How has your experience been with anastrozole for breast cancer?

Many people in this community have shared experiences with anastrozole, and connecting with others who understand this journey can be incredibly valuable. The side effects and day-to-day management strategies that work best can vary from person to person, so hearing from others with similar treatment plans will likely give you helpful insights and reassurance that you're not alone in navigating this medication.

I'm in the exact same boat with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and just started anastrozole too! I've been wondering about these same things, especially how others are handling the day-to-day reality of being on this medication.

Looks like the club is getting bigger! I start next month. Oncologist wanted to see how I handled Kadcyla before starting me anastrozole and I am anxious as well. Had a baseline bone scan which showed osteopenia. After she sees how I do on anastrozole for a few weeks wants to start me reclast or something similar ( can’t remember what it was). Let’s stay in touch! Sending hope, hugs and💕💕

Hello Kathy I can relate to your journey I too have had DCIS in situ stage 0-1 non invasive so I had a lumpectomy followed by 20 rounds of radiation therapy, I now am on Anastrozole and had a full hysterectomy last week as another preventative I started Anastrozole almost two months ago I’m 43 years old and was premenopausal but because of my hysterectomy my oncologist put me on it. I was fine going to radiation then to work afterwards every day it wasn’t until about 2 weeks post radiation that it hit me hard! Fatigue, hot flashes, pain, and weakness the medication side effects kicked in about week 2 as well I have bone and joint pain but manageable for the moment I’m on the lowest dose I’m sure when I see my oncologist again in April he will want to up my dose but if it comes with more pain I’m already having I will ask for something else I was hopeful that if I had a hysterectomy and eliminate any more female cancers plus the removal of my ovaries that I could opt out on any medication since my hormones are gone, but my oncologist advised me that even though I removed my ovaries our bodies still produce hormones in our fat cells.. so unfortunately I have to take some kind of AI. My advice would to listen to your doctors, have someone with you in case you miss something your doctors have said, educate yourself on your diagnosis and the treatment options, think, read, ask questions about your treatments because we need to advocate for ourselves because unfortunately we are just a name on a paper on someone’s desk…and we need to advocate for ourselves! I didn’t want to take tamoxifen for a number of reasons that I read about and my oncologist pushed and pushed for me to take it (tamoxifen) but I did my research and I prayed on and thought about it for a long time I am now recovering from a hysterectomy and trying to reset and heal not only from my surgery but heal from all the trauma my body, mind and spirit have had done the past year. Good luck on your journey please 🙏 educate yourself and listen to what your body and heart say God bless

Anastrozole increased the intensity of my existing hot flashes. I'm 66. I switched to Letrozole and still have hot flashes but the intensity is less. Not easy but tolerable.

Carol. I switched to Letrozole from Anastrozole in September. No more hot flashes and only couple of “night sweats” incidents. Joint pain is awful, but the insomnia is intolerable. At this point not sure where I am going with this.

I also have recently diagnosed osteopenia and they want me to take Prolia shots every 6 months which have awful side effects also. I'm not a fan of modern medicine where each drug to fix one thing breaks another.

I had HR/PR 2cancer, i had surgery and did 20 rounds of Radiation treatment and declined Anastrozle therapy. Clear Lymph nodes. My body, my choice. I'm 70 .