Letrozole and hand pain

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pp729
pp729 Member Posts: 135
edited April 2018 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hi all, I also posted this under the Stage III forum and then I found this one so I will also post here.  My mom has been on 1.0 mg Anastrozole since March 2011 and switched to 2.5 mg Letrozole about 7 weeks ago due to side effect (constant diarrhea).  Within the past few weeks, she has experienced problems with her left hand (her BC and unilateral mastectomy was on the right breast) -- including 1)  drawing back of her pinky finger and 2) shooting pain from the first joint in her thumb.  The shooting pain has developed within the past 2 weeks.  Saw the MO and he wants her to go off the Letrozole for the next 3 weeks until he sees her again and to have an xray of the hand as well as a bone density test and a blood test to check her Vitamin D levels.

 So, can someone tell me what the Vitamin D test will tell us?

And, have any of you experienced these types of side effects with the meds

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  • Racy
    Racy Member Posts: 2,651
    edited October 2011

    I have mild joint pain in my hands and other joints on initially getting moving. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to BC and other illnesses. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium for bone health.

    I take a vitamin D3 tablet, 1000 mg, daily. I was taking more when my level was low but now that it is normal I just take the one tablet for maintenance. I also take 5 ml of fish oil and my joint pain has greatly reduced subsequently.

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  • hbcheryl
    hbcheryl Member Posts: 5,113
    edited October 2011

    I have recently been having hand problems my left wrist and my right palm I had x-rays taken and they came back with slight osteoporis and when I think back it all started when I switched from femara to the letrozole, I think the fillers that they use are different and it takes our bodies a while to process the change cause pain has now disappeared.  I have been using warming mitts and they offered great relief.

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  • joan888
    joan888 Member Posts: 810
    edited November 2011

    pp729..... Just wondering how your mom is doing after discontinuing letrozole. I have had the same exact symptoms with shooting pains on my thumb joint and general weakness in my hands. I think it started when I moved from Femara a few months ago.I see my MO in a couple weeks, but not sure that I can tolerate it any longer. Too painful.

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  • pp729
    pp729 Member Posts: 135
    edited November 2011

    Hi all, sorry but I have not checked these boards in awhile.  My mom has been off the Letrozole for about a month now and the shooting pains in the thumb joint have subsided a great deal.  She had an X-ray, bone density test, and bone scan and will see the Onc later this week, but she's already said she will not go back onto the Letrozole.  She was on Anastrozole from March to August, but was switched to Letrozole in August due to some issues with the Anastrozole.  Not sure what the Onc. will recommend next -- but she definitely needs to be on an AI as she is not doing chemo or rads. Just a unilateral mastectomy in April and the AI med.  Any suggestion as to what she should ask the Onc about when she sees him later this week?

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  • Monty
    Monty Member Posts: 197
    edited November 2011

    Trigger finger would seem to be the problem, and is a common side effect of Letrozole.  I have pain in my fingers, hands, knees and feet all of which can be attributed to the lovely little pill.  Recently I had xrays on one knee and thigh bone because of the pain, the xrays came back clear, no sign of arthritis so we know it's not that, so now my doctor agrees it's got to be the femara/letrozole.

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  • pp729
    pp729 Member Posts: 135
    edited November 2011

    Hi ladies.  It appears that the Letrozole may have been the cause of my mom's shooting pain in the first joint of her thumb.  She has been off this medication since early October and the pain has subsided completely.  X-ray and bone scan in September revealed no arthritis or other issues.  Bone density test revealed mild osteopenia, but nothing of great concern. 

    She is now beginning 25 mg Exemestane (Aromasin).  Recall that she'd been on 1.0 mg Anastrozole since March 2011 and switched to 2.5 mg Letrozole in August 2011 due to side effects (constant diarrhea) with the Anastrozole.  

    The issue with the drawing back of her pinkie finger on the same hand, which began at the same time as the problem with the pain in the thumb joint, has not subsided since going off the Letrozole.  But the pinkie finger is not causing any pain -- just looks odd.  Let's hope the Exemestane does not cause other side effects.  Have any of you been on this and if so, what has been your experience? 

