Letrozole and Joint Pain: What Users Say (Page 2)

• mar...
• May 21, 2013

Letrozole for Breast Cancer, Adjuvant "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."

• CHA...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 26, 2014

For Breast Cancer "Was on Arimidex for one year but was changed to Letrozole because I couldn't walk due to burning sensation. Side effects after treatment have been: bone weakening, fatigue, insomnia, night sweats, weight gain (40 lb), dry hair, feel older than 71, redness in my face, high blood pressure, neuropathy, burping, stiffness after sitting, memory loss, joint pain...but I am happy to be alive. I try not to complain because I want my husband to be happy."

• Jen...
• August 8, 2019

For Breast Cancer "A mammogram found a lump in my breast and I had a lumpectomy, followed by 5 weeks of radiation and the hormone blocker letrozole, which my oncologist strongly recommended. For about 3 years prior to the surgery, I had problems with back pain, lack of energy, depression, and asthma, which caused me to be very short-winded. Since the radiation, I find I'm more tired and my breathing is worse. I wake up tired, I go to bed tired. The letrozole has caused sweats and hot flashes worse than ever before. I wake up with excruciating joint pain every day, so bad that it feels as though my wrists, fingers, or arms are broken. During the night, my hips ache so much that I have to turn on my back. It is also causing hair loss. I'm on oxycodone, so once I get up and take the painkillers, the joint pain goes away. I was going to switch to tamoxifen until I read the side effects and the patient ratings, which were much worse than letrozole."

• fae...
• 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."

• apr...
• March 21, 2016

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!"

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

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."

• H F...
• 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."

• MVR...
• March 3, 2012

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."

• Hai...
• 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."

• Cav...
• 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."

• mar...
• May 13, 2016

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."

• Sar...
• 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."

• cmm...
• August 6, 2015

For Breast Cancer "I have stage 4 breast cancer and the looks at the hospital were not pretty. It did not look good for me. I have been on Letrozole for 6 months and it is working. The tumors are shrinking or disappearing and I feel so much better. My hands, feet, and legs are stiff but so what - I stretch them to loosen up. My hair is thinning but so what - there are other things I can use to cover my head. If God put this drug to cure me, I can take these small inconveniences. I am happy to know that this joint pain is caused by the medication. I would like to know if the medication actually heals and makes you cancer-free and if it can end or if medication is needed for my life. I am 54, almost 55, and if this pill can give me life, small side effects are ok."

• joa...
• 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!"

• Roc...
• 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."

• Ela...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 11, 2018

For Breast Cancer "Diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago. Took anastrozole, which had side effects: fatigue, memory loss, weight gain. Doctor changed me to letrozole. On it for 7 months, I have the worst joint, muscle, and body aches. There are some days I can’t stand up on my legs. My arms, shoulders, and back hurt constantly, fatigue. 7 months ago, I used to walk 2 miles a day. Today I can’t even get on a treadmill for 5 minutes. I have been taken off letrozole, it’s only been a week."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2017

For Breast Cancer "I hate this drug. I hate everything it is doing to me. I was diagnosed with breast cancer, hormone - estrogen. Surgery was successful, lymph nodes clear. We caught it very early. I participated in a radiation study, 5 treatments of partial breast radiation. I want off, I wake up tired, I go to bed tired, I manage to function through my day. My sweats and hot flashes are worse than ever before. They were almost done. Joint pain every day, back, hips, fingers, shoulders, etc. I have no idea of how long they want me on it. I am researching foods to eliminate from my diet that promote the production of hormones and estrogen."

• Gon...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 2, 2018

Letrozole for Breast Cancer "1.7 years, loss of hair, hot flashes, shoulder, elbow, hip pain, dry mouth, high cholesterol, high glucose, high BP... But if it keeps cancer from returning, the side effects, hopefully temporary, will have been worth it."

• Anonymous
• November 11, 2012

For Breast Cancer "I am 40 years old and I have been taking Letrozole for about a year. I found a lump shortly after my son was born 5 years ago. I had chemo, radiation, and was put on tamoxifen. I had a recurrence in the lymph node in Dec of 2011, and the oncologist took me off tamoxifen and put me on letrozole. I am suffering from joint pain, memory loss, very fatigued all the time, depression, hot flashes. I do very little for myself since my children are only 9 and 5 years old. I feel I need to take care of them first before I can do anything for myself. I am hoping the letrozole will give me more hope than tamoxifen. I'm preventing a recurrence. I need to be around a lot longer for my beautiful children."

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

Letrozole for Breast Cancer, Adjuvant "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!"

• Anonymous
• March 31, 2018

Letrozole for Breast Cancer "Daily hot flashes and night sweats seem to be my worst side effects, especially when I'm hit with intense anxiety every time. My scalp is tender, and I've had hair thinning. I also have pain in my joints. But I do not want the cancer to come back. Invasive lobular carcinoma. Bilateral mastectomy."

• Mar...
• April 28, 2015

For Breast Cancer "I hope that it is keeping me from having cancer with all the problems that it is causing. I had stage 2 grade 2B breast cancer and had a mastectomy followed by 6 months of chemo and 6 weeks of daily radiation. I really didn't have that many side effects from chemo and radiation. But being on the letrozole has been a pain. The fatigue is getting to me. I might as well go into hibernation for 5 years. I sleep all the time. It is very hard to focus on my job where I am a manager. I have a lot of joint pain and I am trying glucosamine juice. Someone else told me about loins juice. Does anyone have any ideas on what to do about the fatigue? I take the pill at night, but I cannot get out of bed in the morning."

• HHa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 26, 2018

For Breast Cancer, Metastatic "At 75, I was paralyzed from the waist down and diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer and paraneoplastic syndrome. My main tumor was the size of an American football, with Mets. Given 1 dose of chemo. 2 weeks later, I got pneumonia, a UTI, and severe sepsis. My kids were told I had 2 hours to live. Still there the next day, I was given a 1% chance of living for a month. More chemo was out, so I was put on letrozole. After 8 months of paralysis, I moved my right foot. I started physio, and within 3 months, I learned to stand then walk. A year on, my tumors continue to shrink. Then joint pain started after about 8 months in hips, wrists, knees, ankles, and bones on top of my feet, and I seized up every time I take a break and have to start all over again. Morning is hardest. But the bottom line is I am alive. I have been declared a medical miracle... and I owe it all to letrozole. The pain can be quite bad at times, but I take no painkillers. I just sit down and consider the alternative! Thank you, letrozole."

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

For Breast Cancer, Adjuvant "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."

• Jas...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 4, 2016

For Breast Cancer "I have been on letrozole for a year now. My issues are some hot flashes, increased vaginal atrophy/dryness (getting pretty bad), and I wake up in the middle of the night with painful and stiff fingers, but if I wiggle my fingers around, it goes away. I think they get painful and stiff from not being moved while I am asleep. They are not too bad during the day, but the tendinitis I had prior to taking letrozole that affected the base of my thumbs got worse. I am currently in clinical trials to assess the usefulness of acupuncture for the joint pain and stiffness. I am hoping this will turn out to be a solution for women who find the joint pain unbearable."