Hi francie1,
Hope you’re feeling okay on Letrozole. I’ve been on it a while and yes, I do have side affects, but they’ve been manageable and I try not to dwell on them too much. I don’t sleep well now, usually have to get up a couple of times a night to use the loo, have joint pain, dry itchy skin, hair loss, heart palpitations, weight gain and all the other well documented symptoms that we get in menopause. I’ve been pretty tired for two years and some side affects have really impacted.
Despite this I never miss a dose because I see them as my safety net. My BC was found early and I’m forever grateful. They told me originally that taking hormone therapy wasn’t going to change my outcomes much. My Predict score offered up stats of about 2% benefit over 10 years which was pretty low. It was still beneficial and protective to take them so I always do.
I started on Tamoxifen for 2 years and they gave me Letrozole for 3. I want to try to take it for longer just to feel safe. They probably won’t let me and say there’s no need as five years of hormone therapy is very protective but I’m going to find it tough to finish. I had a mastectomy but that’s it. No other treatment so, as I say, it’s my safety net.
It’s a bit unnerving reading about so many people who don’t finish the prescribed course because of side effects, especially for people just starting. Everyone is different but many of us tolerate it well. Of course it’s right to stop for some people if they are miserable, but I feel as in so many things in life, being positive and pressing on can be very beneficial. I just take a view that my oncoplastic breast surgeon told me to take them, so I do. I trust their advice.
All the best.
Francis