Letrazole and collagen supplements - advice/experience

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1

Hi,

I’ve been on Letrazole for 3 and a half years now, 18 months to go.

I’ve had a lot of joint pain since starting on Letrazole and over the last 12 months managed to reduce that and strengthen my kees and hips in particular with consistent PT sessions 3 xweekly. As part of trrying to tackle the joint pain I’ve started taking a collagen supplement which I think has contributed to easing the joint pain. However, I had a review appointment earlier today with the BCU to ask whether I could come off the Letrazole or switch to another therapy. During the discussion I mentioned the collagen and the BCU nurse practitioner I saw said they recommend not taking any supplements other than Vitamin D ( and my prescribed calcium supplement) because they didn’t know whether collagen ( or anything else) had a negative effect on the effectiveness of the Letrazole, there is simply no evidence one way or the other .
Does anyone have any experience of this or advice?

I’m going back on the Letrazole as of today and don’t want to stop the collagen if its not necessary, equally, don’t want top carry on if it might reduce the effectiveness of the Letrazole.

Btw. I took a six week holiday from the Letrazole, my hips and knees had already improved with exercise before that but I have noticed my hands are less stiff since I stopped taking it and I’d never had stiffness in my hands prior to taking Letrazole.

Thanks in advance

2

Hi :blush:

I have taken Anastrozole for nearly 10 years now and started taking collagen about 3 years ago. I asked my GP and Aldi the pharmacist who both said it would be fine. I’m not sure how different Letrazole is to Anastrozole, but maybe ask your pharmacist? Xx

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I was on Anastrazole for 5 years (recently changing to esemestane) and was advised not to take collagen supplements other than vitamin D. You should make sure they are plant-based. Some supplement derived from animals and it is unknown what they have been injected with.

4

Hello Curly_Sue,

Thanks for posting

Joint pain is a common side effect of hormone therapies like letrozole, and you are not alone in taking a supplement to try and ease this. The difficulty is most supplements 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, as your nurse practitioner said, some can interfere with conventional medicines including cancer treatments. This includes herbal and plant based supplements @YV4820 mentions.

It’s not currently possible for us to say if it is safe to take collagen supplements. There is research looking at collagen levels and breast cancer, but it is not clear if this would mean that collagen supplements should be avoided. This article might be of interest Collagen benefits: Should I take a supplement? | MD Anderson Cancer Center

You could ask a pharmacist as @Kim555pink says but it sounds as if you have been advised to only take vitamin D.

Strength and flexibility exercises can help reduce joint and muscle pain. It sounds as if the physical activity has helped your hips and knees and the break in treatment has reduce the stiffness in your hands.

To connect with other women you can do this through the range of services we offer including the hormone therapy section of our forums.

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