Letrozole Side effects

Jacmatholmad 

Tagging you in on this one as I know we have spoken regarding these meds about the different brands can have different effects on people

Any chance you might be able to add to this chat?

And dust off your science brain. Tee hee

TY lovely

Leolady

 I have no idea how you can approach your Doctors and more specifically your pharmacy about this, but there are definitely differences between brands.  I too am subject to the whim of pharmacies choosing what ever brand they think is less expensive than Femara, but my doctor becomes a veritable tiger when the pharmacy tries to put me on brands that don't do well for me.  And there are most definitely differences.  I was on Femara brand for 5 months with absolutely no side effects.  Immediately following my RT the pharmacy switched me to an AvKare brand and it was hideous.  My neck in particular felt like it had a hot wire running from my skull to mid back.  The fatigue was unrelenting and I had an inability to focus.  Have you ever seen the Walking Dead?  That was me pretty much.  I did a study of all the inert ingredients in the AvKare vs Femara brands and I think the one thing listed in AvKare that wasn't in Femara was Titanium Dioxide.  It's a filler and apparently DOES produce bad side effects in SOME people.  I'm now on the Breckenridge generic and it has no Titanium Dioxide and I get a little tired, but seem to be fine.  My suggestion to you is to do an ingredient comparison and go to you Dr. with your findings.  He/she should have enough clout to get the pharmacy to behave.

The 3 main meds that are prescribed for post menopausal women who are ER+and HER- and Letrozole, Anastrozole and Exemestane.  They all pretty much do the same thing, but Exemestane is a steroidal med, and Letrozole is considered to be the "Golden Child" by many physicians.  All of course come in varying generic brands.  If you're just doing poorly with any Letrozole and none of the other brands have helped, you might consider talking to your Dr. about either Anastrazole or Exemestane.  Good Luck to you!  Mira

Hi there,

i don't think I can add much more about brands but there has been proven a definite difference between them. I take Tamoxifen and when I collected the first supply from my pharmacist she invited me for a consultation. During which she actually offreered up the issue that different brands can suit people better than others.

she was most helpful and if I found one I wanted to stay on she would make sure she got it it. Proof came when second supply was different and she said no problem and ordered the correct ones I'd asked for. I don't think the GPs have much sway as it's the pharmacy budget not theirs. But if you have no luck it may be worth either trying to get your GP to put pressure on or maybe seek out an alternative pharmacy..

my side effects have been fairly limited so far thankfully, tiredness first one, but I think emotional crying has kicked in today.....grrrr!

best of luck with it all

Hi all

having done alot of research, you all need to complete a Yellow form, this gives clout to getting the manufacturers to wake up about what hideous reactions they are causing patients to have

also you go to your GP, armed with paperwork from on here, of all different conversations, however if he or she is a good gp, they will understand and know the issues, and they write on your repeat prescriptions, the brand you are happy to manage with,, ie the best one for you,, and the chemist HAS to and is obliged to get this for you, they are not paying for it

chemists will order a tablet, and the suppliers they use will give them the cheapest brand, hence making more profit in the process, but if its specified then there is a choice, Boots are pretty good as they just order it in and recharge to gp as they should do.

they is miles and miles of info on here, but you ladies are entitled to have the treatment that can manage your life more normally, without having to get extra meds for pain etc

SAlly

xxx

Hi ladies

I am reading all this with interest and quite a bit of dread. I am about to start letrozole but have been given a short grace period as am still recovering from sepsis three weeks ago. I already have osteoarthritis (particularly bad in my hands, one shoulder and knees) and also have reactive rheumatoid arthritis from having sepsis a few years ago (yes, I did manage to get it twice) so tend to get the occasional flare up with fatigue etc. My brand seems to be Accord and titanium oxide is one of the ingredients. I am seriously wondering, having spoken to friends who have been through this  (all three are, like me in their 60s or over, and are now on tamoxifen instead)in addition to reading about it on this site, if it is worth all the side effects. If this brand does not work out, any suggestions as to what to request? Is it worth discussing with a pharmacist before I start or should I bite the bullet, get started and see how it goes?

 Thanks, Lesley x

Hi,

Would like to know, why you did not go back to Femara if you had no side effect.    I am about to get on Tamoxifen ..but right now I am searching all other options before using it.   Thanks for the above information you have giving me.  I will surely keep an eye on the brand my pharmacist is given me.    I have read a lot on Femara and all comments  go to the manufacturer Novartis

I am opened to all the information and all experiences you can gave me on these hormone therapies before deciding which one is best for me. with the less side effects.

Thanking you so much in advance.  Love this site and you all.

Hi Lesley

Hi,

If you can't get Femara - See if it is possible to get the generic Sandoz.

Sandoz is the generic arm of Novartis (the maker of Femara) and the ingredients are practically identical right down to the lettering on the tablets and colour.

A few ladies reported a shortage of Sandoz letrozole a few months back, but they may have sorted the supply problem out now ?

G n' J

Hi machka 10,

I have been taking the Accord brand of letrozole since last July. To begin with I had a few hot flushes but these soon calmed down. I did get aches in my fingers so I started taking seven seas glucosamine with omega tablets and. I found these helped a lot. They are quite expensive. If I stop taking them I notice the aches slowly come back.

Also at the beginning I noticed that in the morning I was really stiff everywhere. I was like a robot (stiff movement s) for 20 mins. I am not that bad now. 

My personal suggestion would be to give the Accord brand a go for 6-8 weeks to give your body time to get used to it.

Gay xxx

Thanks, Elaine

I think i am just feeling a bit low and wobbly still. I have had no time in the last 6 weeks when I was not taking painkillers, anti-clotting injections or high dose antibiotics (which made me very very sick) and I just want a break. Reading about the side effects just threw me into a panic. Time to put on my brave pants and get on with it. Thanks for the advice, will give it a go for a couple of months and see how we go from there.

Lesley xx