Here’s my 2 cents. I took letrozole (same drug as anastrozole just different manufacturer) for five years after double mastectomy and 8 rounds of chemo. I stopped after my five years in 2018. Yes, I had bad side effects, achy joints, bone loss, always tired and also hair thinning. I had enough after 5 years. In 2022 I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the portahypatic area (lymph nodes near the liver but not in it). A laparoscopic surgery to remove 2 lymph nodes and pet scan confirmed that my breast cancer had returned. I am one of the lucky ones. It is not in my bones, brain, lungs or liver as of right now but I will live with metastisis for the rest of my life. I get pet scans every three months and am now back on letrozole which is helping keep the lymph node cancers in check, meaning they are not currently growing.
I wish to God I had kept taking letrozole after five years, which I had been advised to do but I stopped because I was tired of that little pill.
Today, I gladly swallow it every morning without fail and I bless it for doing its job in my body. To date I do not have to take any other drug but I know many others who do.
I pray none of you become metastatic. It is an uncertain, sometimes scary place to be. I am active, walk 35 minutes every day, eat a plant based diet and have excellent weight.
I now love that little pill that I cursed for five years. Perspective is everything.