Hi. I’ve been on Letrezole for 16 months with various side effects. However now have painful calf muscles, especially worse in bed. Could this be a sign of bone cancer or just another Letrezole side effect?
Hi lindag_1,
Thank you for your post.
Joint aches and pains are a very common side effect of letrozole. The cause of joint symptoms related to aromatase inhibitors is not known for certain, but it is thought that they are linked to a fall in oestrogen levels.
We hear from many women who experience joint symptoms such as pain and stiffness, and have questions about this. Symptoms may affect the hands, arms, knees, feet, pelvic and hip bones, or back. They often affect daily life, and some people consider stopping their treatment early.
It’s always important to talk to your treatment team or GP as soon as you can if you experience joint symptoms, or in your situation painful calf muscles. As this is affecting your muscles and not your bones, they can assess and advise if they think this is related to the letrozole.
Regular pain relief and regular exercise such as walking, yoga or swimming may help to relieve pain and joint stiffness for some people. Physiotherapy can be helpful in some cases and you can discuss this with your GP or treatment team who can refer you if appropriate. Others find that complementary therapies such as acupuncture can help. If you are overweight this can put extra pressure on your joints, so it may help to lose any excess weight. Our information about healthy eating after breast cancer may be useful.
If the pain is severe, your treatment team may ask you to stop taking letrozole for a short period of time to see if your symptoms improve. You and your oncologist can then discuss your treatment options.
They may suggest changing to a different aromatase inhibitor drug to see if that suits you better or recommend another hormone therapy, tamoxifen which has fewer joint-related side effects. Your treatment team will be able to talk to you about the benefits of doing this.
You may be interested to register for our upcoming speaker live session on understanding hormone treatment with Dr Marina Parton.
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Best wishes
Sonia
Breast Care Nurse
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