JOINT PAIN FROM ANASTRAZOLE

Hi Irishgirl421 welcome to the forum. The answer to your question is yes they do indeed cause this type of pain. They are form a group of drugs known as Oestrogen Inhibitors and as a result they do cause joint pain as our levels of Oestrogen start to reduce. There are a few though ,so its worth discussing with the Breast Team if you can try another one form the group of drugs until you get one that suits you better. xx

i willl mention to my breast team and hopefully they will get me sorted ,it is just a different kind of pain than ive had experienced before ,thank you granny 59 xx

yes I've also been on this for aa couple of months  and elbow and knee joints painful and also wrists and hands. some days it's miserable. I'm surprised you weren't told this is a well known side effect when first prescibed/discussed? For every drug they have given me I have also been given paper copy of side effects and I have to tick to say I've read them, then sign.....so it wasn't at all a surprise, I've been told it should all settle down but does take time.  . its def not unusual to have this pain. x

yes i was told but ive been grand up until this week no pain at all ,suppose it was the shock of it after been so good with very ;ittle side effects ,thank you   Deb x

I have learnt to expect lots of surprises....I thought radiotherapy would be a breeze compared to chemo but I have found it really tough, with nausea, burns to skin, and extreme fatigue! expect the unexpected I guess , but as always helps to know others can get same symptoms x

I had pain in feet especially after waking or sitting for too long and I still have that. My oncologist doesn't think that will go away as long as I'm on it (I'm on exemestane). It does ease off after a a bit of activity so doesn't really bother me.

However, a few months after I started the pills, I got horrific wrist pain to the extent that I got a steroid injection into one of them. It eventually eased after about 6 months so I don't get such sore pain any more. It was really awful but things have settled now.

I think aches and pains are the main side effect people experience with these drugs.

Yes the fatigue was difficult ,i didnt get it till about ten days after my radio was finished and tbh it still hits me 4 months down the line,yes its consoling really to hear your not on your own.thank you for your reply   Debs x

Yes my wrists are so painful too actually ,i know we have to take this for ten years but i pray that it all settles down.Yes i find that when im out walking i dont feel it but its when im siting too long bang its there ,so glad your pain has settled and the steroid injection worked , thank you for your reply    Debs x

Hi Irishgirl421

Yes I have had  joint pain on Anastrozole and have just started a 6 week drug holiday before reviewing the situation with the advanced nurse practitioner. I have been on it for 9 months and whilst the hand, knee and hip joint pain and stiffness was irritating I could live with that. What did it for me was severe pain and tendinitis in my ankles which was impacting on my usual exercise and mobility. So the plan is a 6 week break then discuss what next. I presume that will be resuming anastrozole or trying another AI to see if that better suits me as I have another 4 years of hormone therapy to get through! 

Don't be afraid to raise your symptoms with your breast care nurse if they dont settle down as they are very common. 

Best wishes 

I was exactly the same on Anastrazole.  Awful joint pain after about 8 months of taking it.  Was changed to Exemastane but same happened after a few months plus heart palpitations.  Finally changed me to Letrozole - joint pains started again so after lots of research I asked for the Accord brand and so far so good!  Try Accord or apparently Teva is also one with less side effects.  It’s due to the different coatings used so please ask your doctor to specify on your prescription which brand.