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Not coping with taking my letrozole medication after breast

Eggy
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omg where do I begin had a lumpectomy 13/12/16 results 2 weeks later back in 10/1/17 for second operation again 2 weeks later back for results back in 7/2/17 for mastectomy all this was fine  it was like a rollercoaster didn't have time to think about myself only how my family would cope etc then a month on I started taking letrozole and bang I have never felt so unwell is this normal? Has anyone else experienced awful side effects from this tablet?

  • Offline in reply to Francy
    Hi peeps I’ve been on letrozole for 2 yrs now. First 2 wks oh my. The worst was the joint pain...by the end of wk 1 I was literally having to go up the stairs on all fours. The consultant said when he gave me the meds... give side effects a couple of wks to settle down because the often do. End of wk 2 he was right I was walking upright again. Side effects I still get 2 yrs on...the odd night sweat so not every night, if I ever wake through the night for the loo my hands and feet ache but it gone by morning and my hair has changed texture and if definitely thinning. I take my tablet at 9 pm ( someone said it helped- don’t know if it does cos just figured gotta take it so went straight for the pm time.). I was originally told I’d be taking it for 5 yrs then a wk later was told it would be 10 yrs. Gotta admit if the pain I got 1st wk continued I’d have asked for something else... there are alternatives to be given. Everyone is different so we tolerate medication differently. The thread was started in early 2017 wonder how @eggy and everyone else is getting on x ️X
  • Offline in reply to olliebrand12

    Only been taking letrozole for about three weeks and recently have really bad pains in one hip joint then the other and sometimes my knees. Some days I even have trouble walking. Seeing clinical oncologist today so hoping he can prescribe some relief. Cant put up with this for 7 years!!!

  • Offline in reply to Francy

    Hi 

    I have had BC since 2013 am 44 with a family and full time job - I have had many side effects fro Letrozole including extreme pins and needles in my hands, terrible aches in my joints and most recently loss of appetite and fatigue 

    my boss bought me a bottle of Arnica oil when I had the joint aches.... I went from being semi crippled by them to being completely free from pain !  That side effect has now gone and I am now trying to sort out my appetite  

  • Offline in reply to nkuhn

    Thank  you very much for this tip.  I will try it, thank you very much, all the best.  Ally

  • Offline in reply to Flip

    Hi,

    i also take letrozole and often feel very fatigued. I’m a keen walker and walked around tenmiles a day. However I began to have severe pelvic pain and was diagnosed with arthritis. No one suggested s link and I was too surprised to ask at the time. Anyone else had similar reactions? 

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    Hi Audrey, I’ve been on Letrozole since shortly after mastectomy in August 2018. At first, the main thing I noticed was that I was sleeping well for the first time in years! Between my husband and me we had four unrelated cancers over the same number of years. My brother was buried after having bowel cancer just 3 days before my op for the same. My husband then died in 2017, hence my difficulty with sleeping. 

    However, despite being very fit and walking miles per day, I was diagnosed with arthritis recently, which apparently can be a result of treatment. I now find it very difficult to sleep despite being exhausted and also feel generally under par over the last few months. Roll on October 2023 when my treatment with Letrozole should end! However, I also feel grateful that my breast cancer can hopefully be kept at bay!! Good Luck to you! 

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    I've been on letrozlole for three months, but have had to stop. The pins and needes and pains all down my arm, but particularly in the hand were really debilitating. I couldn't even text. I am being swapped to a new type of AI, but wondered how long the pins and needles would take to stop. I've not taken any drugs for three weeks now, and yet the problems have not subsided. Can anyone advise?

  • Offline in reply to Xenia

    Hi 

    sorry to hear that you are going through this..... I had the very same thing and it lasted a few months what really helped me was compression gloves the tingling went after a few weeks and the pain went with it - worth a go!! Good luck

  • Offline in reply to nkuhn

    Can you advise me where I can purchase Arnica Oil and also do you massage it on your body or take a dose? Have pains in my l legs, hip and now back, and am having trouble getting up the stairs. It is turning me into an old lady! Many thanks for any help you can give me please xxxx

  • Offline in reply to Violetas

    Hi 

    sounds just like I was! Horrid! 
     

    we bought about 5 bottles of out on line.... you rub it in on the affected areas two or 3 times a day .... it honestly did wonders for me.... you could just start off buying one bottle and see if it works for you

     

    Good Luck xxx

     

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