Friday, December 28, 2007

Another Reason I Like Letrozole Better

I really hate swallowing pills, especially big ones. As a child I couldn't do it for the longest time, which was problematic since I frequently got headaches but couldn't stand to swallow the aspirin. Finally somewhere around my pre-teens I figured it out, but I still have a difficult time with larger sized pills. I find that I get nervous causing my throat to tighten up, which in turn means the pills either don't make it into my throat or get stuck there until I cough them up. And in turn trying to swallow a large, moistened pill is even worse.

Clomid was about 1cm in diameter, which was just big enough to cause me problems. Plus it had a texture that caused it to get stuck on the back of my tongue coupled with a horrible after taste that made me gag if I couldn't get it swallowed quickly. But that was of little consequence considering that I did not experience the the typical side effects. Except for that low-grade, annoying headache that lasted for a week after the last pill. Oh and those lovely ovarian cysts. Hmmm...

Anyhow, my last cycle began Christmas Eve (apparently good ol' Aunt Flo prefers visiting on major holidays considering the last one started on Thanksgiving). So I've now finished my second dose of Letrozole, and I have to say that besides the lower cost (thanks to insurance) I'm loving the size of these pills, which is on the order of birth control pills. I can even swallow them with out liquids, and the after taste is minimal. And so far no side effects! Of course the clomid side effects didn't show until after I finished the pills so I'm not holding my breath.

So the protocol this month is Letrozole on cycle days 3 - 7 and then a follie check on January 4th. If my response is similar to my clomid cycles, we'll probably be doing the IUI around my 30th birthday (the 7th). So please keep everything crossed and I'd appreciate loads of anti-cyst vibes!

8 comments:

Mel said...

Fingers crossed and anti-cyst vibes sending your way from Dallas, Texas!
Glad the new pills are so much better than the others, I wouldn't even swallow pills until I was 16!!!!! Lived until then on children's chewable aspirin. So pathetic!

nancy said...

Have you tried putting water in your mouth first, tilting your head back, opening mouth, drop in pill at the same time swalling the water. I can take a literal HANDFUL of pills at one time this way.

jenn said...

Glad you have the easier, smaller pills now.

I think I will be o'ing around then too- we've got some cycle buddies going on... I hope it's good news all around for us!

oh- & tons of no-cyst vibes coming your way!

Sunny said...

Glad these pills are easier and cheaper! It's not often that IF treatment goes in that direction. :) Fingers and toes crossed for a successful month.

CanadianMama said...

Oh Jen,
I've got everything and more crossed for you! I really hope this is it and your BFP is just around the corner!

Kathy V said...

I know what you mean about the pill things. I have big issues with pills even the little itty bitty ones. Headaches usually result in me taking adult liquid formula. However they don't make these other pills in liquid form believe me I have asked. we are on hold this cycle because of those stupid clomid cysts too. Hope nothing but good things for you though. With New Year Luck and Birthday Luck all rolled into one cycle it is bound to be your time.

Barb said...

letrazole is a godsend compared to clomid in my eyes. Best wishes!

sarah23 said...

Hey there, I am just catching up on your blog. Our timing for this month is very very similar! (I'm doing a Clomid/IUI and I suspect that I will have the IUI sometime between 1/5 and 1/9. I was surprised to read that your Clomid pills were large. The ones I had (generic, 50 mg) are really tiny, and I'm almost afraid that I'm not going to be able to swallow them before they dissolve! I agree that they have a bitter taste, though. Fingers crossed for both of us!!