Letrozole User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• faey
• October 1, 2016

For Breast Cancer "I'm 61 years of age. Approaching my 4th year of taking letrozole Accord. I am suffering with joint ache which attacks my knees, one ankle. Wrists, elbows but has now affected my hands, most particularly my middle fingers of each hand! I also get pins and needles in my hands. The morning stiffness is throughout my joints and takes a while to get going. I have calf pain and muscle weakness and blurry eyesight too sometimes. I don't complain as it's prevented the cancer returning. I do despair at my poor quality of life. I take calcium, magnesium, and pain relief. I walk every day and exercise. I've also gained weight. I'm glad to know there are others with similar side effects but even more glad that I'm here to share my story."

• Anonymous
• December 13, 2009

Femara (letrozole) for Breast Cancer "I am 52 years old, and I too feel older than I am. I already have problems getting out of bed, and I suffered with sarcoidosis, which affects the organs and causes joint pain, sending me constantly to different specialists. Now I am taking Femara, and it's not only causing me more pain, but it's causing my hair to fall out or thinning! I also notice that my vision is impaired sometimes when I'm driving, and I only drive when I have to, but sometimes I find myself trying hard to focus. This is scary! I am calling my oncologist tomorrow morning first thing."

• minne...
• September 12, 2015

Femara (letrozole) for Breast Cancer "In 2011, I was diagnosed with stage 3A invasive ductal breast cancer. I went through chemo for 4 months and had a double mastectomy in March 2012, followed by 6 weeks of radiation. I was put on tamoxifen for a year and then Femara, which I currently take now. The biggest thing with Femara is feeling constantly tired and 'foggy'. I can handle the hot flashes (we live in Minnesota, where the winter lasts for 6 months) - I just walk around outside with a t-shirt on, and I'm good to go! Lately, I have been experiencing hair loss, and I don't know if it's due to the Femara. Anyone else have this problem? Please let me know. Hang in there, beautiful ladies (& men)."

• Julie
• January 20, 2020

For Female Infertility "I have done 4 cycles of Femara 5 mg from day 2 to 6 with no luck, even though I ovulated on my day 15. My Dr. has increased the dose to 7.5 mg a day, hoping for the ultrasound to show the number and size of follicles. Please wish me luck, been trying for 5 months to get pregnant."

• april
• March 21, 2016

Femara (letrozole) for Breast Cancer "I have been on this drug for about 3.5 months now. I was on Aromasin (exemestane) for 2.5 years prior to starting letrozole. I was so hopeful that some of the horrible side effects would not affect me like they did on the exemestane...and for a while, it was not too bad. Now, in month 3, the side effects of severe joint pain, brain fog, and shortness of breath are back with a vengeance, and the last 3 times my blood pressure was taken, it was inching back up even though I started BP meds after the exemestane raised my BP. I never had any issues with my BP prior to taking these aromatase inhibitors. I guess my PCP will have to raise my dose of BP meds. I am also peeing constantly on letrozole, and my hair is coming out more on my brush! UGH!"

• Mz_Mo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2023

For Female Infertility "I started my first round of letrozole 2.5 mg this month. I pray I see a positive result. My cycle is supposed to start next week. I have been trying to get pregnant for 8 years. I did have fibroids. I had them removed and now I'm dealing with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. I have both of them under control now, thank God. I do have a 15-year-old daughter already, but my fiancé and I are trying to have a baby together. So, I hope and pray this medicine works. Y'all pray for us. Thank you."

• amari
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 29, 2023

For Female Infertility "I got pregnant with letrozole after 1 year and a half of trying to conceive. My 1st OB prescribed me with clomid, and I took it for 3 months, but it did not work. My 2nd OB prescribed me with letrozole, but I had no luck for 3 consecutive months. The 2nd OB then gave me clomid for 2 consecutive months, but still no luck. The 3rd OB gave me clomid for 1 cycle and gave me trigger shots, but still no luck. For the next cycle, we tried again with no medicine intake and experienced a chemical pregnancy. I then transferred to a 4th OB, and they prescribed me with letrozole again with 1 hucog trigger shot for the 1st try of IUI, but still no luck. The 5th OB gave me another cycle of letrozole before the IUI procedure, but still no luck. The next cycle came, and I was still prescribed letrozole, but this time we returned to timing method. I am now 20 weeks pregnant!!! God bless all women praying for a baby. We can do this!!"

