Anastrozole

Please could anyone give me some advice, I’m so worried about my mum. She was diagnosed in May with Lobular breast cancer, she had a full mastectomy, lymph node clearance, only one (sentinel) node had cancer in - the rest were all clear. She has now been having Radiotherapy - a 21 day course. The biggest problem is the hormone therapy drugs that she started taking. She is 79 & she was very fit & active, now she is  basically house bound & cant walk even a few feet without extreme pain in her joints, muscles & bones. She is becoming very depressed as she is in constant pain & she said she has no quality of life. Just wanted to know if there is anyone on this site that has been affected badly by these pills & do the symptoms disappear or will it be like this for the next 10 years

  • I'm so sorry to hear your mum is having problems with anastrozole, how long has she been on them? I started anastrozole in July and it's taken until now for the aches and pains to settle, I still get them but they are now manageable....

    There other hormone inhibitors she can change to.....my onco told me if my pains didn't subside, I could stop the anastrozole for a few weeks then swap....I believe ( and I'm not 100% sure on this) that anastrozole is one of the more expensive drugs ....if she hasn't been on them long I'm hopeful the side effects may calm down...but it's definitely worth chatting to her gp or breast nurse about it, she mustn't suffer in silence....x

  • Sorry to hear your mum is suffering side effects of Anastrozole. I've been taking them since February 2019. At first, no real side effects, but for,the past 3 months or so I've had chronic back, hip, knee and wrist pain. I can't take NSAIDs as I'm on blood thinners and Paracetamol are of little help. I was always a very fit person but the side effects have curtailed my walking and swimming.

    id be pleased to hear of any other hormone drug that has fewer side effects. There are also horror stories about Exemastane too!

  • Thanks for your reply Marlyn, I think my mum started taking Anastrozole in September after she had her second Op to remove the lymph nodes, it all just seems so unfair to see her suffering like this when she’s been through so much, her GP is so busy that she can’t get an appointment & she phoned the McMillan nurse who just told her to keep taking them until she see’s her consultant in six weeks time, which is a long wait when you can’t move!!! We’ll keep looking for answers but thank you again for taking the time to reply xxx

  • Thanks for your reply Abimeister, I’m so sorry that you’re suffering so much as well, it must be awful, I can’t even begin to imagine!! My mum was also very active before all of this, she’s 79 but you would never know, she had a bone scan yesterday & now she has an appointment with the consultant in 6 weeks & we can discuss the tablets then, I will ask if there’s an alternative, surely there must be - as she said she can’t take these for much longer, thanks again for taking the time to reply xx

  • Hi Rose46

    I switched to anastrozole at the end of April and I'm struggling on it, symptoms similar to your mum; I used to be very fit and active also, running cycling and swimming, regular 10 mile walks. I can't do any of that now, even short walks are a struggle and I'm exhausted all the time. It's a while since your mum had her follow-up appointment, so I'm just wondering if she was able to change medication and her life has improved. I very much hope so as I have great sympathy for her in the situation you describe. I can fully understand she'd be getting depressed and asking what is the point.  
    wishing you both all the best

    Emma

  • I had all the same problems.

    Please go back to oncology or breast nurse.

     You need advice. I talked to my oncologist and was told I could stop taking Anastrozole.Best thing I did.It's taken time but I am feeling better. My hips don't ache, I can walk our dog. Soon I will start back with my Yoga classes.

    please don't carry on like this.

  • Thanks, I have an appointment on 10 Aug. 

    I just wanted to see what others' solutions had been. I hope you are doing ok now.