Letrozole for Breast Cancer, Adjuvant User Reviews

• cau...
• August 30, 2013

Letrozole "I had stage 3 breast cancer, have been through chemo, radiation, and have been on Femara for 4 months. I started on Aromasin but had terrible joint and muscle pain, so my oncologist changed me to Femara. My joints and muscles feel better, but I am so tired that even my oncologist tells me I look worn out. I will live with the fatigue as I know this medicine works. I am 58, and I can no longer do what I did less than a year ago. I ride a bike 40 minutes a day, I eat healthy, but I just have no vitality. I miss my old self."

• dog...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 19, 2014

Letrozole "I was diagnosed in 2009, had lumpectomy, chemo, radiation. Managed to continue working through it all. Then took tamoxifen for 2 1/2 years... had horrible muscle cramping and hot flashes, switched to letrozole after determining I was postmenopausal. The major muscle cramps lessened considerably, as did the hot flashes. I took this for 2 1/2 years, just stopping 3 weeks ago. I have muscle, joint, bone achiness 24/7, no energy, tired always, feel like I'm in a fog, tinnitus, heartburn, slow metabolism with weight gain. How long will it take to reverse all of these side effects now that I no longer take it? I even quit taking ibuprofen because it doesn't do anything for the pains. I am now 2 months from being 50 years old."

• mar...
• May 21, 2013

Letrozole "When I switched aromatase inhibitors from Arimidex to Femara, it was a world of difference! The terrible side effects I was experiencing made me question whether survival from breast cancer was worth it, if my life would be spent with Arimidex side effects of irritability, more hair loss, joint pains, etc. My oncologist switched me to Femara, and my life returned to be more pleasant and energetic. I have been suggesting this change to all my blogging support group members who are having problems with Arimadex. Later, adding OTC Biosil and SamE have also helped with the hair, joint, and mood issues."

• Anonymous
• November 18, 2011

Letrozole "After reading of so many negative side effects of Femara, I was hesitant to start. Since it decreases my chances of recurrence by 25%, I felt I must try it. I've been on it for 1 year now and have had very few, if any, negative side effects. My hair regrowth has been spotty and slow, whether due to the Femara or just the general effects of chemo and radiation, I'm not sure. I switched 2 months ago to the generic formula, have noticed no changes. I feel very fortunate not to have suffered many of the effects other women have reported."

• Lai...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 26, 2019

"Diagnosed 22 years ago with invasive lobular breast cancer, and 45 out of 48 lymph nodes contained cancer. (Really.) But after mastectomy, chemo, radiation, more chemo, 5 years of tamoxifen, a complete hysterectomy, a couple of years of anastrozole and exemestane... I've been on letrozole for well over 10 years. I have experienced most of the usual side effects, but I've lived to complain about them. :-) No recurrence so far, although I did develop another breast cancer and had a second mastectomy 10 years ago. Overall, I eat healthy and work out, I do have energy, not much pain anymore, and I still work FT at age 66. Clearly, I've been lucky. No one expected me to live (least of all me). But statistics do not determine what will happen to the individual. Life is good!"

• mar...
• May 13, 2016

Letrozole "Joint pain, no energy, no enthusiasm for social life, tiredness, weakness, low appetite. Femara is extending my life. I know this since I have been in remission for 5 years after taking Femara. My breast cancer started in the right breast 32 years ago. Chemo and radiation therapy stopped it for 22 years, but 5 years ago it metastasized to lung and bones. This is when the oncologist prescribed Femara. I'm now in my 'golden' years, a widow for 16 years but determined to find relief for this pain and relief from this depression so I can be happy and enjoy life."

• Jue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2016

"My 6 months on Letrozole have been a nightmare; extreme hot flushes, soaked clothes/bedclothes. I can't fall asleep even though exhausted. I'm so fuzzy-brained I despair and have lost confidence in normal conversation. Bone pain and frequent lower leg cramps are excruciating. I've aged 10 years, changed shape, gained over 10 kg, all of it around my waist. I fall; I've sprained both ankles in six weeks. I never know when a fall is coming, there's no warning, I just collapse. In addition to my normal drug regime, I now need 5 additional drugs to try to counteract the side effects of Letrozole. It may be keeping me alive (who really knows?), but it's destroyed my life in the process. I dread to think what 4.5 more years on this drug will do to me."

