Anastrozole and bone pain

[tlk52806]

I just spent the last year in hell with surgery, chemo and radiation. Now I'm taking Anastrozole for the next 5 years and I hurt. Does anyone have any thoughts about the bone pain? Does it go away, get better or worse? Thank you for any help.
Tracy

[japdip]

The break (vacation) from your medication is something you might consider but certainly NOT after only being under treatment for only 2 months. The same goes for asking about a change to a different medication. These drugs MUST be given a chance as side effects may change in severity in time. Hang in there ..... give things a chance to improve.  Take care .....

[rumpled]

I am just post op but did not get the meds (no ovaries and adrenals so no sources or estrogen). My friends said when they have issues they ask for a short "vacation" so I would really talk to your doctor about doing a vacation every so once in a while or consider other meds.

[SueYoung55]

I took tamoxifen for a year and a half and stopped due to quality of life issues. My oncologist understood but made sure I knew there could be consequences. It took another year before I started feeling like "me" again. I took a risk that was the only choice I could live with. Congratulations on being cancer free!

[japdip]

That's a very short time so perhaps things may improve in a few months but if not there may be another similar drug that could be tried at a later date. You do need to give this plan a chance for at least a year before even considering a change. There are more than a few over the counter pain meds and even those can give different degrees of relief for different people. Congrats again on your successful treatment and being Cancer Free.   Regards ....

[tlk52806]

Thank you for your response.  I've been taking it since January. My Dr. Told me to try advil there wasn't much more to do.

[japdip]

Not sure how long you have been on the above mentioned drug but I can tell you that most, if not all, drugs of this type can and do cause bone/joint pain. This may lessen in severity as time passes but you certainly should discuss this in detail with your Oncology team as they may have some advice to reduce this side effect. Although everyone does not experience side effects to the same degree it does happen to most women in some manner. You may even try some over the counter medication to help but with your Drs permission. You must also remember since you mention what you have been through that you no longer have Cancer and this drug is an important part of  preventing a recurrence.   Speak to the Oncology team about some relief from this discomfort.  Regards .....

[SuzanneTerese]

I went through surgery, but refused chemo and radiation because the chance of reoccurrence was 15%. I took Anastrozole for almost two years before I quit because of bone pain in my right arm. Couldn’t find any proof concrete that it really helped in the prevention of cancer.

[SuzanneTerese]

After reading this I have more questions than answers. My doctor wanted me to do a total body scan with nuclear medicines because of my bone pain. Is this necessary? Do I need x-rays at all? Should I have a bone density scan? Is this bone pain (which is tolerable) a serious side effect? Sometimes I think my oncologist only wants to make money.

[specialmom]

Hello SuzanneTerese. It would be great if you posted your own question with a bit more history for us! I personally do not believe oncologists are trying to make money. More people have cancer than they can adequately care for a lot of the time, you know? They aren't hurting for business. And insurance doesn't really encourage them to just run tests, they have to do work to justify it. So, I wouldn't be cynical about the field. When are you having these scans? Tell us more about your situation.