Letrazole effects
Hi all, I start Letrazole in a couple of weeks (once I finish my radiotherapy) and been reading through the forums, most seem to be a list of horrid side-effects. I know people who had a much easier t...
Forum Discussion
Hi @SuzyS
I have just finished ten years with Letrozole (Femara) and one thing I never had was bone and joint aches and pains. Others have had this, to varying degrees, but it is possible not to have those side effects! I’ve had two side effects - loss of bone density and vaginal dryness. Both may have been exacerbated by age (I was 67 when I started) so it’s quite hard to work out how much is due to Letrozole. My bone density was excellent when I started (I strongly recommend getting a bone density test soon so you know accurately your starting point and can monitor any changes) and that helped stave off osteoporosis. I may not recover what’s been lost but I’ll settle now for no further decline. Exercise, vitamin E and calcium may all help. Vaginal dryness doesn’t affect everyone and can be assisted by a number of treatments. Given my age, oestrogen cream helped me most but was suggested because, being way past menopause, my natural oestrogen was reducing quite significantly. But no joint pain, flushes, aches. Cancer treatments aren’t renowned for an easy time but a manageable time is quite possible. Best wishes.
I have just finished ten years with Letrozole (Femara) and one thing I never had was bone and joint aches and pains. Others have had this, to varying degrees, but it is possible not to have those side effects! I’ve had two side effects - loss of bone density and vaginal dryness. Both may have been exacerbated by age (I was 67 when I started) so it’s quite hard to work out how much is due to Letrozole. My bone density was excellent when I started (I strongly recommend getting a bone density test soon so you know accurately your starting point and can monitor any changes) and that helped stave off osteoporosis. I may not recover what’s been lost but I’ll settle now for no further decline. Exercise, vitamin E and calcium may all help. Vaginal dryness doesn’t affect everyone and can be assisted by a number of treatments. Given my age, oestrogen cream helped me most but was suggested because, being way past menopause, my natural oestrogen was reducing quite significantly. But no joint pain, flushes, aches. Cancer treatments aren’t renowned for an easy time but a manageable time is quite possible. Best wishes.