Letrozole and hot flushes

Owww Lilies23, first I am sorry you are here in the place none of us wanted to come to - this said, there is so much knowledge here, so if you have to be here well the people are great and so much knowledge.

I am on letrozole and I imagine depending on age you may suffer more than others - as the letrozole is made to 'take out' the oestrogen from your body ...... and with less oestrogen you get the 'effects of your body ageing to put it gently - or you could call them 'side effects'.

I think this is the letrozole doing what it should it is taking your oestrogen out of your body, you will most likely get all different types of side effects, they may not last for long or they may change to something different.

I think I was six months in when I had my hair coming out ..... I had taken to only washing hair once a week, sometimes longer (I have dry hair so could get away with this) however, when I would comb it in the bath I had handfuls of hair come out - this was the worst part of all treatment for me, I even took photo's of my hair in my hands because I could not believe how much was coming out - this made me be able to partly relate to how other ladies felt.

This lasted a few months and seemed to slow down, I then went on to having 'trigger finger... in my thumbs' again a side effect - plus not having the 'oil' in my joints they were sticking......

Even with these side effects I keep taking the tablet as I do think - it was better to take in hope to avoid reoccurrence - I still battle on.

Some aches and pains are side effects from the body's reduction in oestrogen and other side effects can be from the ingredients in the tablets.

I have heard, that some ladies take an over the counter antihistamine tablet called Claritin - the generic name is Loratadine - this has supposedly eased joint pain - I say this not advising you to take this but as something you could ask you doctor or Breast care nurse for their advise - I am not medically trained and as of yet I have not tried this. 

Oww and it might pay you to note your side affects dependant on the brand you are taking - I know some have different 'fillers' and 'colourings' etc that can cause various aches and pains.  A lot of ladies recommend the Accord brand whilst Femara is the 'original' tablet.

I do suffer massively from the brain fog.  I have the weight gain... for me that is 'just me eating everything and anything .... I need to get control of this 

Hoping my post makes sense xx

Thank you for your reply  and help, so far fingers crossed I haven't had the joint pain, I went through the menopause a few years back and I must say I never experienced flushes like these.  I will keep going my next appointment isn't until January so hopefully things might have settled down. I read about taking sage?  Xx thanks again xx

Keep on with the letrozole - apart from the side effects it really is a good tablet for us.  

I get terrible night sweats, however, I they don't wake me up and they are only from around my neck area - very strange, both my nighty and my pillow are wet and yet in the normal world I am not a sweaty sort of person - its strange. 

If you find yourself want a chat or having problems sleeping we have a thread called 'AWAKE' it is a place most of us nip in and out of all the time both day and night.  If you fancy dropping by you will be made most welcome - the only thing you must do to quality is be 'a little nuty'.

I hopefully attach a link to the thread - and if you need some support or advice this is the best place to go.....

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/breast-cancer-forum/f/general/128753/awake/1771862#1771862

xxx

I eventually tried acupuncture for night sweats. Although it hasn't got rid of them, it did calm down my anxiety, which means I can cope with the hot flushes and night sweats better as I don't have the anxiety and feeling of claustrophobia that came with them. Maybe it would help with those other symptoms you have too.

I find if I don't run every few days, my tummy gets big. I don't run far or fast, but just getting my heart rate up seems to do me good. I'm fairly active in other ways, but the running sees to be the only thing that keeps me feeling slimmer. I also read that activity is about the best thing you can do for yourself to help stop a recurrence.

I went through menopause and had night sweats and hot flushes and many of the things you describe.  I found a dyson fan did the trick during the night.  Very quiet and it really helps me get a good nights sleep. 

I am experiencing the night sweats and as I went through the menopause when I was 49 which is 17 years ago - it's been a bit of a shock. The nurse I spoke to hoped the other side effects would probably move on shortly. The first prescription was for Accord Letrozole and I felt fine on it but the second one was a differenet brand - and I've had more side effects. Fortunately when I picked up my next prescription it's back on Accord so I will see how that goes.

I take accord or teva brand. I gather side effects can take a number of months to settle. Venlafaxine can help with night sweats/ flushes or CBD tablets. If they are intolerable, your breast nurse could refer you for a course of acupuncture. I don't feel myself on these tablets either, but they are necessary to lower my risk of my cancer returning.

Thanks - I didn't know about acupuncture so thank you for mentioning it. I was taking accord the first few weeks but the current prescription isn't for Accord. However I picked up my new prescription and it is for accord so I'm hopeful it will get better.

My oncologist said I can take sage for hot flushes, and it does seem to help. They like you to try Letrozole for at least 6 months before making any changes, because apparently the side effects can calm down after about that time. I was taken off Letrozole after 7 months of minor misery, and put on Anastrozole, and the hot flushes are a lot less. So you can call your breast care nurse or oncologist in between appointments, and tell them about your side effects. We don't have to suffer in silence.

Thank you so much, i have read about sage this is something i would try, at the moment the flushes are waking me up, its really strange that i have a feeling of sickness then a flush it is driving me nuts.  :)