your own risks to be prepared for them.

 I found the aches dispersed more quickly than the anxiety but both lessened recognisably within a week or so. It took more than a year for me to appreciate how much my mood had gradually improved though  - when they say that you have the benefits of the drug even after you have stopped taking it, I believe it, because it takes a while for the other side effects to wear off too - depending I suppose on how long you took it for in the first place. 

Best wishes to you and Stephi for continuing recovery 

Hi everyone I'm so glad I found this discussion. I had a lumpectomy followed by sentinel node biopsy and radiotherapy which finished at the end of November. Started taking Anastrazole early September. Had some side effects such as aches and pains and hot flushes which were not too bad to cope with really.

Recently went to get my latest prescription and it was a different brand of Anastrazole. Have had such severe pains and aches, especially in my legs. It's affecting my sleep at night as can't get comfortable. Spoke to nurse practitioner today to ask if it could be the different brand causing this and she wiil organise a new prescription for me to collect.

I asked if they had the results from my DEXA scan done in October and it sounds as though the results aren't very good. Have to go for urgent Vitamin D blood test tomorrow so further treatment can be decided on. I'm worried about bone problems especially now I have to take Anastrazole for 5 years.

Any advice would be gratefully received

Thanks from Mary xx

MaryT19

i had read last year that some ladies tried different brands of Anastrozole, some worked better than others, less pain.  Maybe your first RX was better for you.

i don't have an inquiring mind and was finishing a project in very hot weather (115-124).  I had bulging disks and some arthritis so was sleeping in a big comfy lounge chair.  After about 1 1/2 years, I found this site and realized Anastrozole was the pain.  I quit, went to my home in another state, my oncologist begged me to go back on, I did, took for 6 months, exhausted and in pain and in bed most of the time.  So I took Anastrozole a total of 2 years, had stage 2 in right breast, mastectomy, chemo.  Hit the five year mark a couple of months ago and am starting reconstruction.

quitting Anastrozole was a big decision for me, I did not tell my family or my doctor.  

Hi Penelope

I'm seeing the oncologist on Thursday so will see what he says. Am hoping if I go back to the original brand my symptoms will be more bearable again.

Sounds like you are doing well

Very best wishes

Mary

Thank you Mary.  Yes, I am doing well, cancer free.  I was never afraid (exhausted and only 91 white blood cells are one point with chemo and a virus).  Great care, I look at cancer the way I would heart disease or diabetes, it can be chronic, but so are a lot of diseases....

I'll be sending good thoughts your way!!!!

Hi Everyone

I think deciding to quit the Anastrozole is a brave decision and one which I fully applaud!

For myself I will definitely not be going back on it but am going to give one of the other drugs a try once my 4 week trial period is over. I will just see what the breast care team suggest and go with that.

I have however told my husband if none of the drugs are suitable I will not be taking any and he is fully supportive of my decision, probably because he can see the amount of pain I was in! I think you have to consider quality of life versus medical benefits.

Good luck to everyone in your continued recovery. Xx

Hi so pleased you message me.

everything you said is so true. I have been 

feeling more like myself week after week. So pleased I stopped taking Anastrozole.

OK 1956....Think happy, healthy thoughts.