I managed on Letrozole made by Apotex for 15 months and then changed to one made by Amneal .Has been a downward spiral since both mentally and emotionally with some physical side effects creeping in eg pain my lower arm.Is anyone managing out there on this drug and if so what brand ? Any tips to help manage side effects ?

I’m not sure there is a simple answer to that @Romla. I’m on Femara and have never had hot flushes, aches, pains, depression. But it has affected my bone density (not critically yet) and I have quite severe vaginal dryness. Like chemo, the effects don’t seem to be very predictable.

I've been on Letrozole for almost 6 months now and while I'm not having the pain that some are, it's still significant and I feel as though I've become an old lady (particularly when I get out of the car). I have always gotten my script filled at whatever chemist I've been near so have tried a number of different brands but this is the first time I've had Femara. After being in it for just over a week, I've noticed that a lot of the pains have diminished although the pain in coccyx is very much still there after I've been sitting. Not a great test because I'm also on holidays. I go back to work tomorrow so will see what impact that has.

Interesting comments@sister @Afraser and @Brenda5. I took APO - Letrozole made by Apotex for a year and whilst minor aches and a few hot flushes at start that settled but did have elevated eye pressure which has required 3 surgeries last year.I then switched to Letrozole AN made by Amneal last October and many issues which may/may not be due to the change and my own unique physiology.Problems include pain/ ache in elbows and lower arms plus increasing low mood / anxiety and memory/ thinking issues.The psychological stuff may be compounded by my eye struggles , twins in year 12 turning 18 and yes even my temperament but I feel this brand of Letrozole may be a problem for me.To complete the experiment I decided to finish the remaining packet which means I would have been on it 3+ months. All the aforementioned have lessened maybe it’s my body adapting or some of the stressors abating with life slowing down over the festive season.Idk.I still however instinctively don’t like Letrozole AN and will be switching brands .In my haste to get on holidays I grabbed a packet of Letrozole Sandoz which is made by the same company as Femara and is their generic brand.I was never prescribed Femara from the start just Letrozole and did not learn until much later that Femara was first on market with the AI. I have heard positive reports online from UK about Sandoz brand so will give it a go for a while unless I strike major problems wherein I’ll go back to Letrozole AN.TBH I should have stuck to what I was having success with but pharmacy location and a $12 saving from Chemist King diverted my attention.The drug Letrozole is manufactured by several companies in Australia under different brand names and I’m inclined to believe are not all equal because of filler/ coating differences which may cause problems with some people and I maybe one. I did note some horror stories from UK with one brand - it does not however appear to be available in Australia unless of course they have changed its name and dumped it here which has happened with other products before.

PS Elevated eye pressure I believe is a side effect of the drug Letrozole regardless of brand. I have noted eye specialists in US are monitoring eye impacts. Btw Tamoxifen has an acknowledged impact on vision.

Further to my comment above, it seems as though the thumb is an injury (from overdoing the gardening and whipper snipping before Christmas :|). It is getting better slowly with rest and nurofen. I do feel as though tendon injury or inflammation happens way more easily to me on Femara but maybe I am just getting older too!I have started back on Magnesium also in the last week. I have noticed an almost immediate improvement in energy. I have taken magnesium most of the time that I have been on Tamoxifen and Femara. It seems to help me with aches and pains, energy and reducing hot flushes. For memory I find reducing stress helps a bit but that is not always easy! Hope you are feeling better, @Romla. xxx

Whose coping on Letrozole and what brand ? Any tips?

34 Replies

Romla
Member
7 years ago
Yes @"Patti J" there are several brands of Letrozole on the market I think Femara might have been the first. You are probably right @Afraser in that there is no simple answer but glad I can at least see the forest now rather than each tree as is less overwhelming.
Patti_J
Member
7 years ago
@Afraser. Isn't Femara just the brand name for Letrozole?
iserbrown
Member
7 years ago
@Deanne
Afraser
Member
7 years ago
I’m not sure there is a simple answer to that @Romla. I’m on Femara and have never had hot flushes, aches, pains, depression. But it has affected my bone density (not critically yet) and I have quite severe vaginal dryness. Like chemo, the effects don’t seem to be very predictable.

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Whose coping on Letrozole and what brand ? Any tips?

34 Replies

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