HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Questions about Anastrozole and Neuropathy (as separate issues)

Lucy · 10-03-2014, 02:21 PM

To give a little background on me, I was diagnosed with Stage 1A HER2 positive breast cancer back in January of this year. I opted to have a double mastectomy and was told chemo and herceptin would be part of my treatment plan. I finished chemo on September 3rd (yay!) and have 8 more months of herceptin. I was told that I was considered cancer free after the surgery and that the chemo / herceptin was a proactive measure to improve my odds that I wouldn't have a recurrence.

During my first visit post chemo my doctor prescribed anastrozole for me based on a new recommendation that anyone producing any hormones receive hormone suppressing drugs. A year or so ago I wouldn't have been prescribed this drug so I had a discussion with my doctor regarding the benefits of me taking it now. My understanding - from my doctor - is that there are no proven benefits to someone in my situation taking this drug, yet she still recommends I take it. I'm reluctant to take it - and in fact I haven't taken any yet. I read the possible side effects given to me by my doctor and from the pharmacist where I had it filled and am even more reluctant to take it. My question is has anyone taken this drug? If so, what can you tell me about the side effects, if any? Would it be worth me taking?

As for the neuropathy, I've had the numbness in my hands and feet (predominantly on my right side - don't know if there's anything significant in that or not?) but I also have had some significant weakness in my legs and some weakness in my arms. My doctor says she's never seen this be permanent but I was wondering if anyone else had experienced the muscle weakness. And if so, how long before you got your strength back? I've been off chemo for a month and while it seems to be getting a little better (some days are better than others though), I was hoping I would be doing a lot better by now. I started physical therapy yesterday and am hopeful it will jump start improvement. I don't know if it makes a difference but the numbness started around 3 weeks into the Taxol and the muscle weakness started around 7 weeks (my doctor asked me if I needed to discontinue chemo at that point but I only had 4 more treatments left and I decided to push through them so that I got all the treatments).

Any insights into these matters would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

10-03-2014, 02:21 PM	#1
Lucy Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 293	Questions about Anastrozole and Neuropathy (as separate issues) To give a little background on me, I was diagnosed with Stage 1A HER2 positive breast cancer back in January of this year. I opted to have a double mastectomy and was told chemo and herceptin would be part of my treatment plan. I finished chemo on September 3rd (yay!) and have 8 more months of herceptin. I was told that I was considered cancer free after the surgery and that the chemo / herceptin was a proactive measure to improve my odds that I wouldn't have a recurrence. During my first visit post chemo my doctor prescribed anastrozole for me based on a new recommendation that anyone producing any hormones receive hormone suppressing drugs. A year or so ago I wouldn't have been prescribed this drug so I had a discussion with my doctor regarding the benefits of me taking it now. My understanding - from my doctor - is that there are no proven benefits to someone in my situation taking this drug, yet she still recommends I take it. I'm reluctant to take it - and in fact I haven't taken any yet. I read the possible side effects given to me by my doctor and from the pharmacist where I had it filled and am even more reluctant to take it. My question is has anyone taken this drug? If so, what can you tell me about the side effects, if any? Would it be worth me taking? As for the neuropathy, I've had the numbness in my hands and feet (predominantly on my right side - don't know if there's anything significant in that or not?) but I also have had some significant weakness in my legs and some weakness in my arms. My doctor says she's never seen this be permanent but I was wondering if anyone else had experienced the muscle weakness. And if so, how long before you got your strength back? I've been off chemo for a month and while it seems to be getting a little better (some days are better than others though), I was hoping I would be doing a lot better by now. I started physical therapy yesterday and am hopeful it will jump start improvement. I don't know if it makes a difference but the numbness started around 3 weeks into the Taxol and the muscle weakness started around 7 weeks (my doctor asked me if I needed to discontinue chemo at that point but I only had 4 more treatments left and I decided to push through them so that I got all the treatments). Any insights into these matters would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.