• Cryst...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 21, 2015

Femara (letrozole) for Breast Cancer "I have been taking Letrozole for one year now after a diagnosis of hormone-related breast cancer. Initially, my consultant (UK) said I would need a right-sided mastectomy. However, two weeks later when the biopsy results were back, he said he did not think surgery was possible because the tumor appeared to be attached to the muscle. However, CT scan and MRI revealed a 1mm plane between the tumor and the muscle - phew! Letrozole was so effective that it shrank and softened the tumor, and by January 2015, I was able to have a bilateral mastectomy. Lymph glands and bone scan were clear. Side effects: persistent hot flashes, so I always wear blouses with buttons and carry an ordinary fan in my handbag; it is a life-saver."

• Sheila...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 13, 2019

For Breast Cancer, Metastatic "I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer 2-9-2016. I am ER and PR positive, Her2 negative. I am still on my first line of treatment (letrozole 2.5 daily). (Bone metastasis only!) Zometa infusions every three months. Letrozole has been a wonderful drug for me. Very minimal side effects. I am currently in month 43 of letrozole (Femara). I am very thankful for the makers of this drug."

• Caner...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 18, 2015

Femara (letrozole) for Breast Cancer "Diagnosed May 2014 with Stage 3 Breast cancer after chemo, removal of the tumor & lymph nodes, radiation. I started Femara, been on it almost 6 months and I have daily joint & muscle pain, fatigue, hot flashes, and most of all weight gain. I'm really trying to eat healthy and exercise, but working a full-time job, it's a tough routine to keep up with every day (55 and post-menopausal). But hey, I'm still here and hopeful the medication does a good job of keeping the cancer at bay. Doing my best with the symptoms."

• Hails
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 23, 2019

For Breast Cancer "I didn't take this medicine, but my grandma did. I lived with her and have seen how this medicine affected her. She started letrozole on a Friday, and by Thursday she was in ICU. Before she was hospitalized, this medicine caused her extreme discomfort. She was in bed all day, every day. She has fatigue, weakness (so bad she couldn't sit up by herself), hot flashes, throwing up, joint and muscle pain, fever, and dizziness. Thursday, she got so bad to the point she was struggling to breathe. In the hospital, they discovered a blood clot, which is a side effect. Two weeks before she started this medicine, she went to the doctor and had an MRI and a CAT scan. There were no clots. This medicine made her miserable. Now she is in ICU, and we were told she probably will not be coming home. She was fine until she started this medication."

• too...
• November 11, 2015

For Breast Cancer "The pain in my shoulder and right arm is so intense that I cannot function. I have problems taking care of my chores to the point that I just cannot do them. My arm has become immovable due to stiffness and the profound pain. I can't sleep at night unless I double on a sleeping aid. I can't live this way. My life is depressing."

• MVR
• March 3, 2012

Femara (letrozole) for Breast Cancer, Metastatic "After a year on Femara I am beginning to experience severe hair loss, bald patches on top of my head, and the hair is turning thin and brittle. Insomnia for the last 2 months, pain in my joints, I was diagnosed with Glaucoma and am very forgetful, i.e. find it difficult to concentrate. But, if Femara stops the recurrence of cancer, I'll keep taking it. If it just were not for the hair loss."

• Cassy
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 27, 2020

For Female Infertility "I would like to share my experience. I've been in TTC since July 2019 and tried letrozole for a couple of months now. Got my period on November 20, December 20, and January 20. However, as of this time, I still don't have my period yet. Based on my period tracker, I ovulated on February 9. Technically, more or less, I'm now 18 DPO. I took a pregnancy test multiple times but still negative. I will visit my OB this coming Saturday to check why my period is late."

• Bren
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 2, 2018

For Breast Cancer "I had a mastectomy after finding a small lump (with precancerous cells) in breast tissue. No rounds of chemo needed. Lymph nodes clear. I have been on Letrozole and Anastrozole for a year and a half. Both gave me pain in my joints and muscles, mostly in my hip, legs, and hand. I couldn’t walk far as my legs were weak. It made me tired. I decided to stop them altogether as they were making me disabled and unable to do my job properly. I felt that eventually, I would be in a wheelchair and unemployed. My consultant looked at a graph and said because I was at low risk of cancer returning, I decided to stop taking them. I told him I prefer quality of life over quantity. Now, I'm hoping I get back to normal. It’s been a week now, and already the pain on waking is better."

