letrozole side effects - sudden onset?

Hi Lesley,

Yes I get it 5 or 6 times a day. Seen cardiologist had a heart monitor for 24 hour trace. He said 5 or 6 a day won't harm me. I said  is it the Letrozole causing it and he said Yes but you have to take it.

I've been on it 4 years in October. It's worse when I'm going asleep

Thank you.  That is very reassuring. I have had the 24 hour monitoring done too and it picked up at least 4 episodes, one where I was sitting quietly and calmly reading a book when my heart rate  suddenly shot up. Am still to see a cardiologist. Sometimes it just feels odd but other times, when it is going above 150, it  can be quite scary. Like you, I find as I try to sleep, especially when I turn onto my left side, it is worse. Well I will see how it goes but I appreciate you sharing your experience.

hugs xx

Snowys Mum, I get it too. It was much worse. When I was on the more recent chemo, Cape, but I was also,anaemia, and I was told a low serum iron was also a factor. It improved after iv iron, but never cleared up. Xx

Hi, about the fast Heart rate, I had that a year or so before menopause anyway, so presumably in perimenopause. I  asked then if it could be linked, and the doc I saw then suggested it could well be a sign I was beginning menopause. 

So it surely follows that Letrozole, in reducing oestrogen, can have the same effect? 

Hugs xxx

Hey. reading about your heart, made me realise, I suddenly have a racing heart for the slightest exertion...walking from the hall to the kitchen, taking the bins out...never really computed it to the letrizole. I also have frequent dizzy spells where its like I am going to faint. quite scary when its happening. I am super forgetful, literally talking and forget what we were talking about....short tempered, put that down to exhaustion from the insomnia.

Im now 3 days off Letrizole, The twinges in my wrist is subsiding although some actions are still giving me twinges. My ankles are still stiff, but not painful...my shoulder howeverr is still aching....apparently it takes two weeks to get out of the system.

I used the predictor tool here, to see if the statistics of the success of hormone therapy and statistically over the ten yrs.,...it does make quite a difference, so Im going to try another brand and hope it lessens these effects, if not Im just going to have to suck it up and be grateful to be alive/.

                                    x

Thank you Moomy, that is reassuring and I think you are correct. I had a hysterectomy 20 years ago and had 10 wonderful years of no periods and HRT  - but was taken off the HRT after that and then went through the menopause, so about 10 years ago. I know I moaned a bit about sleeplessness and flushes at the time but I didn't really have any other issues and nothing to do with heart rate then so all this has been a wee bit of a surprise. I know we all hear about side effects but I always thought they were supposed to be worse at the start and then hopefully eased off - or perhaps we were just supposed to get used to them. I had no idea I could have sudden and extreme side effects more than a year on. The joint pain is also becoming a real issue so I guess it is all tied up together. I will wait to see the cardiologist then maybe try a different brand of letrozole.

Thanks again

Hugs back to you xxx

Thanks for that, seaspirit44. I didn't have chemo so i cannot blame that. I had a really horrible virus Jan / Feb, went on for weeks and I coughed so much I cracked two ribs so maybe a wee tonic or a course of iron would help. 

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. None of my friends has had cancer and, 15 months on, I get the vibe from some of them that I should be back to normal (Been there, done that, time to move on...) so it is good to know that I can still bring my worries here and you will understand. 

love to all x