Arimidex - first 6 months

I was terrified of this drug and the side effects and I even posted on here looking for support and info back in Jan. (The tone police intervened and I have stayed away from this site since because I was too scared to come back.
Despite this, I am checking in one last time before I delete my account, in case it is of benefit to anyone newly diagnosed (like I was at the time, truly traumatised and then told I will be starting anastrazole).

I want to share that my news is positive in relation to anastrazole.

I don’t have any joint or muscle issues, pain, soreness, stiffness, whatsoever (which were my biggest fears). I have a few hot flushes in the evening and a bit of insomnia. I think my hair and skin is more dry and I need to use more leave in hair treatment now. My weight gain is entirely explained by what I have been eating during lockdown and not so much the drug! From the long list of worrying side effects you will doubtless end up reading, I have experienced enone that are ruinous. (I know I will have to monitor bone density.) Maybe things will change over time but I do remember I felt desperate to know or get some reassurance from someone about what the first few months would be like on an AI and was there an actual chance I would not get the worst effects?

I hope this account may help someone facing anastrazole for the first time and knowing that it can be okay. Yes I could do without the hot flushes and longer term risk to my bones, but it’s not as bad as I imagined in my head, terrified and newly diagnosed, with little info to go on, or not the info I perceived as useful to me while having a very cold and underwhelming oncologist.

I hope others will get the info that they need, here or elsewhere, and feel confident to speak the truth and advocate for what they need.