I too have come off Anastrozole and that wretched alendronic acid one a week. I have been on both for three years can’t take no more. Have severe osteoporosis. Freaking out. About it all. Worried may get breast cancer again. Still don’t feel right.
I am so sorry to hear you have had such a rough time on Anastrozole and alendronic acid and that you have severe osteoporosis. It can be all a bit too much sometimes having to deal with the side effects of drugs whilst at the same time also worrying about cancer. It sounds like this is causing a lot of anxiety and it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor about it and see if they can help and reassure you. Our nurses are also available on this free number 0808 800 4040 and their line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
I hope you will also meet others here who have taken these drugs before and have come off them so that they can share their own experience with you. It can help sometimes to talk to others who are in a similar situation. I did a little search for you and found that [@scappatrice] who posted on this thread a few months ago mentioned that she has been taking alendronic acid once a week for osteoporosis so hopefully she will drop by and share her story with you. I also found this thread by [@siuin] and it sounds like for her Anastrozole also had a bad effect on her bones and she has also stopped taking the drug for the same reasons as you it seems. So don't hesitate to comment on her thread and hopefully she will also see your message and reply to you.
I really hope you feel better soon. We're all here for you if you need to chat!
So sorry for the extremely late response to this chat. It must have got lost in my emails. I've been taking alendronic acid for years now and can't say I found any problems on that score. Shirley should perhaps ask to change to another tablet if she hasn't already done so (for the cancer) as I was prescribed Tamoxifen because of the osteoporosis situation. However, I was told straight away that a side effect of Tamoxifen can be uterine cancer. It took me 2 or 3 different brands to find one that agreed with me and didn't have me sweating for Britain! I started taking them in September 2018 and for the past 4-5 months I've been having what I can only describe as "period pains". Lower back pain and pain on either side where my ovaries would have been (I'm post menopausal). I saw my GP twice about this but got no joy from him and on my 3rd visit I saw a locum and she referred me for an ultrasound which showed a thickening on the lining of the uterus. This was only about 4 weeks ago and since then I had a phone call from her with the results and informing me she was referring me to a gynaecologist. I saw him 2 days later, all very quick which was quite worrying, and he said he wanted me admitted for further investigation. So yesterday (31/7) I was admitted for day surgery for a hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy. Glad to say there were no pre-cancerous cells which I was worried about so there was no need for a biopsy and a D & C was performed. I said to the gynaecologists (there were 2) afterwards that I was 99% sure the problem was due to taking Tamoxifen and both agreed it was highly likely and advised me to speak to the oncologist again. I actually stopped taking them last week although I'm not sure I should have without speaking to someone first. I feel the cons outweigh the pros, ie uterine cancer, blood clots, stroke to name but a few.
I hope Shirley has got things sorted and once again, sorry for late reply
