Side effects from Arimidex and Letrozole

Hi Deanne, I have spoken to my GP & the Dr I see at the hospital. My GP put me on heavy duty anti nausea which I need every day. Unfortunately I cant exercise as Im a paraplegic & both of my shoulders are shot (at least I dont get joint pain in my hips & legs LOL). I am also having trouble with bone density & hand sensation, ankle & feet swelling, sweating, lack of appetite, concentration problems & forgetting what Im talking about mid sentence plus other side effects. The ones Im particularly concerned about are, I already had severe chronic major depression & the medication is making it much worse & the debilitating exhaustion. To the point Im considering going off the medication as its affecting my quality of life so  much. The Dr at the hospital did say I could try tamoxifen but Im not keen on that either. Another Dr at the hospital did say I could go off the Arimidex & take nothing but is that too much of a risk ???  Its such a hard decision to make. Do I go off it & risk a recurrence or try to work through it ? I dont know

Hi @PaulaN
I have been on Letrozole for just over 12 months. Before that I was on Tamoxifen for 2 years. Yes the fatigue can be a big issue. I had hardly any side effects on Tamoxifen but have found Letrozole more of a challenge  :/

With the fatigue I have found that I need to keep up some form of regular exercise. Strangely this actually gives me more energy! I also find that it helps immensely with any nausea and aches and pains. I walk every morning and this gives me my energy to get through the day. In the summer I also go for a swim most days. Recently I joined an exercise class to use weights and strengthen my bones. I found that my bone density was affected severely from Letrozole.

The exercise class has turned out to be lots of fun and I love the social side of it. None of us have ever enjoyed exercise this much before. I feel very fortunate to have stumbled across this class! It has made a big difference to how I feel physically and emotionally.

I also take a few vitamins and minerals to help counteract the side effects. I take magnesium, Vit C, krill oil, and glucosamine. Just last week I also started taking Curcumin capsules. These are a natural anti-inflammatory made from Turmeric. Always check with your doctors before taking any supplements in case they may cause any problems with other medications or health related issues for your situation.

It is not easy, but I am finding ways around most of the side effects. I know it is important to find a way to live well on this medication for me, so I just keep searching for ideas. I have learnt a lot from reading other posts on here. I hope that you can find some things that help with your side effects. Maybe check with your doctor about your side effects too. Sometimes there can be other issues that are causing the symptoms, nothing to do with the medication, but we just think it must be the drugs. Take care. Deanne xxx

I will be interested in the answers to this myself. Looking forward to Arimidex like a hole in the head!