• Bod...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 5, 2018

Letrozole "Right mastectomy 2016, 5 months chemo and 5 weeks radiation therapy. Started Femara 15 months ago, prescribed for 5 years. I am experiencing increasing pain in my joints, muscles, liver, and overall depression. Am considering stopping Femara as the tumor was removed with no spread to lymph nodes. Lymph clearance all the same as the sentinel node was infected. I am 55 but feel a lot older than ever before!"

• sic...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 27, 2014

"I was so pleased to read all of the reviews about Letrozole. Now I know that I'm not alone. Hot flashes worse than menopause. Always off balance. Won't do stairs without a railing or holding on to a person anymore after quite a few falls. Don't get dizzy, but never know when a stumble or fall is coming. Very dry mouth (other meds also cause dry mouth/thirst). This is extremely hard to deal with as chemo put my kidneys in failure and on dialysis I am limited to 1.5 liters of liquid a day. Headaches, bone pain, fatigued constantly, muscle pain especially in legs, lack of appetite, foods don't taste the same. Ran out about a week ago, starting to come out of the fog! Feel like I'm 100, not 57, sigh."

• Cat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 17, 2019

"Taking letrozole for 3 years, and I get it free on NHS in England. Yes, I am lucky. Also lucky that my tumor was identified early at screening. But... it has been very hard coping with joint pains - hips, feet, wrists, hands, back, shoulders - I never know what the day will bring. Trying to keep active. Main worry is osteoporosis. I cannot be active enough to counter the process because of pain in hips and back. Cannot take bisphosphonates because of side effects. Am taking calcium, magnesium, boron, vit D, collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, fish oils, multi-vit. Resting sprained ankle at present. Best wishes to all."

• Jan...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 29, 2015

Letrozole "Stage IIIc lobular breast CA, node, started generic Femara 18 months ago after radiation. Minor side effects - hair loss, nails, skin, vaginal dryness. Major - started out with tolerable joint, bone, and muscle pain. But about a month ago, these symptoms became severe enough to decrease my quality of life. My oncologist did blood work, all okay. She wanted a bone scan, but after reading reviews, this is the Femara, not bone cancer. She just has not had any patients do this, the literature is based on trials, not the general population. The literature (and she told me) the symptoms go away by 8 months! Not!! I also have MS (still mobile, but that has some same/similar side effects) but Femara more like arthritis. Knees, ankles. Stay on though!"

• Pen...
• March 6, 2012

"I'm with Little D. I've been taking letrozole for 4 1/2 months and have just stopped. The pain has been unbearable, mostly my legs and hands. Unable to sleep even though I'm exhausted, and my hot flashes are really hot fires. I was stage 1 with radiation and unable to take tamoxifen due to being on antidepressants for some length of time. My oncologist and I will decide what direction to take at the end of March. I am 54 and all about quality rather than quantity. I have 3 grandchildren that I want to play with TODAY!"

• Lxc...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 2, 2018

"Horrible bone pain - all over the body, finger bone pains, sweating, depression, extreme fatigue. Unable to do anything. Pain too extreme. Fatigue horrendous. Stopped on 12/28/17 after 18 months of hell."

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 23, 2019

"Stage 2 adenocarcinoma of the breast found on mammogram four years ago. Lumpectomy with clean nodes, then 5 weeks of radiation therapy. Started on Arimidex with severe hip and joint pain, constant hot flashes, insomnia. After 6 months of this, switched to Tamoxifen, bone pain improved, other symptoms unchanged. After 3.5 years, had pre-cancerous cells with thickening in the uterus requiring D&C. Switched to letrozole three months ago. Insomnia and hot flashes markedly lessened, but the back and hip pain is relentless. Chiropractor and ibuprofen help, but not sure I can tolerate this one more entire full year (plan is 5 years post-surgery, so one more year this month)."

• can...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 27, 2018

"In 2015, I was diagnosed with stage 2A right breast cancer. I had a mastectomy and reconstruction, as well as a full hysterectomy. This is my second year on Letrozole (scheduled for 5), and my symptoms have just started. Mild headaches, back and neck pain, muscle aches, weight gain, and hair loss. The latest is nausea, which I hate! I have high blood pressure, and it has been going up alarmingly. That's really the main concern that I have since heart disease and strokes run in my family. For the first year, I had no side effects, but now it seems like every one of them is converging at the same time. I'm wondering what I'll experience next, but I've decided to remain on the medication and will try to mitigate the symptoms as best I can. I'm 48 and have had a wonderful life, but I'm living for my family, and especially my new grandchild. So, I'll suffer, but it's worth it to stick around for as long as I can."

