Apologies I know this may have arisen previously but I couldn’t see anything in forum
I’ve been on Letrozole for 5weeks and am finding that the pain in my joints are extremely painful. It’s affecting me in the day and night, sleeping and moving around in the day. I’ve been exercising to try and alleviate the pain but it’s not helping. I have stomach issues so can only take painkillers now and then as I can’t tolerate them too well. Has anyone continued with Letrozole or gone onto another type? I’m confused as I don’t know if another type will still work as well against the cancer. I feel this and since all that has happened since may this year is and has robbed me of my life
I have been on Letrazole since January/February and do get neck and shoulder pain quite a lot. To be fair I got some right shoulder pain prior to my diagnosis and have generally been achy and stiff since the menopause donkey’s years ago.
I have found that the pain has improved over the months. I saw a physio who gave me specific exercises which help. I take 2 paracetamol first thing in the morning as that is the worst time for me. If I need more I take a Naproxen - this is on prescription but I had it anyway as I have hand arthritis. Naproxen is a brilliant painkiller. I take it with Lansoprazole to protect my tummy and don’t have any tummy problems. I probably take Naproxen once or possibly twice a week. I take it if I’m anticipating a busy day eg. when we have our toddler grandaughter once a week.
I think there are other things you can take instead of Letrazole so it may be worth talking to your Oncologist. Of course the side effects are so individual that it’s impossible to say if changing to something else would be better or worse.
Maybe it’s worth talking to your GP about painkillers with something to protect your tummy to go alongside it.
Hi. There are some other discussions about Letrozole on here if you put Letrozole in the search bar it should bring them up
Letrozole can have very brand specific effects, not because of the Letrozole itself but because of the different ‘fillers’ each company uses. I get really severe knee pain and joint issues with Sun Pharma or Cipla brands but very little with Accord or Amarox brands. Other people have different experiences and cannot use Accord but can other brands. It’s worth asking to change brands as a first step to try. Hope things improve for you soon.
Hi, so sorry you’re struggling with Letrozole. It really can be very tough with the side affects in the early days. The tiredness and joint pain are just awful. Speaking as someone who’s been on it for 18 months I can say that it does get much better. Sometimes different brands help, taking it at different times of day, or even switching to a different AI. It’s a bit of trial and error in the first few months.
Keep going if you can as there are benefits to taking it and it can help prevent recurrence. Lots of us tolerate it well even after a rocky start. Good luck and I hope things improve for you.
