Coping with Breast Cancer Treatment Side Effects

Talk to your oncologist, there are 2 other AI drugs you could try. I have same side effects but am managing with Tylenol, chair yoga, meditation..the hair thinning bothers me but I figure if the treatment works, it’s a small price to pay. I hope you can try another drug and have better result. Hang in there.

Side effects of chemotherapy don’t sound much better. Having the same side effects as you. Am managing, not fun, but am managing.

I'm taking tamoxifen and it's horrible, I changed it to taking at nite to prevent some of the side effects, I drink a lots of green juices and it help, meditation, walking and yoga, I listen to podcast with positive bites. I use castor oil for my hair and it helps a lot.

I'm on letrozole also. Almost 3 months now. It has affected my sleep, almost nightly (like a loss of 3 to 4 hours), my mood has changed, like I'm agitated and cry a lot . The pain has come on gradual and yesterday got pretty hard. I couldn't even hold a cup of tea with one hand. Does the pain ever go away? I reached out to my oncolgist to see if I could take it every other day, maybe that would help minimize the symptoms. I read that letrozole has a long half shelf life ( about 2 days) so it is still in your system at 50% 48 hours later, stays in your system for about a week.

I'm a 10 year survivor lost my right breast I was on Letrzole for 10 years just stopped. Letrozole is awful. I'm just so thankful to be alive. Lost 15 lympnodes zi have lymphoma is horrible. When you stop Letrozle the hot flashes going away .

Melani. You sound like me. I am stage 4 and need to stay on it until it stops working. The Dr gave me Effexor and I am no longer have side effects. I had to stop in 2015 when I was stage 1. After a year, I was agitated, bent over, manic. One day, I I was sitting in my garage with my car engine running because I could no longer live this way. I called my husband, and after talking, we decided I should throw the meds in the trash if the Dr wouldn't help me. I stopped the meds for a month. Felt better, then started them again. The same thing happened. His solution was that I needed to learn to live with the side effects.

I am so sorry your going threw this.Prayers

Oh my gosh Glenda, I'm so sorry to hear all that horrible stuff you went through. 😢 And the doctors response? I don't know what to say actually, but what an unfeeling and uncaring person. Makes me angry for you. Yes, I have thought about how nice it would be to not be in emotional pain, never would actually do it but it scared me because I thought about it several times over the course of a couple weeks. Symptoms seem to be getting better now, so I don't know. Guess I'm staying on the letrozole for now. I'll have to do my own research to see how effective it is for me personally (looking at my biopsy report, oncotype outcomes, etc). Then ask the doctor too. Thank you for sharing Glenda.

If you cannot tolerate Letrozole (I could NOT), there are other choices. My onc put me on Exemestane. Not perfect by year 5, but much better and no elevated RHR like on the first one. I had bilateral mastectomy in 2016 (at 65) for stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma. Took Exemestane for 5 years. Was pretty achy and lethargic by last year. Two days after stopping, I found myself again! Gardening like I used to now. Energy and I can move.

Managing these treatment side effects can feel overwhelming, and it's completely understandable to feel frustrated with how they're impacting daily life. Many people in this community share similar experiences with hormone therapy, and connecting with others who understand these challenges can provide valuable support and practical tips for finding relief.