Letrozole: When will I start feeling/seeing side effects?

Elsie37 - I’m experiencing the exact thing from Arimidex. ER and now doing all cardiac tests. Indeed, the side effects can be devastating on joints & muscles. After 2 years, I had to stop taking it. Wishing all of you the very best ❤️❤️❤️

Letrozole mimicked a heart attack for me after 20 days. Zero heart problems before. Went to ER for EKG and followup stress test. No heart damage, just a rare side effect of Letrozole. Heart attack-like symptoms continued for a couple weeks after stopping Letrozole then ceased entirely. No problems since.

In response to joint and bone pain remedies--acupuncture has been shown to help. Unfortunately it is not usually covered by insurance.

Side effects are much more common and intense in reality in my opinion, based on my several years of experience with various drugs and interacting with women taking these drugs, than the "literature" suggests. "Well tolerated" my foot.

For anyone taking Tomoxifen, What are your side effects. I am about to go on it (after having too many joint pain issues with AIs

I have been on Letrozole for 7 weeks with wicked joint pain. My blood work taken yesterdays shows my estradiol levels at 0. Have any of you had your estradiol blood levels checked? AND as a result of those levels, has your oncologist changed/reduced your dosage of letrozole or any other AIs?

This is incredible. I had no idea they did this.............thank you Colleen!!

@francine6829, here is some information about pharmacogenomic testing (PGx) http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/center-for-individualized-medicine/pharmacogenomics-pgx.asp#what-is-pharmacogenomics-pgx

In brief: "PGx is the study of how your genes may affect your body’s response to, and interaction with, some prescription or over-the-counter medications. Genes, which are inherited from your parents, carry information that determine characteristics such as eye color and blood type. Genes can also influence how you process and respond to medications. Depending on your genetic make-up, some medications may work faster or slower, or produce more or fewer side effects."

Genetic Pharmacology Report?

@sparklegram thank you so much for answering me. I see my surgeon tomorrow for follow up and will mention it to her as well. Hopefully I was just letting that old horrible fear demon get to me again and it's what you said. I'll be sure to let you know.

I'm not sure. My Oncologist stated it may be how a particular AI is compounded, that causes the side effects. I've got to look at my Genetic Pharmacology Report to help me determine how to proceed.

@karendb - Karen, yes, I've had that. Not severe pain, but sensitivity and small twinges of pain. My Oncologist said that can go on for a long time, sometimes years.