Why does Arimidex make you tired?
By
Dr Natalia Marceli Stephanes (PhD)
Author bio
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes PhD is a Pharmacist with expertise in Drugs Administration and Toxicity; Discovery of New Drugs; Cancer Treatment; Biochemical Analyzes and Hematological Analyzes. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes’ Highlights:
- Pharmacist at the Department of Health of Santa Catarina State, Brazil
- PhD with a focus on oncology treatment
- Years of experience in commercial pharmacy
- Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina
Professional Experience:
From her undergraduate studies to her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Pharmacy, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes has participated in numerous scientific studies in the field of oncology and onco-hematology at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Her research has focused on understanding the molecular and biochemical bases of malignant neoplasms and investigating safer and more effective therapeutic alternatives.
Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes has also served as an assistant professor of haematology for undergraduate students at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Additionally, she held the position of professor of Hospital Pharmacy at the Qualificar Technical School in Brazil, where she developed instructional materials for use in the Pharmacy Postgraduate Program at the Leonardo Da Vinci University Center.
In addition to her academic experiences, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes possesses a strong expertise in commercial pharmacy, with in-depth knowledge of medications, their routes of administration, desired effects, adverse effects, and toxicity.
Currently, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes works as a Pharmacist at the Health Department of Santa Catarina State, where her role entails providing pharmaceutical scientific consulting services to judges.
Education:
- 2016 Bachelor in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
- 2018 Master in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
- 2023 PhD in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
The main publications of Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes are:
Falchetti M ; Delgobo M, Zancanaro H, Almeida K, Das Neves RN, Dos Santos B, Stefanes NM, et al. Bishop Omics-based identification of an NRF2-related auranofin resistance signature in cancer: Insights into drug repurposing. Comput. Biol. Med [Internet]. 2023; 152:106347.
Feuser PM, Matos dos Santos PC, Cordeiro AP, Stefanes NM, Walter LO, Maioral MF, Santos-Silva MC, et al. Antineoplastic activity of free 4-nitrochalcone and encapsulated in poly(thioether-ester) nanoparticles obtained by thiol-ene polymerization in two human leukemia cell lines (Jurkat and K562). J Drug Deliv Sci Technol [Internet]. 2022; 67:102924.
Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Walter LO, Perondi DM, Efe FL, Souza LFS, Sens L, et al. Synthesis of chalcones derived from 1-naphthylacetophenone and evaluation of their cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in acute leukemia cell lines. Bioorg. Chem [Internet]. 2021; 116:105315.
Duarte BF, Vieira DSC, Lisboa ML, Stefanes NM, Grando LJ, Santos-Silva MC. Características clínico-epidemiológicas de pacientes portadores de carcinoma de células escamosas de boca. Arquivos Catarinenses de Medicina. 2021; 50(2): 232–245.
Machado V, Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Santos-Silva MC, Biavatti MW. Anti-leukemic activity of semisynthetic derivatives of Lupeol. Nat. Prod. Res. 2021; 35(22):4494-4501.
Bigolin A, Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Mascarello A, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Nunes RJ, Yunes RA, et al. A novel sulfonamide derivative as a strong and selective apoptotic agent against hematological malignancies. Chem. Pap. 2020; 74:2965–2976.
Bigolin A, Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Zatelli GA, Philippus AC, Falkenberg MB, Santos-Silva MC. Cytotoxic mechanisms of primin, a natural quinone isolated from Eugenia hiemalis, on hematological cancer cell lines. Anticancer Drugs. 2020; 31(7):709-717.
Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Neufeldt PD, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Nunes RJ, Santos-Silva MC. Aldehyde biphenyl chalcones induce immunogenic apoptotic-like cell death and are promising new safe compounds against a wide range of hematologic cancers. Future Med. Chem. 2020; 12(8):673–688.
Perondi DM, Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Maioral MF, Sens L, Pacheco LA, Cury NM, et al. A novel thiosemicarbazone as a promising effective and selective compound for acute leukemia. Anticancer Drugs. 2019; 30(8):p 828-837.
Rengifo AFC, Stefanes NM, Toigo J, Mendes C, Argenta DF, Dotto MER, Santos-Silva MC, et al. PEO-chitosan nanofibers containing carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan/dodecyl sulfate nanoparticles loaded with pyrazoline for skin cancer treatment. Eur. Polym. J. 2019; 119:335-343.
