Joint pain from letrozole, any advice?

Hi Galligirl,

not sure how long you’ve been on Letrozole? I found the aches got worse during the first few months but lessened after about 4 months or so. I stuck to Accord all the time as it seems swapping brands doesn’t help.

what supplements are you taking? I chatted with BCN and take a Rose hip capsule anyway plus a multivitamin and mineral. I found Claritin (generic name is Loratidine) helps too, I know it’s an antihistamine but the USA haematologists prescribe it for the bone pain from G-CSF and it does seem to help. I also added Glucosamine with Chondroitin. 

hope you find it eases and any supplements helps, do check it out with your BCN though.

hugs xxx

Thank yo....I am 10 months in but will have a look...

Hey thank you ordered some Claritin and rose hip ....happy to give them am a go..thank you!

Hope it helps, hubs calls me a hypochondriac! I also added a course of vitamin B12 as at one point my ankles and feet began to feel really stiff and as if they were swollen. The sub-lingual spray/drops works best. 
hugs xxx

hi galligirl

i know how you feel, I have been on letrozole for 4 months now, advised to stick to the accord make. My joints ache a lot and stiffen up easy, don’t know if it’s a mixture of the tablets and back to work but find I am shattered!! I use to do a lot of walking but since my operation in June , I haven’t done much. Was thinking I need to get back to it to see if it helps the joints etc. I will have to look to see if there is any supplements I could try. 

Rita x

It’s hard, isn’t it? I worry that the issues are due to secondary cancer...but how do I know what is relevant? My oncologist was very easy going saying that if I felt pain that lasted more than a couple of weeks then investigate...but the pain I have felt has go on for months.And it isn’t really painful just stiffness....at what point do people say something is painful? 

I am not sure where to place myself...a difficult patient struggling with drugs or a more chilled out patient trying to find best way forward. I think I’m quite tough so when do I know something isn right? Bloody hell - what do you do for the right? I just want to be normal........I know this may never be possible but......

It sure is tough , I think sometimes we want to run before we can walk, we have had major surgery so I suppose we won’t be what I call “normal” for a long time. It’s all been a shock to the system with everything we have been through but I try and look at it as I am one of the lucky ones, I cannot imagine how all the people having chemo etc are feeling so I think if I have to live with this pain/stiffness that’s the way it is. On a positive note we have come through this journey and are cancer free, few months ago I felt as if I was in a black hole and would never get out, so let’s think positive and hope one day we will be pain free

All the best

Rita

Hi Galligirl.

Before this diagnosis I'd had BC before 13 years ago and took tamoxifen  for five years. 

I didn't know about side effects, but after a breakdown, I had a return to work medical and it was there that the pain in my joints were explained.

Over the last couple of years I've had surgery on my feet. Horrific hereditary bunions and arthritis. I was just getting over this when I got BC diagnosis. This time I'm on letrozole. 

The pain in my feet is back to square one and I have three trigger fingers on my right hand.

I went to GP, let's face it a basic BC like mine isn't worth the oncologists time!!! And he prescribed Etoricoxib 30vs a day. I think it has made a difference. Once my broken toe heals ,stubbed on the door frame coming back from a wee, I think I will be more mobile.

The whole thing is a vicious circle, can't move, put on weight, weight increases oestrogen, which is said to cause BC. So take hormone reducing drugs which cause pain which stop you wanting to move. And round we go again.

I'm reasonably happy to go for a wee through the night, before surgery an new drug I'd have happily wet the bed.

P.S. I take tumeric and cod liver oil. Tumeric definitely helps, but started taking Es at same time as cod liver oil.!!!!

Hi

I changed from Letrozole to Femara, same drug but not the generic. Quite honestly, I don't think it's made a lot of difference, I'm very stiff and painful joints, had arthritis in hands prior to this medication but now they seem much worse and my knees now play up, when I get out of bed to go downstairs I have to walk down side ways as its easier on my knees, they ease up after a while. What a carry on it is! 

I take Paracetamol prior to going to sleep, it helps during the night but by morning very stiff. Seems to be the norm on these meds.