Late side effects of Anastrazole. Feeling down.

Hi kumihimo welcome to the forum and I can understand how worried that you will be and I dont think that you are alone there. After Cancer any aches and pains immediately take most of us to a negative place but 99 times out if 100 it turns out to be absolutely unrelated but your response is normal for most of us. 

Anastrozole is prescribed to us to shut down our oestrogen production especially when our tumours have been oestrogen receptive which yours was. By the very nature of these types of drugs aches, pains and  joint pains are common amongst many women who take this.

The other thing to check is has the brand name of the drug that you are on changed as that can make a difference and many women have issues with this especially in relation to Letrozole which is the same group of drugs as Anastrozole. Alo you say that there were osteoporotic changes and this may be the culprit for the aches and pains.

It is easy for us to let our minds run away with us and as I said you are not alone in that but it is so important for you to keep focussed on the multiple possible causes other then anything sinister for these, including late side effects of this drug. 

Meantime Im sending some huge big gentle hugs your way for now. xxxxxxx

Thank you Gail. I have had Teva brand for 2 years but 2 weeks ago I went away for a few days and stupidly forgot to take the Anastrazole with me. Local pharmacy was very good and let me have an emergency supply. They only had Accord. I was a bit dubious about taking them as I have had reactions to different generic brands before of other drugs and know the fillers can change side effects. I didn’t have any option though and said to my friend it will be interesting to see if the off days, malaise etc went or changed, in which case it would be a bonus. It was either being away or the Accord but I did feel better. I had taken about 10 when I got the most awful upper back pain and in both shoulders. I wondered about the accord and decided to go back to the Teva. The pain is a lot less and more an intermittent ache and occasional mild pain. I guess some Accord could still be lurking (if they were responsible). 

Thank you for the hugs and was what I needed. Not to sound dramatic but I am widowed, live on my own and have no family left now. I have very good friends but don’t like to bother them as they have families to look after. The friend I had stayed with is my closet friend and like me he has no family. We are each other’s next of kin. All I seem to do though is moan to him though. He says he doesn’t mind.  Apart from BC and osteoporosis I also have atrial fibrillation and had a cardiac ablation 8 weeks ago and he saw me through that too so I do feel guilty. I haven’t told him how I’ve been feeling about scan now. 
Yes there are multiple reasons for the aches and pains and try to focus on that but the little gremlins are devious and have a way of finding a way in .

Im 67 next month, feel more like 87 but mentally still 37 .

I have been a member since diagnosis but mainly lurk. Kumihimo is Japanese for thread braiding. My real name - Frances - was already taken and couldn’t use it. I was doing some braiding at the time so used that.

Hugs to you too.

Frances xxx

Hi Frances 

I had late side effects from anastrozole, out of the blue after taking Teva for 7months with no problems. I was very debilitated , couldn’t walk very well , could only go up stairs one at a time, hands just didn’t work etc. I swapped back to Accord and now I’m back to normal ( post treatment / on long term AI’s normal !! )   

See if you can find my post and have a read as a few people commented and had similar issues. 

Search anastrozole side effects.

Good luck . Xx

My post was anastrozole sudden side effects. If you click on my face and see my latest posts it’s there ! X

Thank you Jediknight. I have read your post and it does make interesting reading. My back pain has all but gone which is a relief. My right hip and pelvis is something else. I’m more or less convinced now that hip and leg pain is due to osteoarthritis or beginnings of wear and tear. Bone scan will sort that at least or find the hotspots.
 It’s the awful cramps low in pelvic area and feeling I want to poo some of the time. It could well be stress but scared stiff it might be ovarian. I have Mild ache there most of the day and then spasms of awful cramps. It’s just making me feel so low and scared.

Thank you for replying.

Frances xxx