Letrozole side effects
Last monday at the age of 52 i started my daily dose of Letrozole. Fast forward 7 days and i feel like ive aged 30 years. Every bone & joint hurts, even bones in my face hurt ! My Oncologist said s...
Forum Discussion
Hi Josephine. I started the Early Days on Letrozole thread so if you've read it you pretty much know my story so far on this drug.
I'm the same age as you and have been on Letrozole for four months. I'm afraid I can't offer you much hope at this stage. The constipation I suffered at the start has eased off a fair bit (though not completely), and the mucosal dryness isn't quite as bad as it was. I woke up with aching ankles on day four of taking Letrozole and they have not stopped since. The ache has spread to my knees which I don't notice much during the day when I'm moving around but boy do I notice it at night. Last night I slept with a pillow between my legs I was so uncomfortable.
My hands became very very painful through the winter. Some days I was almost in tears with the pain and it became difficult to hold the steering wheel. However I'm happy to say the warmer weather has seen that pain pull back a lot.
It's also got into my coccyx and my neck. I had no arthritic aches and pains of any sort before Letrozole.
As I type I'm having my third hot flush of the hour. I've lost count of how many I've had today, well into double figures. They are often accompanied with painful needle sharp pin pricks all over my hands and forearms, and now my ankles. They go on for ages, at night they can be 10 minutes or more. I hate them.
My new oncologist confirmed that for some women all these side effects can settle down after about six months. So I am persisting, taking pain relief when I need to, and trudging on. Some people report exercise helps. It doesn't seem to make any difference to me. I've also tried Krill Oil and Magnesium. They seemed to work for a bit and then stop working. The last one to try is Curcumin. As someone here says, I could just be making expensive pee, but I've gotta try. I'm also going to try taking it at night instead of the morning. Dunno if it'll make a difference but again, gotta try.
I mourn the loss of my old self, my physical health and strength, my emotional robustness. I am still struggling to accept my diminished quality of life. I accept that it's better than the alternative and intellectually I am committed to my treatment, but emotionally I just want someone to give me a big cuddle, and make it stop.
I'm taking a drug holiday in December for a month, and then will go back on it. If it's no better, my oncologist says she'd like me to try Tamoxifen. Letrozole is the best oestrogen stopping drug we've got so I hope things improve enough that I can stick to it. Or maybe I'll just get used to the constant pain.
I hope things get easier for you, that your body adjusts. Always happy to be an ear for Letrozole whinge or solution. Us 66ers gotta stick together. K xox
I'm the same age as you and have been on Letrozole for four months. I'm afraid I can't offer you much hope at this stage. The constipation I suffered at the start has eased off a fair bit (though not completely), and the mucosal dryness isn't quite as bad as it was. I woke up with aching ankles on day four of taking Letrozole and they have not stopped since. The ache has spread to my knees which I don't notice much during the day when I'm moving around but boy do I notice it at night. Last night I slept with a pillow between my legs I was so uncomfortable.
My hands became very very painful through the winter. Some days I was almost in tears with the pain and it became difficult to hold the steering wheel. However I'm happy to say the warmer weather has seen that pain pull back a lot.
It's also got into my coccyx and my neck. I had no arthritic aches and pains of any sort before Letrozole.
As I type I'm having my third hot flush of the hour. I've lost count of how many I've had today, well into double figures. They are often accompanied with painful needle sharp pin pricks all over my hands and forearms, and now my ankles. They go on for ages, at night they can be 10 minutes or more. I hate them.
My new oncologist confirmed that for some women all these side effects can settle down after about six months. So I am persisting, taking pain relief when I need to, and trudging on. Some people report exercise helps. It doesn't seem to make any difference to me. I've also tried Krill Oil and Magnesium. They seemed to work for a bit and then stop working. The last one to try is Curcumin. As someone here says, I could just be making expensive pee, but I've gotta try. I'm also going to try taking it at night instead of the morning. Dunno if it'll make a difference but again, gotta try.
I mourn the loss of my old self, my physical health and strength, my emotional robustness. I am still struggling to accept my diminished quality of life. I accept that it's better than the alternative and intellectually I am committed to my treatment, but emotionally I just want someone to give me a big cuddle, and make it stop.
I'm taking a drug holiday in December for a month, and then will go back on it. If it's no better, my oncologist says she'd like me to try Tamoxifen. Letrozole is the best oestrogen stopping drug we've got so I hope things improve enough that I can stick to it. Or maybe I'll just get used to the constant pain.
I hope things get easier for you, that your body adjusts. Always happy to be an ear for Letrozole whinge or solution. Us 66ers gotta stick together. K xox