Is it ok to take Evening Primrose Oil, Vitamin B and Calcium Magnesium alongside Letrozole? My joint pains and fatigue are awful 
Hey. I would speak to your oncologist. My Onco said there was no need as you should be getting everything you need through your diet. I take Vitamin D for my bones but thats it. I personally think vitamins are a waste of money vut each to their own. X
I was given calcichew vit d forte to take with mine . He said if joints got bad to take seven seas active joint care
Hello,
I’ve been on letrozole for 6 month now.I take calcium and vit d both prescribed by oncologist and I also take fish oils every morning to help with joints. My routine is letrozole and fish oil after breakfast and calcium and vitamin d after lunch. So far so good.
All the very best hun, I know it’s all scary and I was very worried about letrozole but I’m doing ok.
Xx
1 Like
Hi Pebbles51
Thanks for your post. It’s understandable that you’re asking if you can take certain supplements for your joint pain and fatigue, due to side effects from letrozole.
Many people ask about vitamin and herb supplements as they want to do as much as possible to be healthy. There is often the belief that vitamins and herbs are safe as they are considered natural.
There is much we don’t know about supplements and herbal remedies. Herbal treatments don’t have to comply with the same regulations or rigorous testing that conventional medicines do. For many products there is a lack of research to support their use, and some can interfere with conventional medicines including cancer treatments. You can search this American website, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, for information about individual herbs and vitamins. Each has sections on existing evidence and what known interaction there is with other medications. You may find that that some herbs have different names in America. You can also search herbal products and supplements on the European website Complementary and Alternative Medicine for cancer and on the American website Medicine Plus
As @Forest1865 and @M0lly-Chorley say, do speak to your treatment team before taking any supplements.
Experiencing fatigue (the feeling of tiredness or exhaustion) after receiving treatment for breast cancer is very common. Many people find that they start to get their energy levels back as time passes after treatment, but for some fatigue can continue for months or sometimes years.
Other factors may also contribute to fatigue, such as: the emotional impact of a breast cancer diagnosis; altered sleep patterns; reduced activity and poor diet.
There are things you can try to help manage fatigue as discussed in the previous links. You may want to keep a diary to record when you feel most tired. This can help you plan activities you enjoy in the times when you have more energy. Trying to stay physically active can help. Eating a healthy well balanced diet is also important. The following tips for better sleep may also be helpful.
If you have not done so already, do discuss how you are feeling with your treatment team, breast care nurse or GP. It’s important they are aware of any side effects you are experiencing and how they are affecting your daily life. There are a few situations where fatigue may be due to other conditions such as anaemia, (too few red blood cells in the body) or thyroid problems so it’s important these are ruled out.
We often hear from women that fatigue can have a real impact on their day-to-day life. It can be difficult to describe fatigue and other people may not always understand how you are feeling. They may assume that after treatment, you are back to normal and don’t understand the difference between tiredness and fatigue or be aware that it can continue after treatment has finished.
You may be interested in the Macmillan booklet Coping with fatigue (tiredness).
Joint and muscular pains are also a common side effect of letrozole. Taking a mild pain and anti- inflammatory medication may help with this. Gentle exercise may help with your joint discomfort.
I’m unsure how long you’ve been taking letrozole. Again, do talk to your treatment team about taking a break from letrozole or switching to another type of hormone therapy or to see if the symptoms improve.
We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events.
For more details about all of these services, please see the information on the link, or call our free helpline.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen to your concerns, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000, (Relay UK -prefix 18001).
If you would prefer one of our nurses to call you. To do this, please complete this form ticking the box agreeing to a call back.
Our usual opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm and 9am -1pm on Saturday.
Out of hours you can leave a message and we will call you back when we next open.
Best wishes
Addie
Breast Care Nurse
Please read the Ask Our Nurses disclaimer Full details on how we collect and use your data can be found in our Privacy Policy
This thread will now be closed from further replies. If you have any additional questions or would like to provide feedback, please start a new thread.