letrozole Side Effects
Also known as: Femara
Analysis of 59,013 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA from 2004 to 2025.
Total Reports
59,013
Death-Related
5,837
9.9% of reports
Hospitalizations
15,111
25.6% of reports
Top Indication
Breast Cancer
Most Reported Adverse Reactions
Who Reports Side Effects
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reporting Trend by Year
Reactions in Death Reports
Top reactions reported in 5,837 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DEATH | 2,577 |
| MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION | 699 |
| DYSPNOEA | 632 |
| FATIGUE | 629 |
| NAUSEA | 586 |
| ASTHENIA | 520 |
| VOMITING | 510 |
| DIARRHOEA | 498 |
| DECREASED APPETITE | 442 |
| NEOPLASM PROGRESSION | 423 |
| BREAST CANCER METASTATIC | 379 |
| ASCITES | 373 |
| GENERAL PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERIORATION | 368 |
| MALAISE | 363 |
| SEPSIS | 362 |
| FALL | 355 |
| PYREXIA | 348 |
| COUGH | 340 |
| ARTHRALGIA | 330 |
| ABDOMINAL PAIN | 328 |
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Top reactions in 15,111 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| NAUSEA | 1,637 |
| FATIGUE | 1,521 |
| DIARRHOEA | 1,339 |
| DYSPNOEA | 1,290 |
| VOMITING | 1,193 |
| ASTHENIA | 962 |
| PYREXIA | 937 |
| ANAEMIA | 935 |
| PNEUMONIA | 891 |
| DECREASED APPETITE | 816 |
| PAIN | 815 |
| NEUTROPENIA | 781 |
| MALAISE | 756 |
| MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION | 747 |
| ARTHRALGIA | 731 |
| WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT DECREASED | 723 |
| FALL | 682 |
| GENERAL PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERIORATION | 648 |
| URINARY TRACT INFECTION | 638 |
| COUGH | 627 |
Nearby — Related Medications
What the FAERS Data Reveals About letrozole Side Effects
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 59,013 voluntary reports linked to letrozole and its brand equivalents (Femara), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 5,837 (9.9%) listed death as an outcome and 15,111 (25.6%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Breast Cancer.
Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 98% were female and 2% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 17,286 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is fatigue with 7,159 submissions, followed by nausea and neutropenia.
FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice — speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.