***OESTROGEN-REDUCING MEDICATIONS***

Thank you I perhaps should have said my age which is 66.

I so crave doing normal stuffAs had to be careful as I guess a lot of folk on here have re Covid . I haven't been in a supermarket since start of chemo in Dec 2021 but now finished after this 7-14 day white cell wait I may be brave. Just didn't want anything to hold up chemo️

I'm on 1mg of Anastrozole. I'm just getting on with life now and will cope with any side effects as and when.

I've been suffering with night sweats so my GP prescribed Fluoxetine and I've noticed a slight improvement- he did say it could take 6 weeks or so to start working. 

Been on Letrozole for 5 weeks now. Apart from feeling like I'm going through a 2nd menopause I'm coping ok. Having bone density scan tomorrow.

That's good advice so hope your journey is getting there. I just wondered if any one has taken Letrozole without all these terrible side effects. I am very worried that this will be debilitating to a point I cannot do the things I love walking my dog, having grandchildren and not feeling tired all the time. I still have radiotherapy and not sure when I begin tablets but concerned after reading posts here.  Iam 66 and still got life to live I hope once through all this . I guess I am feeling sorry for myself and know a lot of folk suffer far worse Thanks for support x

Hi

I am 63 and was really worried about taking letrozole as I had an absolutely terrible menopause . 

I've been on letrozole for about 3 months and although I am tired the other effects I was worried about either haven't materialised or have been much much less of a problem than I thought.

Everyone is different and effects run the entire spectrum from minimal to terrible.. I found reading comments here made me able to prepare much better than reading google. 

If you find the meds are giving problems, the thing is not to suffer in silence as there are things which can be done.

Hope all goes well xx

Hello,

I've just started Letrozole and I feel awful! Headache, nausea and dizziness mainly. Does anyone get anti sickness meds from their doc? My son (now 8) had a bone marrow transplant last year and we relied heavily on Ondansetron and Metoclopramide. My understanding is that ondansetron is pretty safe; metoclopramide can cause permanent health problems so is only used when really necessary.

I have read the thread but I don't really understand about different brands of Letrozole varying in terms of side effects. I've got Cipla. It seems to be very much a personal thing, not that a particular brand is better in terms of side effects.

So anyway, what are your coping strategies for aromatase inhibitor side effects?

Hello little swift,

I was on letrozole at first, I couldn't tolerate the headaches and nausea.

I was put on anastrozole instead, no headaches with this, been on it for nearly 4 years.  I did get joint pain, mainly foot but would rather this than the headaches.

I do get hot flushes still but I'm guessing most of the medication will do this.

Maybe speak to your consultant about changing if it's unmanageable, some different medications suit others differently.

Good luck 

Hi Janemb, 

I started medication a few weeks after finishing radiotherapy. 

Everyone seems to have different side effects, you can change to medication that suits you better if it's that unbearable. I changed from letrozole to anastrozole. 

I will be honest, I'm only 55, was 51 when diagnosed and sometimes feel 20 years older, bad days and good days. 

I had bad joint, foot pain, I found that buying sketchers footwear helped a lot as I am on my feet at work. 

Good luck 

Thank you.  It's very early days yet so I'll see how I feel over the next few weeks. I found today that if I occupy myself (potting up seedlings), it takes my mind off how grotty I feel. At least to some extent, anyway. 

My mum is on Anastrozole and she hasn't had any problems. Her BC treatment journey started two months before mine. 

I know the feeling! I had a late pregnancy that was a BIG surprise. I was 49 when my son was born. I went from pregnancy/breastfeeding into the menopause in a few months. I struggled on for about a year but I could barely get out of bed, so I went on HRT. After trying a few different things, I found that Femoston was a game changer. I felt to much better. I was on it for 6 or 7 years, so that could have caused the cancer.

When I went to my GP with a lump, he (correctly) stopped the HRT, and I have just started Letrozole. So it has been a hormonal roller coaster!

Ironically, when I was in the early stages of pregnancy, I was misdiagnosed by my doctor as menopausal!