Has anyone ever experienced heel numbness while on letrazole?
Morning
Warm welcome to the group, not a club anyone wanted to join :-/
Heel Pain / Numbness seems to be a 'thing' with hormone therapy tablets whether that be Tamoxifen, Letrozole, Anastrozole etc
Several ladies here have had this or mentioned it but doctors seem reluctant to confirm the two are linked. The pain seems to be exactly as what is described in Plantar Fasciitis (policemans foot) from when they walked the beat, or rather stood still a lot.
First off you could get some 'Gel' type heel inserts until you can ease this. Some have found stretching exercises help. First thing in the morning raise and point your toes towards your chest to stretch out your calf muscles a few times - Another way folks have found helps is to stand on the bottom step of your stairs (or you could use a block or something like a chopping board between 3 - 5 cm thick with your heels overhanging the back edge and gradually lower yourself to stretch the plantar ligament that runs from your heel to the ball of your foot.
Another easy do'able method is the Can Roll, Tennis Ball or Frozen Water Bottle exercise - see image.
If after doing this for a while it doesn't seem to be helping (easing this can take quite a while) you could get a cortisone injection but that tends to be a last resort. Mostly after a couple of months this seems to disappear on it's own ?
Another possible fix is to change the brand of Letrozole, there are around 6 brands of generic letrozole - most find one that suits them over the others and try to stick with it. Although this heel issue seems to stem from lack of oestrogen rather than the 'fillers' used to bulk up the tablets.
If you type plantar fasciitis into the groups search bar it will bring up previous messages about this - make sure you spell it correctly though
Hope this is of some help for now, take care, G n' J
Thank you so very much for your guidence.
I am happy to hear that it hopefully eventually goes away.
I have high arches too....so i will try the exercises .
I do find that at night soaking them in Epsom salt bath helps and hand lotion after that.
The strange rhing is i have been on both 150mg and then 100 mg since Jan....with no effects....now i just started 50 mg and i have this issue.
Makes me consider the 6 different brands.
Thank you again!
Candu
Hi
Is that dose figure correct ? As most daily Letrozole tablets for oestrogen positive breast cancer are only around 2.5mg.
Those dosage levels are sometimes used for IVF and/or Ovulation Induction.
Sorry I just realised you probably mean the dose of the Verzenio - I don't know if the Verzenio could cause this as I have only read about the heel pain from the hormone therapy tablets.
Take care, G n' J
Hi
Yes, my heels have been numb since my chemo ended. Some brands of Letrazole cause me pain in my feet/heels and achilles tendon. It's worth trying out a few brands if you have a choice!
Kind regards
Gertie
Whatever cancer throws your way, we’re right there with you.
We’re here to provide physical, financial and emotional support.
© Macmillan Cancer Support 2025 © Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland. A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales company number 2400969. Isle of Man company number 4694F. Registered office: 3rd Floor, Bronze Building, The Forge, 105 Sumner Street, London, SE1 9HZ. VAT no: 668265007