Anastrozole

Hi Leedslass64 welcome to the forum..The medication you refer to I'm assuming is letrozole which belongs to a group known as Aromatase Inhibitors. The Breast Cancer you have had I'm.assuming has been oestrogen positive which means it was being fed by oestrogen. The drugs they are talking about cut off the production of oestrogen thereby reducing the risk to us. That said, and you have said it already they are not without their issues the most common being joint pains. Can you ask to sit down with your consultant or breast nurse and ask them to use the Predict tool. They input all the details re your type of Cancer and it gives you a percentage score of how much difference the meds will make. After that's done at least you will be better able to make an informed decision for you. 

Hi Leedslass64 , I’ve been on Anastrozole for nearly 6 years (another year to go), I don’t love it and I do have some of the side effects, but it’s bearable and I want to do everything I can to reduce the risk of recurrence. So I keep popping the pills! I think it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the possible side effects and they’re a real possibility, but some lucky people don’t seem to get any. You could be one of them! I’m guessing they’re less likely to be posting here so we don’t hear that ‘side’ so often. My suggestion would be, try the tablets and see how it goes. There’s usually the opportunity to change to a different hormone treatment too. After just over a year on mine, I discovered a maggies centre an hour away from me. I visited and got on a 6 week course of ear acupuncture, to help with side effects. It really did help and I made 2 good friends from the group. We still meet up from time to time, nearly 5 years later! 
Good luck with it all, love and hugs, HFxx

Hi - just wanted to say I started taking Anastrazole in March along with Zoladex and have hardly had any side effects. I keep active and go to the gym as I’m worried about the effect on my bones. I was expecting more side effects but think I would have had them by now if I was going to get any? Anyway, hope I’ve not jinxed it for myself but just wanted to give you hope! Stay positive! Xx

Hi. I’ve been taking Anastrozole for over two years now. I get the occasional hot flush, but seem to tolerate them ok. The main thing I would say is that there are lots of different brands and there is one that I won’t take, as I don’t like how it makes me feel, but others on here have posted that they recommend it. Perhaps you could have a chat to your breast care team. Wishing you all the best.