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Decide against aromatase inhibitors?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Aug 27 10:53am | Replies (124)Comment receiving replies
I have been on letrozole since April. At first I didn't notice symptoms except for an occasional hot flash. But within the last month my hair has thinned significantly and I am starting to have joint pain. I felt stomach issues and have much less of an appetite now than before. I am 70 and had invasive lobular breast cancer stage 1A grade 2 and clean margins with no cancer in the sentinel nodes when I had bilateral mastectomy in February. So my question is will these symptoms subside at some point or get worse? I have to be on an AI for five years. My oncologist said all of the AI drugs have the same side effects so switching to Anatrozole won't make a difference but it sounds like some of you have had better luck changing from Letrozole to it. Any insight out there? I don't think I want to stop them since even with them I have an 8% chance of my cancer returning because my oncotype score was 22. Everyone has to decide for themselves what is right to do but how do we cope with the side effects if they will last so long?
Replies to "I have been on letrozole since April. At first I didn't notice symptoms except for an..."
I am the same age as you and have been on Letrozole since last November, after my BC metastasized and is in my bones and lymph system. I did not have any problems from it until recent months. Definite joint pain, trigger thumb, stomach issues, mild nausea, lack of appetite, lack of motivation, general malaise and hair falls out quite a bit. I was going to switch to a different AI, but changed my mind. The astrozole was more expensive and I agree, the different AIs are pretty much the same and I guess I preferred to stick with what I was familiar with, rather than trying something else. I would be very surprised if your symptoms subsided, based on how I feel. But, maybe your symptoms will subside! Yes, coping with the side effects is not much fun. Quality of life and all that…best of luck to you!
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I’ve never heard or read that the side effects are the same for all four AIS. A good friend began on letrozole, had a lot of join pain after 8 months and was switched to anastrozole. So far, so good. They are all different. At least that’s my understanding. Try another one.