Letrozole and alendronic-acid after breast cancer with Crohn’s disease?

Hi Bee54,

Thanks for contacting us and welcome to the online community.

 I’m Rachel one of the Cancer Information Nurses working on the Macmillan support line.

It’s great to see that you’ve been recovering well since your surgery and radiotherapy for breast cancer but I’m sorry to see that you’re experiencing lots of diarrhoea since surgery and are struggling to come to terms with the medication suggested. I can imagine that this must be difficult and frustrating at a time when you’re trying to maintain your fitness and active lifestyle.

As nurses on the support line, we don’t have access to medical records and can’t diagnose the specific cause of your diarrhoea. We’d always suggest you contact your GP and Breast Cancer Team if you’re experiencing health changes or getting side effects from treatment. They are best placed to assess you and help to manage your symptoms. It’s important to tell them about any supplements and other medications that you’re taking as these may also be contributing to your symptoms and may interact with your treatment. If you have a Gastroenterology consultant or nurse specialist, they may also be able to offer advice and support.

As you’re experiencing lots of diarrhoea, we’d suggest you seek a medical review as soon as possible.  If the diarrhoea is particularly frequent, or severe, is associated with any of the symptoms mentioned here or you feel otherwise unwell it’s important to call NHS 111 today for urgent medical advice particularly as you also have Crohn’s Disease, which can affect absorption and make you more likely to become dehydrated. In the meantime, it’s important to have frequent drinks of water or dilute juice to replace the fluid you’re losing and not to take medications to treat diarrhoea without speaking to your doctor.

It may help you to be aware that, although diarrhoea isn’t a common side effect of Letrozole, it can be a side effect of Alendronic Acid, which isn’t suitable for some people who have problems with their digestion. Your doctor may be able to prescribe an alternative treatment or medication to help with the diarrhoea if they think this might be affecting you.

I hope this helps, but please know that you can call one of our nurses to discuss things further.

Take care and best wishes

Rachel

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref RC/SMG