Life House Centre at RPA, Sydney

I started on Femara (Letrozole) straight away which is an aromatase inhibitor. I had my oestrogen levels checked after chemo and they were pretty low. I was perimenopausal before my diagnosis so my Onc decided on the Femara believing that chemo definitely placed me in menopause. So I can't tell you about Tamoxifen. The side effects I'm having at the moment are fatigue, stiff and aching joins, dryness, hot flushes and all the usual menopausal symptoms. Nothing too bad except I notice that after I have been sitting down for a while, I am really stiff and sore and it takes a while for me to get my bones going again. I don't think I'm having any mood swings thank goodness but I think I'm a little more emotional than I used to be. But all these side effects can be attributed to lingering chemo effects and/or Herceptin which I'm still having every three weeks. It's hard to tell where the side effects are coming from. I guess I will have to wait until I've finished the Herceptin next May and continue with just Femara. One thing I can't wait for is to no longer feel fatigued. To get some energy back just to be able to get through a day without feeling like I need those Nanna naps all the time. Sorry I can't help with Tamoxifen. My Onc told me that if I couldn't tolerate the Femara, she'd try me on Tamoxifen but I don't know what the difference is. Take care Janey xxx