Hi everyone,
I’m 4 weeks post surgery and have been given letrozole ahead of my radiotherapy which starts in 3 weeks.
I have to say I’m petrified of starting this drug having seen all the posts on here, it sounds totally grim. I’m 51 and so scared of this next chapter.
Is there anyone out there that is tolerating this drug ok?
Xx
Yes but people tend to post here if they have bad side effects I try and counter that as have been taking nearly four years and tolerate well can take a few months to settle down.
I’m fine and have been on it 4 months now. I don’t notice much of anything.
Hi Molly-Chorley
I can totally relate to your apprehension…
My sister (a retired GP) managed to tolerate letrozole for 7 years (she was due to be on it for ten years, but stopped early as studies showed similar benefits - sorry I don’t have the references here.) She found the following things helped: plant-based Mediterranean diet, vitamin D3 supplements if warranted (she also had melanoma so had to be careful in the sun), exercise and the occasional glass of wine at lunchtime. Many of us can’t tolerate alcohol, but the odd glass is fine and less likely to induce night sweats/sleep disturbance if taken earlier!
I’ve been on anastrozole for 3 months now and while I’ve had a few side effects, headaches to begin with, night sweats, random joint/muscle aches, most have settled down and are manageable with the above measures. You may have a bit of trial and error to find what suits best… like many others, I’ve found the Accord generic make tolerable and my pharmacist has kindly put a note on my records to provide this in future.
Do let your GP/oncologist know if you have problems, don’t suffer in silence, there are many ways they can help.
Good luck with it.
JS64
I just wanted to thank you for asking this question and to everyone who responded. I’m in a very similar position…lumpectomy 4 weeks ago and seeing the radiologist/oncologist tomorrow and suspect he will recommend letrozole prior to radiotherapy. I’ve been really nervous about it due to all the side effects posts I’ve seen so it’s great to see some balance and hopefully in a few months time I’ll be able to share a similar positive (or I’ll happily settle for at least a not too bad) experience.
Hi,
I am 2 months post surgery and was prescribed Letrozole. I’ve been on it for 3 weeks now. I am post menopausal but I did recognise the signs of the emotional impact. I was prepared for it which helped but having said that it has been very minor. I have been low and tearful this last 10 days but that could be a combination of the drugs plus my brain catching up with everything that’s happened. I start radiotherapy next week. I know it’s early days but I haven’t noticed anything too significant. My main problem at the moment is getting the GP to get my next prescription done as my initial one went through the hospital pharmacy. I needed to have another blood test before they’d do the prescription - another hoop to jump through. Thank goodness for the BC nurses, councillor and this forum 
Good luck.
Hi Molly. I am 6 weeks post surgery. Start my radiotherapy in about 3 weeks. I started Letrozole on the 31st March. I too am very anxious after hearing about side effects people are having. What I have noticed so far is my hot flushes are worse, get light headed now and then, some headaches, upset stomach being menopausal anyway I don’t know if all that is due to being menopausal or side effects of Letrozole!! I can understand you being petrified, I feel the same. It is hard because there isn’t anyone I know who as gone through the same, that I can talk too. X
Hello gang,
I wanted to post an update as I eventually put my brave girl pants on and started letrozole. I’ve just completed four weeks and here’s what I’ve noticed so far…
My shoulders and joints are a little achy but all tolerable and I’ve started to get a few tummy issues - an odd really sharp pain underneath my right breast that is typically followed by a burp. This happens periodically so I’m guessing it’s a bit of acid. I’m planning to purchase aloe Vera juice to see if that helps.
I’m definitely more constipated so I’m going to try magnesium citrate to see if that helps. I’m 51 post menopausal, very active walking every day and I go to the gym. My diet is very healthy mainly Mediterranean and I limit alcohol to a couple of glasses at the weekend. My GP prescribed fluoxetine to help with my awful anxiety post surgery and a benefit of this is it helps with the flushes so I’m good on that front. I also take calcium, vit D and fish oil supplements.
So better than I thought it would be and so I thought I’d share as I know so many of us really worry about this medication. Thank you to all of you who encouraged me to try it as I know it’s a good preventative measure.
Have a lovely Sunday everyone x
Hi
I was on Letrezole for 5 and a half years. The intial 12 months I found really hard with the joint pain and hot flushes. I eventually started taking gabapentin for the hot flushes. The aches and pains grew less as time went on, or perhaps I just got used to them and didn’t even notice them, but unfortunately Letrozole stopped working for me.
What I had not realised is that it was affecting my mental health. I always had a dark cloud over my head. Never saw the good in anything and cried at the drop of a hat. I had become very intolerant and had mood swings. I did not experience anything like this with the menopause.
It was not until I stopped taking Letrozole that I realised there had been an issue. My partner thought it was down to my age - bloody cheek as he’s older than me?
Jan