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  • joan888
    joan888 Member Posts: 810
    edited December 2011

    After a year on Femara and generic Femara, My ONC switched me to generic Aromasin last month and I am doing much better. Hand pain is nearly gone, but still get pretty stiff if I sit too long. The other thing I've noticed is that I have far more energy and endurance. I have my fingers crossed that things stay this way. I have 4 more years to go.

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  • Grandma3
    Grandma3 Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2016

    On Letrozole since September 2015, I can only get about 4 hours of sleep a night, energy gone, ambition gone, and I wake at night with throbbing hands and what I would describe as stingers in outside thumb area, and outside pinky area and ache in palm of hands. My hands are so stiff, I can not make a fist for the first 30 min Im up. I can deal with the ache hips and shoulders most of the time. Any suggestions on how to get some sleep, My focus is gone, so I gave us my gaming with friends, gave up reading because I can't remember what I have just read, I am afraid to watch my grandkids, thinking I will not be able to keep an eye on them (they are 3, 3 and 5), cooking is a disaster, I keep forgetting how to make things I have made for years. I know I need to sleep but wine, advil pm, melatonin, warm bath, and prescriptions have not produced more than 4 and a half hours.

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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited April 2016

    Hi Grandma3- Welcome! This thread is a bit old so you may not get many responses. However this linked thread is quite active and might have some good tips for you. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/78/topics...

    I was on Femara for seven months and had most of the symptoms you mentioned. I switched to Arimidex and have similar symptoms. One thing that has helped me with the wrist pain is sleeping with wrist splints, especially on my right hand which is my dominate hand. I also take Effexor to help with the hot flashes. This is powerful medicine and certainly not without side effects. I've just decided to put my head down and endure it. Hopefully some of the SE will improve with time. For sleep I started using a silk sleep mask - it is luscious and I just sink into the softness and darkness.

    Take care. Hope to "see" you around!


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  • Glad2Balive
    Glad2Balive Member Posts: 1
    edited April 2016

    Hi Grandma 3. I take my Letrozole before I go to bed and don't have problems sleeping or get night sweats. They said it didn't matter what time I take it.

    I also get stingers. I haven't found anything that gets rid of that pain accept using wrist splints. I found the pain is worse when I use an iPhone or iPad. The movement of my fingers aggrevate my wrists.

    I'm trying to lose weight as they say estrogen is stored in fat cells and that is what fed my cancer. If I can lose the weight then I think they will take me off of the medication sooner. Right now I still have 3 years to go.

    I had pain in my knees but that went away since taking Calcium. I also take vitamin D which I believe is helping with my mood. I still get fuzzy brain or what I call brain delay. I seam to think a lot about doing something before it gets done.

    I hope you are sleeping better. Warm milk usually helps me and don't forget to take deep breaths and relax. Hope this helps a bit.


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  • Toughcookie
    Toughcookie Member Posts: 12
    edited April 2018

    I've been on letrozole for six months. I initially had hand cramps in both hands but the pain diminished after a couple months. But My left wrist (bc side, which is also my dominant hand) has just begun to ache. I've recently been diagnosed with lymphedema so I don't know if the wrist pain is from that or the Letrozole. It does feel like joint pain but I do have a bit of swelling in the wrist.

    Anyone else have joint pain from letrozole that is not bi-lateral?

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  • Lula73
    Lula73 Member Posts: 1,824
    edited April 2018

    toughcookie- love your screen name! I have joint pain in my left hand that runs down my pointer finger into the hand and curves back up my thumb. Only on left side. It’s always worse in the morning or after extended period of non-use, but gets better after opening and closing my hand several times and continuing to use it. Luckily I’m right handed. I sometimes get pain in my left leg but not always. I had surgery on that leg a few years ago for a torn tendon so it’s hard to know if it’s the letrozole or the surgery but it does seem to ache more often after starting letrozole. But then I’m older as well.

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