Hi [@Cassieg]‍ 

I'm in similar situation to yourself, in that I had breast cancer 9 yrs ago, had lumpectomy, followed by radiotherapy.

I've been diagnosed with breast cancer again, on the other side, just before Christmas, had surgery (some delays due to falling and injuring ribs, hence postponing surgery, then having further excision with SLNB.  Now for 'Plannning' appt next Tues (20 April) and radiotherapy to start 4 May 2021, for 15 sessions. 

I have also been prescribed Letrozole 2.5 mgs daily, as ER+ which I started a few weeks ago but stopped them after just 11 days, due to side effects, mainly joint pain and stiffness in shoulders.  I've had shoulder disclocation, with nerve damage, last summer which is still taking lots of physio/exercises to get range of movement back.  I stopped Letrozole because I woke up one morning, after gentle stretching the day before, and could hardly move the shoulder/arm.  In addition, my other shoulder was very stiff and painful too (I have injured both shoulders in the past)  So, rather than jeopardize radiotherapy, I decided to stop.

As you are struggling with side effects, I would suggest you do as I'm going to do, which is, get the prescription on it's own separate prescription sheet.  This will mean you can go to any pharmacy and check what brand(s) they have in stock, and choose which brand you want to trial.  It seems different people get on better with different brands so trial and error seems the way forward. 

I'm going to aim to trial a brand for 3 months, then, swap to another brand if needed, keeping note of which brands are giving me what side effects and 'scoring' therm, so I know which one will suit me best.

I had Tamoxifen and Anastrozole 9 yrs ago, both with side effects making life miserable so stopped them.  At that time, I hadn't considered trialling different brands, more the pity.  It seems fillers, and/or colourants, can play a part as to whether an individual can tolerate them

Wishing you all the best and hope you can find a brand that you can tolerate better  :wink:

Hi ChocDrop, thanks for your reply, it didnt occur to me about the different brands, so yes that might be the reason for the side effects this time, i'll look in to it. One other problem i'm having, unrelated to the Letrozole, is 'cording' in the left arm. I dont know if you've ever had this (I didn't have it last time) but its extremely painful and does restrict full movement of the arm. Its a visible 'cord' which stands out in the skin and goes from the armpit down to the wrist. Its just manifested itself this past week so i'm going to have a word with my breast care nurse in monday. Having googled it, I've learned that there are some physio excercises available to try and improve it. Its just a very different experience I'm having this time, compared to last time. Also with this side, having radiotherapy has potentially some risks to the heart, so I'm practising the 'holding the breath' technique ready for starting the treatment.

Hi Csssieg

I've been taking Letrazole scince 27th February, and was fine for first 7/10  days. But I have pains in my feet ,legs ,hands  shoulder and body.  I am feeling extremely tired all the time ,and dont sleep well ,but then I never did sleep well.  The pain is worse first thing in the mornings, does subside a lot, but comes back in now and again during the day.  My oncologist has asked me to give it 3 months, as it takes your body a good 3 minthes to get used to it,and in  was told it should all settle down given time. So although its tough,some days worse than others, that's what I'm doing, I'm waiting to see if it settles down . I know from on here and a friend who took them ( she gave them 2 mths) not everyone  continues with them for the duration of three months, and give up and try another medication, but I am willing to give it the 3 months, and hopefully my body will get used to the Letrazole, as I was told  it is the preferred tablets by most oncologists ,as it has a slightly higher success rate. And we are all different, what I experienced ,you may not, and hopefully even if you do it will settle down in the given time. Goid luck with evetything X