Rengifo AFC, Stefanes NM, Toigo J, Mendes C, Santos-Silva MC, Nunes RJ, Parize AL, et al. A new and efficient carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan/dodecyl sulfate nanocarrier for a pyrazoline with antileukemic activity. Mater. Sci. Eng. C [Internet]. 2019; 105:110051.
Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Bigolin A, Zatelli GA, Philippus AC, Falkenberg MB, Santos-Silva MC. Miconidine acetate, a new selective and cytotoxic compound with synergic potential, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in leukemia cells. Invest. New Drugs. 2019; 37:912–922.
Srefanes NM, Toigo J, Maioral MF, Jacques AV, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Perondi DM, Ribeiro AAB, et al. Synthesis of novel pyrazoline derivatives and the evaluation of death mechanisms involved in their antileukemic activity. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2019; 27(2):375-382.
Maioral MF, Bodack CN, Stefanes NM, Bigolin A, Mascarello A, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Yunes RA, et al. Cytotoxic effect of a novel naphthylchalcone against multiple cancer cells focusing on hematologic malignancies. Biochim. 2017; 140:48-57.
You can view some of Dr Natália’s work below and links to her professional profile below.
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Natalia-Stephanes
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliamarceli/
Why does Arimidex make you tired?
Arimidex (Anastrozole) can make you feel tired because of the following reasons:
- The drug may cause trouble sleeping
- Mood-related tiredness and lack of motivation
- You might be leading a Sedentary lifestyle
- You might not be eating enough
- A general feeling of sickness
The drug may cause trouble sleeping
Arimidex is associated with insomnia as the med makes it difficult for some people to fall asleep (1). It’s a general fact that when you don’t sleep enough, your body does not function the way it should.
Our bodies need at least 7-9 hours of sleep. Anything less than that can make you feel tired and exhausted when you wake up as inadequate sleep can significantly reduce your energy levels.
Try to take your medication earlier in the day to prevent insomnia to some extent. It may not guarantee ‘no insomnia’, but the intensity of the side effect will most likely reduce.
Mood-related tiredness and lack of motivation
Arimidex is a hormonal anticancer medication and hormonal medications can generally affect your mood. This medication can cause side effects like depression, anxiety, irritability, agitation, etc.
These psychological side effects can reduce your energy levels and make you feel unmotivated. When your brain doesn’t want to function well, it simply doesn’t. It starts to make your body feel tired enough not to engage in any productive activities.
You might be leading a Sedentary lifestyle
Arimidex can generally cause tiredness, but this tiredness can increase tenfold when your lifestyle is sedentary. This is a common problem among cancer patients as this nerve-racking disease restricts movement in the majority of patients.
However, it is still recommended to move as much as you comfortably can to keep your muscles working.
You might not be eating enough
One of the most common side effects of Arimidex is loss of appetite and cancer patients usually lose their appetite because of their condition. This can contribute to your tiredness big time.
Food is the primary source of energy. If you don’t eat enough, your body starts to burn down the stored fats and proteins to make up for the body’s energy requirements.
Since such people are already fighting a battle from within, this lack of energy can significantly affect them and cause symptoms like tiredness and muscle weakness. This is why it is important to make sure you’re eating enough.
A general feeling of sickness
Cancer is one of the most disturbing diseases and it literally eats the human body from within. It generally makes your body weak and sick. If not the medication, the disease itself can cause extreme tiredness and weakness.
Anticancer treatment, on the other hand, is one of the most aggressive medical treatments as the drugs target cancer as well as healthy body cells. This also affects your physiological well-being.
What to do if Arimidex makes you feel tired?
If Arimidex makes you feel excessively tired, you should reach out to your healthcare provider. In most cases, tiredness and weakness are common side effects during the early course of the treatment.
However, this starts to get better as your body adjusts to the medication, usually in a couple of months. The common duration of treatment with Arimidex is 5 years and the first couple of months can be nerve-racking.
However, it does get better. Make sure you monitor your side effects and keep reporting them to your healthcare provider.
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References
1.-
National Health Service (NHS). Anastrozole: a medicine used to treat breast cancer. [Internet]. NHS; [cited 2023 May 10]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/anastrozole/
