After Anastrozole

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Sunnygirl115
Sunnygirl115 Member Posts: 1
edited May 2018 in Breast Cancer #1

I just passed the 5 yr Mark with breast cancer and was told 

I could stop taking Anastrozole. Cold turkey. i wasn’t sure what to expect

after being on a drig for 5 years. Surely there is info out there

that gives an idea of how your body might react to NOT having a 

drug in it that had a 5 yr build up in your system. Looking for others who might have gone off this med after 5 years. Thanks 

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  • aisling8
    aisling8 Member Posts: 1,627 Member
    #2
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    My two cents

    Hi there,

    When I hit the five-year mark, I thought my oncologist would tell me to continue another five years on Arimidex. But she wanted me off b/c of the risk of osteoporosis. She suggested I take the Breast Cancer Index test which would tell me the risk of cancer returning after five/ten years and also the benefit of remaining on Arimidex. The test is expensive, but Medicare covers it. So I waited six months till I was on Medicare, took the test, so afraid I'd end up high risk for cancer returning and low benefit of taking Arimidex. I ended up low risk of return and little to no benefit of taking Arimidex so she put me on Raloxifene (Evista) which helps both the osteoporosis and keeping cancer away. So I've been on that the last three years with no side effects. Going off Arimidex was easy. I just stopped (per the doctor's orders) and poof, I was off, no problem. 

    So that's just my story and what I was told to do. I'm not suggesting it's anybody else's path. I just wanted you to know going off was easy.

    xoxo

    Victoria

  • kitmac
    kitmac Member Posts: 1
    #3
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    joint pain from Xtane

    I have been experiencing so body pain, I am going by my doctors mentioning body discomfort, from the Xtane.  Anyone experience this type of reaction?

     

  • eihtak
    eihtak Member Posts: 1,473 Member
    #4
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    Sunnygirl115...

    Hi,

    I too had been on Anastrozole for just over 5 years when my doctor suggested I go off and had the same concerns as you. Fortunately for me, there were no negative side effects of stopping this drug, and if anything I felt like I may have lost a little bit of belly fat with out even trying. (I am in fairly decent physical shape but it seemed I got a little squishy) while on this drug and now, back to normal! I hope you also have no issues from stopping.

    I do however from time to time have the emotional concern of losing a potential "safety net" but have been told that the risk in my case of staying on Anastrozole and having negative effects is greater than being off it after 5 years. So...off I am!

    Be well...

    katheryn

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