Just starting letrozole

Hi - I think we started a thread for those w/o side effects from AIs but am not sure where it is - probably under "Help me get through treatment"?

At any rate - I've been on Femara for 13+ months with minimal effects. My hair is drier and I did have a few really black days here and there when I first started it. That was pretty early in my tx. so there was some depression of course already occurring.

Many women find that keeping physically active helps a lot. Yoga helps, too. Some women find acupuncture helpful. You may find the SEs are quite noticeable in the beginning but quiet down after a few months.

I do take mine just before bed so that if I do get drowsy it doesn't affect my work day or driving.

I hope it works out very well for you. It's a powerful, efficacious drug - well worth the effort of dealing with the SE if they occur.

the side effects most often noticed by me are joint and muscle pain, stiffness when standing or getting out of a car, bed, chair, etc., insomnia, hot flashes, thinner hair. But.......the hot flashes aren't so bad for me and not sure if the thinner hair was from chemo after effects. I manage the joint and muscle pain by regular weight bearing exercise, mostly walking. I also make sure to take my statin at a different time of day, so check other medications you take and if they also cause anthralgia, don't take them with letrozole, I have not found anything that helps the stiffness, but it goes away quickly. The insomnia comes and goes but taking in the am helps a lot.

Good luck, msP

I have been on Femara/letrozole since Feb 2010 and have had no issues with it. When I started Femara it was only available under the brand name - Femara. When it became available later as the generic form - letrozole - I went to generic and have been on it since. Definitely no joint/bone pain.

I am 'old' (by calendar years - 69) but I have lived a very active outdoor life all my life so do have some 'aches and pains' for YEARS from what I've done (and do) to my body. I do any and everything I want to. Some of my favorite 'activities' are riding/caring for our horses, bicycling, mowing yards with my push mower, flyfishing, are a few.

Being many yrs post menopause or post hysterectomy, does not mean that we do not have estrogen in our body. The pituitary gland produces estrogen, (men have estrogen in their body), we ingest it in many foods. I am ER+; never been overweight, was very active and was 19 yrs post natural menopause but my IBC is/was ER+.

Added: Forgot to say I have never had 'hot flashes' - either when I went through natural menopause at 44 or from Femara/letrozole in almost 6 yrs.

I felt gloomy but it went away, probably in two months, stated in early April. I should have written all this down. Didn't find this blog until Oct.