Letrozole - side effects- how long until they kick in

Hi c22 letrozole starts to work in your body straight away, so you can start the side effects as soon as you start taking it. As soon as I started taking it my hot flushes started. You may be lucky and not get too many side effects from it, some people manage to take it with no side effects at all, others find it hard to tolerate. I hope you will be one of the lucky ones. 

Good morning l am on Letrozole l have taken the table one a day for 3 years the only symptoms l have received is after one year into the medication my bones and joints are painful- l prescribed vitamin D tablets , they didn’t help l had two bone density scans to confirm what was the reason for the pain and if cancer had returned Luckily no cancer. I managed the pain with over counter (deep heat ) purchased 

compression cloves for my hands l noticed the pain 

I creasing to shoulders, hands and mainly my back l 

realized massages helped receive the pain 

finally yesterday l have been referred for pysiotherapy 

l am hoping this will help . I have decided to stay on the Letrozole medication until 2026 when this will be my final year on the tables. I find the best person to receive the advice regarding your condition is the B/C

nurse and GP in the hospital they know you’re situation The nurse suggested asking my own GP to change my medication after the bone density scan was clear l declined changing medication but l will hopefully receive the PHYSIOTHERAPY’s 

hopefully  this is helpful regarding the Letrozole medication …

Best wishes to all Dawn 27

I wondered the same thing after reading about some of the awful experiences some have had. I’m only about a month ahead of you (5-6 weeks) but so far so good. Apart from minor flushing I seem to be tolerating it very well- let’s hope it stays like this 

Yes

in a funny way I almost wish I hadn’t been told about the side effects because I’m now sort of looking for them/ slightly obsessed! 

Great that so far so good for you…..Do you think you are doing anything that might be helping?? (Impossible to know I get that with no control of having done it any other way!) 

I understand what you're going through. My wife also experienced different side effects when she started taking Letrozole. For her, the side effects kicked in around the third week, and they varied from mood swings, similar to what you're describing, to more physical symptoms like joint pain and fatigue.

To manage these, she found that staying active with light exercise helped ease the joint pain, and maintaining a balanced diet with plenty of hydration seemed to lessen the fatigue. It’s important to listen to your body and discuss any concerns with your doctor, as they might be able to suggest ways to alleviate the symptoms.  Therefore, in order to achieve the desired effect, it is necessary to use only high-quality Letrozole from reliable pharmacies

Thanks so much for getting back to me 

I’m about 3 weeks in a so far not much to report. Have stopped drinking and am exercising most days so I don’t know if that makes a difference. Anyway still early days so not counting my chickens as yet. 

Hi, I’ve been on Letrozole for fifteen months. I was fine for the first twelve month, apart from when I received a different brand and began having side effects. It’s noted now that I must be given my original brand (accord).. Over the past three month I’ve noticed that my bones feel sore, I have lower back ache most days and chronic fatigue. My GP doesn’t seem to think my symptoms are debilitating. Im trying to keep active, I take supplements and try to follow a fairly healthy diet. I will persevere until I see the consultant in September. 

Mmmmmm sorry to hear this optimistic. Although the bcn say the effects are pretty immediate one does keep hearing about this later onset of side effects (maybe it’s the accumulated effect of low estrogen taking a while to kick in, maybe it’s something else entirely). It’s a shame that the experts don’t seem that interested in forensically working it out……given that supposedly 50% of women stop taking the drug! 

C22

Couldn't agree more about the need to look at why aromatase inhibitors have such a negative effect on other aspects of health and what could be done to ameliorate the damage caused. I suspect it is linked to loss of oestrogen but why doesn't this affect everyone that takes the drug? Does this mean they are more effective for those that have more side effects?? Nice to think there could be a slight positive alongside the negatives. Xx

Thanks for everyone’s input. It’s good to know that there are different thoughts on the side effect of this medication. I’m having six monthly infusions to strengthen my bones and to hopefully to counteract the effect of letrozole, which is know to cause osteoporosis. It’s a personal decision whether or not to persevere with the medication, at the moment I will continue taking it.