Have any of you had heart problems while on Ibrance and Letrizole? My oncologist wants me to have a full work up with a cardiologist
She took me off both meds to see if theyy were causing the dizziness , extreme fatigue and weakness. I still feel incapable of doing anything, it's difficult to climb up stairs and walk across the room without getting out of breath . I've fallen so many times from dizziness and I queried about heart problems in women. Mayo Clinic said that menopause can result in heart attacks in Women. Since Letrizole is an estrogen blocker, the same results could occur. Also being on chemo could affect the heart also.
I would appreciate any feedback.
Patricia
Written by
Gram10
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I’m sorry you’re unwell..feeling dizzy is very scary and incapacitating
It’s well known that post menopausal women are more prone to heart problems whereas before menopause men are much more likely to suffer...it’s the lack of oestrogen I’m afraid
However we have to have the anti oestrogen meds for our mbc so there’s no negotiation on that one!!
Your doctor is very wise in getting you checked out..at least you’re being monitored
Try not to worry as there are many heart medications to try...I know you will worry but that’s not good for you and won’t change anything
My cariologist told me I should have echocardiagrams every 3 to 6 months because of meds causing heart issues, although I do not at this time have an issue. Good luck!!
Gosh, Gram, I'm sorry for what you're going through. What I'm wondering about is if your symptoms are "simply" side-effects of the cancer-fighting drugs, e.g. anemia, etc. It'd be a shame to forgo or reduce that arsenal unless/until absolutely necessary. Perhaps there's a way for them to see if your heart is at risk rather than take you off the cancer-fighting drugs?
I'm 72 and have had congestive heart disease for 15 years and take a boatload of drugs for that and HBP. I've been on Ibrance/letrozole for 13 months and have some of the common side effects. My cardiologist is aware of my MBC and has not suggested any change in my heart meds, etc. Have you tried lowering your Ibrance dosage? I started on 125, reduced to 100 with still positive scan results, and am reducing to 75. If it were me, I think I'd go back on the cancer drugs and get a full cardiac workup. I think cardiac issues, if that's the problem, can be dealt with easier than cancer.
Ibrance did a number on my lungs! I was only on it for 9 1/2 cycles and was becoming more and more out of breath. I was seen by a pulmonologist who diagnosed Interstitial Lung Disease, which he described as "gunk between the air sacs." That was 2 1/2 years ago and while two Rx inhalers help some, scans show stability in the lungs, without improvement. Both my onc and pulmonologist attribute the ILD to Ibrance, and so did the second opinion bc onc I just saw. About 15 months ago, I developed atrial fibrillation and I read somewhere on the internet that it can be caused by ILD. I am not a fan of these newer-use-with-estrogen-controlling-meds as a good friend of mine died from Afinitor, also with pulmonary problems. That was shortly after it was FDA approved and when she had acute pulmonary collapse, neither her onc or pulmonologist associated that with the Afinitor, kept giving it to her, and she died after about 3-4 weeks in the hospital ICU!
How horrible!!! Sometimes I’m not sure if these drugs and the FDA are using us as guinea pigs! I had bronchitis out of the blue and am wondering if it was a result of the ibrance. Had a chest ex ray and my doctor said also just gunk in the lung! Who knows! I also have some flutters in my heart and will have it checked out. Tough battle!
I had a work up for the same reasons: shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, dizziness. No problems with the heart. But I’ve been off Ibrance for 5 weeks due to low wbc, and out of range values on all blood factors. The shortness of breath stopped after 2 weeks, no dizziness now, and I’m much less tired. Fatigue is taking longer, but red cells take longer to replenish and I’ve been doing next to nothing for months. I think my muscles need to rebuild and that’s tiring, but not like before. My oncologist said I will stay off Ibrance until they see progression of disease. After 18 months I have no evidence of disease at this time.
My palliative care doc just had me get an echocardiogram. Yes, chemo and radiation can effect our hearts for sure.
Being menopausal also carries risk!
I will get my results on May 15th.
As much as we don't want to we have to get an ekg and an echo! My onc had be do both before chemo on my initial dx.
I know. More to worry about!
Hi Patricia,
I think it's a good idea to have your heart checked. I know that chemotherapy can cause irreparable heart damage, and perhaps aromatase inhibitors can too. I still remember my oncologist telling me that this treatment is not as toxic as chemotherapy, but it is still toxic.
I had an ECG last June right after I started treatment because my right hand went completely numb and I couldn't move it. I was scared I was having a stroke, so my husband called an ambulance. They took all my vitals and then performed an ECG and everything came back normal. They think it was probably just a panic attack. But I always say it is best to get checked out, even if it turns out that everything is normal or you are having side effects that need to be managed differently. I really hope you get some answers soon.
Oh wow...I'm so sorry to hear that you are suffering that much with the plural effusion. I too have problems with the plural. I certainly hope that things get better for you..🙏🙏🙏
My first experience with the plural effusion was when i had pneumonia last year Feb and i was hospitalized for 13 days and had thorthesis surgery where they tacled the right lung to prevent the fluid from returning. A year later the left started filling up and then the right which was shocking to us all. The bad thing was the right lung didn't show the fluid on the chest xray , it showed up on a CT scan. Now im having anxiety over it...
I hope that it gets better for you, they say that the treatments are supposed to prevent that, do they know why you're filling up with so much fluid, and do they have plan of action to prevent it?
I went to the hospital last week because I was having chest pain continuously. They couldn't find anything. They referred me to Cardiologist which I saw this past Friday who said on the surface he doesn't believe that I have a heart problem but wants me to come back in a week for an Ehco and stress test. My chest has been hurting a lot since I've been on Let/Ibrance. I've been experiencing shorteness of breath and muscle spasms really horrible.
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