I'm almost at the end". Nor have my lashes and brows, I might add. Common side effects Emphasis on might, as we are all very different here too. At least they didnt for me. I am concerned that the hair loss is irreversible or may not grow back until I am finished with Arimidex. I regestered for this website in February and just gotback on here last night and tried to figure what to do. If you develop symptoms of heart problems at any time during treatment, seek medical attention right away. At that point, my oncologist and I decided it was okay for me to be done. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.). I will say that the med can make you tired so I switched from taking it in the morning to taking it at bedtime and that really helped me. 13 Tips to Help Manage Side Effects from Aromatase Inhibitors. I started with 1000 and she upped me to 2000 and shall be moving toward 5,000 in a few days. A small number of women notice an increase in downy facial hair. How much does Arimidex increase survival? They may be able to offer ways of improving your symptoms. How quickly can acute migraines be treated? For more information, see Liver problems in the Side effects explained section above. Interested in more discussions like this? However, access and cost come into play here for many of us. Its a good idea to know the side effects that may occur with Arimidex so that you can monitor for them. Its related to the drug and it may take time to get energy back but it will come back . Keeping it real. Anastrozole and side effects.hair loss/thinning and hair regrowth. My genetic testing was all negative and my margins post lumpectomy were clean. Arimidex is selective too which means that it only affects blood estradiol concentrations, and has no effect on the formation of adrenal corticosteroids or aldosterone. You're so right though, too often these discussions aren't held with our oncologists. @Holly, Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, low in saturated fats. Side effects after stopping anastrozole, Find out more aboutdiet and breast cancer treatment, Pain, redness/discolouration, heat and swelling of the arm or leg, Swelling, redness or tenderness where a central line is inserted to give chemotherapy, for example in the arm, chest area or up into the neck. bone pain, risk of fracture; swelling in your arms, legs, or feet; sore throat, cough, shortness of breath; headache, back pain; depression, sleep problems (insomnia); high blood pressure; nausea . Woohoo! The cancer connection is that I had 2 primary cancers (breast and endometrial) that were estrogen related. Again, woohoo! The joint pain and hot flashes were much worse as well. The half life of Arimidex is 30 to 60 hours. I love to eat! * The medication isnt approved for use in males* with breast cancer or other conditions. Spiro increases appetite which increases your caloric surplus. Study continues. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/arimidex. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use linked below. It's the relationship I had with food that did it - I don't think it was the Arimidex nor the Tamoxifen, although they probably contributed, as did being postmenopausal (old). It has been a slow and painful process. I'll cook what I want to eat and he's welcome to eat it, but he'd rather have what he likes, so he cooks for himself (and continues to gain weight). Not for me. The only bad thing withme is I have had 2 rotatorcuff surgeries on my right shoulder, 1 on my left shoulder,1 knee surgery, and a small surgery on my right angle. When given after surgery, its called adjuvant hormonal therapy. I started going to Curves a couple years ago and lasted for about 2 weeks and could not use the machines anymore because severe joint pain. I have lost 5 3/8 from my waist and 3/4 from my neck. Like Helpful Hug 1 Reaction Interested in more discussions like this? I also now have osteoporosis, so I take calcium, vitamin D, and Boniva. Cardiotoxicity is damage that can occur to the heart that may affect how well it works. Bone health is a huge deal. I havent written about the drugs we love to hate in a while and thought it was time I did. Reasons for consideration include sleep pattern changes, food intake, and decreased muscle mass. Many side effects of Arimidex will improve within a couple of weeks of stopping Arimidex; however, some may persist long term. To help keep your bones healthy you can increase your intake of calcium and vitamin D. Most people do this by taking a supplement. Yes, I take 2000 units daily. I had two lumpectomies to get clear margin~~I have several multifocal tumors outside of the duct. In some rare cases, side effects can result in permanent damage, even after you stop treatment with Arimidex. If youre concerned about this you may find it helpful to speak to your specialist. Support you can use. If you have coronary artery disease, also known as ischemic heart disease, tell your doctor before starting Arimidex. Luckily, you should only experience more severe exhaustion for a limited time after stopping your injections. In most cases, side effects that you experience from taking Arimidex will be mild. Studies looked at side effects that occurred in females* for 5 years after starting Arimidex treatment. Some people benefit from switching to a different hormone therapy. Arimidex can safely be used with other treatments for your breast cancer. Talk to your GP or treatment team about how to manage a change in mood. Welcome aboard! Very confusing data though #bcsm pic.twitter.com/gS9wteKhd5. You should not try to lose more than one or two pounds per week because this . Exercise that gently stretches your joints or strengthens your muscles to better support your joints, such as yoga or pilates, may help improve your symptoms. ! The same goes for low-carb if you're eating bacon every day, says . Giving either 3 years of Arimidex (Anastrozole) or 5 years of Letrozole (Femara) AFTER 5 years of taking Tamoxifen has been proven to have an added benefit in decreasing the risk of cancer recurrence. Where do the lines of osteoporosis danger and cancer recurrence intersect? So side effects similar to those which would happen if you were going through menopause, such as hot flashes or difficulty sleeping. I have been off it 2 months. Bone loss is serious. I appreciate your thoughts. Your doctor may recommend a different treatment option for you. Receiving a new breast cancer diagnosis can feel scary, but you are not alone. The side effects are very severe in the short and long term, as others have noted. More common side effects in people