Letrozole

Hi,

 I was on Tamoxafin for 5 years , side effect hot flushes . Second time I had breast cancer after all treatment I was put on Femera , this time for 10 years. The side effects have mostly settled except for the awful hot flushes . Terrible hot ! I've been on them over 2 years now. When I went to Europe for 6 weeks my oncologist told me to take a break as it may break the cycle of the hot flushes. Whilst not taking the drug I only had a hot flush occasionally, not 5 times a day. Back on one tablet at night the hot flushes have returned. Nothing else thank goodness. Wish you luck , you can always ask to try another one . Cheers Bep xx

Letrozole was not good at first I felt quite down sad but that went away oh the bone pain,the leg cramps were terrible and also restless legs, I found it lasted about 2 months and when I increased my magnesium most of it disappeared, the hot flushes are just part of it all to. Joy oh joy a little fan in the hand bag a fan next to the bed and no pjs. Lol I found letrozole so much easier than tamoxifen for me. Regards adean

Hi Tracy

yes keeping busy is good! I had a crappy week last week! I am on sick leave so the jump from full time work to all of this has taken a while to come to terms with!  One other side effect I forgot to mention is the hot flushes! So I just dress in layers! Also Doona on / Doona off! Have thrown out all my jumpers! 

Cheers once again

Sandra xxxxx

Thanks Sandra for your honesty.  Yes we would hope it's doing some good !  I took one of the dogs again today for a big walk on the waterfront that's invigorating seeing the beauty around us did my tai chi and some physio exercises on the old expander lympth removal arm -  I'm so very determined to somehow manage this and prior to going back to work I want to feel positive and strong.  Just sitting here having cuddles with my cats lol I really should go outside and groom one of the dogs lol I guess trying to keep active may keep me sane big hugs 

Hello Tracy

i have been taking letrozole since last August! I hope like hell it is doing wonders for me and every other person! My side effects have been terrible bone pain, loss of hair and fatigue! At first I could barely muster the energy to walk anywhere! It has got better over time but I try really hard to go to the pool most days or walk with my puppy! I reluctantly take panadol osteo in the morning and night! I stopped taking it this week but have started again! My oncologist was happy for me to have it! My hair thinning was probably due to the fact that I had radiation to my C2/C4 area! A hunk fell out then! But it certainly has thinned out considerably! I have also put some colour into it which I got from the health food shop which is fantastic! 

Everyone is different but if you can just take some time for yourself before you go back to work! 

Kind and warmest wishes to you

Sandra xxxx

Thanks Karenne yes I'm on the way back to work and that's one of my concerns I'll continue to push myself with some exercise and I believe if I can do that I will at least control some effects both physically and mentally I've got a gps appt Wed I think I'll ask for a script should this not feel better in a couple of weeks 

Thanks Deanne really appreciated I was able to exercise more this morning and that seemed to help the beginning of treatments that has been my biggest hurdle feeling well enough to exercise I so want to go back to life again now and yep I'm taking it mornings it's hard for me to switch off and it sure didn't help my crappy sleeps good luck with your treatments 

Hi there Tracey,  I was originally prescribed Arimidex but complained to my surgeon about the stiffness of joints etc., so he prescribed Letrozole.  I took them for about 4 or 5 days and felt like s##t on them so I just took myself off and went back to my Arimidex and although I have the stiffness still and the occasional cramping in my fingers, I feel so much better on Arimidex.  I too take them in the morning because they were interrupting my sleep and with work I had to have proper rest.  I have also found that with regular exercise and a good workout at the Gym that the stiffness is starting to dissipate a bit and I'm starting to feel like my old self again.  Maybe talk to your Specialist or Oncologists or GP and ask for Arimidex.

Good luck  Karenne

Hi

Firstly, in my experience the affects did settle. But I do think it is very individual (just like pretty much all of the side effects of treatment) and the types of effects and there on-set and duration can differ a lot.

I have been on letrozole (femara) since mid October last year. Before that I was on Tamoxifen for almost 2 years. 

At first I had no effects from Femara (except feeling a lot less moody than on Tamoxifen) but after a couple of weeks I noticed stiffness and pain in my wrists and fingers. This got worse over the next couple of weeks until it seemed that everything that had ever hurt on me, was hurting!

I also had trouble sleeping but found taking it in the morning rather than the evening helped with this. This slowly improved over a 3 month period until I felt it was ok.

The aches and pains also improved to an acceptable level during this time. I find exercise helps with both of these side effects (sleeping and aches and pains) and at least I am enjoying being a little less emotional!

My oncologist told me that I could expect improvements for about 6 months with this drug. I have found that to be true for me and have an ok quality of life now. But I do look forward to the day I can stop it (7.5 more years for me, I am told)!

Hope it helps to hear that it should get better for you as the weeks go by. You are right when you say this drug has a lot of benefits as far as recurrence is concerned. :) Deanne xxx