My experience with the harsh side effects of Letrozole
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I am currently undergoing fertility treatment. I am in the egg retrieval cycle.
This is my first time doing IVF, and everything is new to me.
I am using low-dose stimulation to grow my follicles!
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Letrozole, 2.5mg, morning and night for 5 days
...For my body, the side effects of Letrozole were brutal!!
The side effects consisted of three symptoms.
・Depression
・Headache
・Nausea
Regarding the depression, I also experienced mood swings when I took the medium-dose pill, Planovar.
It’s a feeling of wanting to cry for no reason.
Also, I feel like crying over minor stresses that I can usually handle.
The headache lasted for 4 days, from the 4th day of taking the medication to the 2nd day after finishing it.
On the day my headache peaked, I also felt nauseous and actually threw up.
By the morning of the 3rd day after finishing the Letrozole, the medication had completely worn off, I suppose? I felt as energetic and healthy as usual.
The bliss of waking up in the morning without a headache...
I couldn't help but excitedly report to my husband, who was lying next to me playing on his phone, that "I don't have a headache!"
This is a report from when the side effects were at their worst👇
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It's the 3rd day of the persistent headache.
Even when I wake up in the morning, my head hurts.
It felt like a throbbing sensation at the very top of my head.
I'm the type who gets headaches from low atmospheric pressure, so I'm used to this level of headache and went to work as usual.
I didn't even take any headache medicine.
(Because I was a bit worried about the impact)
It's a 30-minute commute one way by train.
I usually play on my phone, but the screen was a bit too much, so I closed my eyes. I was just grateful to have a seat.
Thinking, "My head hurts," I arrived at the office.
10 minutes after sitting down at my PC and starting work.
With my usual low-pressure headaches, once I start working,
perhaps because I'm concentrating,
I stop noticing the pain, but this time it was different.
Looking at the screen is painful!
My head hurts!!!!
It hurts more and more!!!
A meeting was about to start, but I decided I couldn't endure it in this state and left work early.
I was only at the office for 10 minutes.
I take a certain amount of pride in my work, so
leaving after only 10 minutes felt pathetic, and I couldn't even get the words 'excuse me for leaving early' out of my mouth.
My colleagues are all women, and they were all kind, saying things like 'Are you okay?', 'Take care', and 'This is unusual', and I could feel an atmosphere of both sympathy and confusion.
I left the office, leaving behind only the words 'I'm sorry,' which I think only I could hear.
I didn't even have the energy to get on the train home,
so I lay down on a bench at a nearby temple.
I took some acetaminophen for my headache
and waited for the pain to subside.
At this moment, too, I was crying while lying down because I felt weak and pathetic, and my head hurt so much.
It's a side effect of depression, I suppose. Normally, I wouldn't cry just because I had a headache and had to leave work early. It's just a matter of going home and resting.
Furthermore, I started to feel nauseous.
I threw up the ramen I had for lunch in the temple's public restroom.
It was a clean public restroom, which made it psychologically easier to vomit, and I was very grateful for that.
I rinsed my mouth with Sokenbicha tea,
and although my head still hurt, the nausea had subsided, so I got on the train.
I bought a Weider in Jelly at the nearest station.
Since I had thrown up the headache medicine at the temple,
I would take another dose of acetaminophen at home.
I had to put something in my stomach.
I took a taxi home from the station.
When I opened the auto-lock at my home,
tears came to my eyes again.
I went inside
while sobbing silently.
My husband, who was working remotely,
said 'Welcome back, you're early,'
but when he saw me sobbing, he rushed over in a panic.
Well, that must have been a surprise.
I felt pathetic, and I couldn't stop the tears.
I went straight to the bedroom.
I slurped down the Weider in Jelly,
took the acetaminophen, and curled up while lying down.
My husband is so kind; he prepared donuts, caramel, and water for me by the bedside.
I'm not in any condition to eat right now, but I was very happy for his thoughtfulness.
That day, the headache wouldn't go away even with medicine,
and since the nausea continued,
I could only eat a tiny bit of porridge for dinner.
On this day,
at night,
it rained.
By the morning of the day after next,
the effects of the Letrozole had worn off,
and the headache, nausea, and depression had all completely disappeared.
I lost about 0.5kg over these few days,
so I ate a hearty meal to make up for it.
I'm feeling well today, but I'm hungry.
I'm writing this in the clinic waiting room,
and I'm wondering what I should have for lunch.
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(Note)
When I told the doctor about the side effects,
they said that some people do occasionally experience depression.
They mentioned that next time, we can set it as a contraindicated drug
and prescribe a different one instead!
I plan to weigh the pros and cons of each medication against the side effects and consider my options.
For those reading this article,
I know you are likely in a difficult situation as well,
but let's do our best!💪✨
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