• Cavam...
• March 30, 2015

For Breast Cancer "I'm not sure how to rate this drug. If it keeps cancer away, it might get a 10. Almost 4 years later, it appears to have done so. However, the jury is still out. I am literally counting the days until I can get off this drug. The joint pain has become almost unbearable and completely affects any quality of life. I find I don't want to do much of anything because of the pain, yet know I have to or be almost bedridden. It has become progressively worse in the last year. So I push myself daily and have tried almost everything to help the pain, but nothing really works. I am grateful to be cancer-free and really feel conflicted even complaining about it. But most days are just very hard. I am 63, yet feel like a 90-year-old."

• Sexy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 25, 2020

For Breast Cancer "I have been using this drug letrozole for almost a month. I have chills so bad I can't warm up. Headaches, can't sleep, and have diarrhea and dizziness. I am also having muscle spasms and pain in my bones. Help."

• flginny
• January 9, 2016

For Breast Cancer "I would give a lot to have NEVER taken Femara! It aged me 20 years in a few months. I took it for more than six years before I told my oncologist I would not take it anymore. It was killing me! I was sleeping an average of two hours a night... a 'good' night was five hours every ten to fourteen days. The other side effects were awful! Femara did NOT keep the cancer from coming back! It is KNOWN to weaken the bones, and the cancer is now rampant in my bones!"

• deepa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 21, 2020

For Female Infertility "I took letrozole 2.5 mg last month, and one egg got matured as well, but did not conceive. This time, the doctor increased the dose from 2.5 mg to 5 mg and gave the shots as well. I am 11 DPO and hoping for the best. Baby dust to all of you."

• marge
• May 13, 2016

Femara (letrozole) for Breast Cancer, Adjuvant "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."

• JojoUK
• October 30, 2015

For Breast Cancer "I just read the above comment about the lady feeling '90'. I am 45, and I too have had 6 rounds of chemo and a bi-lateral mastectomy in January 2014. I couldn't take tamoxifen, and monthly injections of Zoladex were too painful and caused me numerous side effects. In June this year, I had an oophorectomy, which obviously has now pushed me post-menopausal, and I am taking letrozole 2.5 mg. I feel like the lady above, like an old woman: short of breath, exhausted, weepy, achy, and with no energy! Yesterday, I was so exhausted after work at 4 pm that I was worried I wouldn't make it home, driving was scary, and I couldn't focus on the road! The tiredness has been so awful that I have no longer been going out socially. It's ruined me."

• H For...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 27, 2016

For Breast Cancer "I've been on letrozole for a year. After doing preliminary research about it, I really didn't want to go on it, but felt I had to give it a try. The most serious SEs for me were severe joint pain and feeling frail; mood swings and strong hot flashes. The first 2 were bad enough that, after being on the drug for 8 months, I decided to take a break from it. I went off for 3 weeks, then started back, but now I take it at night before bed. I also started walking to keep weight gain at bay. Since making those 2 changes, I've had no more joint pain or mood swings, and I feel healthier than I have in a long time. Still have hot flashes, but they're tolerable. I'm not sure why those changes would make that much difference, but they do."

• Rocky...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 23, 2016

For Breast Cancer "Dec 2011 bilateral mastectomy stage 1 infiltrating lobular breast cancer rt breast 64 yrs old - no lymph node involvement I am in my 4th year of hormonal treatment with Letrozole. So far so good some joint and muscle pain but it could be my age. I exercise more - take more vitamins - eat more vegetables - shun all dairy products (cows are always pregnant and full of cow hormones) - eat very little meat (chicken or fish) - always shop organic - and get at least 7 hrs of sleep a night. Some people think I am crazy."

• Sarah...
• January 25, 2017

For Breast Cancer "Yesterday I completed five years on Letrozole! Over the past two years, I have had awful joint pain in my knees, outer thighs, and wrists. My body aches all over, and I feel exhausted every day. I wake in the morning with stiff hands and fingers. My oncologist has now taken me off Letrozole as I have completed my five years and told me that my aching body and joints should gradually get better."

• joanS
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 13, 2018

For Breast Cancer "I started taking letrozole in June. Side effects started almost immediately: fatigue, hot flashes, joint and muscle aches, and hair thinning. I have cut my hair very short to hopefully make the thinning less noticeable. I just realized that I cut my hair 5-6 weeks ago, and it does not seem to be growing at all. Has anyone else noticed this side effect? I would recommend yoga and acupuncture to help with the side effects. Without them, I would not be able to tolerate this medicine! Good luck to you all who are taking this drug!"