• snu...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 17, 2018

"Had a lumpectomy 21 years ago with radiation. Last year, another type of breast cancer came, so had breast removed. Started Letrozole 11 months ago, and I was a bit lightheaded at first. That has gone away. My hair thinned on top, but took some Biotin vitamins and stopped further breakage. Now hair is back to normal. Some various joint stiffness, but that goes away. I had blood clots in both lungs from knee surgery 4 years ago. Had to be on blood thinners for 8 months. Last week, had a blood clot in my left leg yet again. Went to the hospital, but didn't make the connection for Letrozole to be the cause until I happened to read the information papers in the pill box. The doctor never mentioned it. So I have stopped the pill and am waiting for the doctor to get back to me about continuing."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 13, 2021

Letrozole "Bone pain, trigger fingers, joint pain, hip pain, wrists/thumbs repeated tendonitis, low energy. From anastrozole to letrozole, issues persist, worse over time. Still on it, but had to stop working. Managing to stay on as benefit outweighs risk."

• Sta...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 25, 2023

Letrozole "I have been doing fine with it and have not had any serious issues except for the common side effects like blurred vision and other minimal problems, which I cannot link to the medication. I am healthy and doing well so far. I hope the good effect of using this medication along with a whole-food plant-based diet, with the occasional cheat treats, will continue to help me fight off breast cancer and its spread."

• kel...
• April 10, 2017

"I had breast cancer lobular a year ago, 1.8 cm, 4 lymph nodes involved, modified mastectomy, chemotherapy, then 34 radiation, then letrozole and Zoladex. When combined, the letrozole and Zoladex were really hard on me, causing low WBC and elevated liver enzymes. I have a lot of joint pain, but I decided to remove my ovaries and tubes. After that, I will just need to take letrozole. I feel much better, liver enzymes okay, WBC normal now. Every morning I will get an ACAI bowl for breakfast, it really helps. I just have mild hot flashes and mild muscle aches. If I get up in the morning and move around, they will go away. Also, I changed my diet to completely vegan, I lost 9 lbs and feel more energy. I went back to Taiwan to have my ovaries and tubes removed. Pain instantly went away after surgery."

• Vac...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 2, 2021

"So much pain and quality of life diminished. In all these years and all this money for cancer research, this is the only type of drug given to try and stop the return of breast cancer. Seems it took 20 years after Tamoxifen to be approved. Well, it’s just passed now the 20-year mark, and breast cancer needs something better than letrozole! Don’t get me wrong, I take it because I want to live and I’m scared to die and leave my young children. But I am in excruciating pain from it. All this money and awareness!!! Let’s go with an ER+ vaccine and approve it NOW because people are dying. There’s been zero progress to prevent metastatic breast cancer. Diagnosis early is great, but the mortality rate is still high."

• But...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 21, 2021

"I have been on letrozole for over a year now with minimal side effects. I do have bone pain and some fatigue. However, I wanted to share that the only thing I did differently before I was diagnosed with estrogen/progesterone-driven breast cancer is I started taking collagen supplements. I noticed in the comments that someone is taking this along with letrozole, and I wanted to share an article from a breast cancer survivor turned cancer coach. I have done exhaustive research myself, and I have concluded that collagen supplementation is a danger to us survivors, especially Type I. The only collagen that inhibits tumor growth is Type III, but I am finding it impossible to find a supplement that is only Type III, most are combined with other types, especially common is Type I coupled with Type III."

• Luc...
• March 12, 2012

Letrozole "I have been on Femara for five years now. I have had some side effects like dizziness and slight joint pain. All in all, if it keeps breast cancer away, I am happy to take the medication."

• Hel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 25, 2019

"I have been on letrozole for 2 1/2 months now. Only major thing I notice is extreme irritability for stupid things. It's BAD. Just stopped to see if it is the med. Anyone else have this happen?"

• Mar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 21, 2018

"A lot of side effects: pain, insomnia, irritability, loss of attention and memory."

• Lou...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 8, 2023

Letrozole "Changed to Femara after 18 months on Letrozole Accord (Generic) and really still feel just the same. Aches, joint pain, muscle pain, etc. Was hoping to feel a little different."