taking Arimidex for early breast cancer include: More common side effects in people taking Arimidex for advanced or metastatic breast cancer include: * To learn more about this side effect, see the Side effects explained section below. I was osteopenic (pre-cursor to osteoporosis) prior to BC, and diagnosed with osteoporosis along with my IDC. Everyone reacts differently to drugs and some people have more side effects than others. Anastrozole is made by a number of different manufacturers. Arimidex is sometimes taken to lower estrogen levels that are high due to anabolic steroid use. We discuss these 'drugs we love to hate' here on the blog. Symptoms can be mild or serious and can include: If you have mild symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away. My sisters were also on drugs in the same family (one on aromasin and one on femara) and they did not gain weight. Feeling well physically and mentally every day is important to me. When I finished chemo, I had lost weight (about 25 lbs.) How do I take Arimidex on a cycle and how much? When are the effects of Arimidex finally gone? Arimidex is only approved to be used in females whove gone through menopause (stopped having periods). Copyright 2000-2022 Cancer Survivors Network. But that might be from chemo, as my hair hasnt been the same since then. Suzanne, thank you so much for your response. I'm one of the ones that will never stop taking AIs, with other therapies qs well. Definitely having some type of withdrawal. Plus, there's the whole probably will die young too thing. I know I will probably have the Joint and body pain with this because everybody does. Thank you all for sharing your experiences with AIs. We definitely need better side effect management strategies. Stage 4 patients were included and reported similar side effect experiences. Mild pain relief such as paracetamol may help with headaches. I wanted to share my experience as encouragement that it can be done, but for me to achieve results, it has definitely taken a lot of work. Five-year adherence was 74.6 percent for Arimidex and 77.0 percent for placebo, which is not significantly different. I hope this is some encouragement. I too stopped taking Arimidex after five years now have enlarged fatty liver, osteopenia, debilitating fatigue, progressing weakness muscle weakness weight loss poor appetite hearing loss neck and back arthalgias, abnormal high white blood count high monocytes high MCHC and high hgb, UTI's, bladder incontinence, bone spurs, herniations etc. Side effects after stopping anastrozole. For vitamin D, you can increase the amount of oily fish, mushrooms and eggs you eat. When given before surgery to shrink a tumor, its called neoadjuvant hormonal therapy. Unfortunately, I cant say Ive noticed better hair. Some of the more serious side effects of Tamoxifen include blood clots, stroke, endometrial cancer and memory loss. I was on Zoladex for several months and have now chosen to stop having the injections. I feel a little cheated. 2. In most cases, Arimidex is taken for five years, although some women may take it for a shorter period. Headaches were one of the most common side effects that people taking this medication reported. Please discuss with YOUR oncologist. However I'm am on Afinitor now and I have lost weight and now . I've been taking lexapro 20mg for three years. I am going through a similar thing and am taking a three week break from Anastrozole as I had such severe knee and leg pain, wrists, hands, etc. Complete your request online or contact us by phone. Interested in more discussions like this? Your doctor may monitor your bone mineral density or may recommend a different treatment option for you. Bone pain can occur in anyone taking Arimidex. Thank You !!!!! Glad benefit is durable. Nothing seems to work and she's very unhappy . Do what give you joy. There are CDs, podcasts and phone apps that can guide you through these techniques. If you continue to have difficulty sleeping your GP may prescribe something to help you sleep. I am just". Those are the updates Ive got as of now. Posted by sandyjr @sandyjr, Mar 6, 2019. The content on this site is for informational purposes only. Don't beat yourself up about your weight. Learn more about some of the side effects Arimidex may cause. However, the very best defense against the joint pain is staying active. Cancer-related fatigue is extreme tiredness that doesnt go away with rest or sleep. would have been gone in 3 months with little effort! Set realistic weight loss goals, such as a 1 to 2 pound weight loss per week. I did find. Like any drug,anastrozolecan cause side effects. Basically, these drugs block tumor growth by lowering the bodys natural supply of estrogen. trixie1313 @trixie1313 Hi Trixie. Anastrozole is also used to treat advanced breast cancer that has grown or spread after tamoxifen treatment. At this time, Arimidex is only used in females. My waist size is now correct for my height. "Welcome to Connect, @christinej I'm tagging a few other members who have mentioned taking anastrozole for", "I too just finished taking Anastrazole after years and having incredible fatigue. Withdrawal symptoms? Anastrozole can occasionally cause changes to how the liver works. Some side effects may last even after you stop treatment, such as osteoporosis or high cholesterol. Go to the Breast Cancer Support Group. Aromatase inhibitors and the risk of cardiovascular outcomes in women with breast cancer. Does taking Arimidex with other treatments for cancer increase the risk of side effects? Your GP or specialist can refer you for counselling or may suggest you take an antidepressant drug. I gained most of my weight back within 3 years. "@sparklegram Have you tried taking vitamin D? Arimidex lowers estrogen levels by preventing the synthesis of estrogen from adrenal androgens (primarily androstenedione and testosterone). But due to the way that Arimidex works, it may cause harm to a developing fetus. Find out more aboutlooking after your bones and osteoporosis. They may monitor you more often throughout your treatment, or they may recommend a different medication for you. But if you have any symptoms that are ongoing or that bother you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Arimidex (anastrozole) is a medication that is used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Last updated on April 26, 2022. Anastrozole may cause dizziness. There's no way to completely predict or prevent breast cancer. ), it's unlikely you will lose any weight because you stop taking your meds. 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