FEMARA
Comments
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Thanks, Momine, for all the tips and tmj info. It doesn't usually hurt--it's more of a nuisance. I'm just worried that it's going to get worse.
Your cabbage salad sounds yummy--I'm going to have to try it. do you add any oil at all (olive oil?) or just the lime juice?
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A little olive oil, but it isn't really necessary.
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Momine, I tried the cabbage salad yesterday, and really enjoyed it. Thanks for the suggestion.
Well I woke up today with huge eczema welts all over me. I went to the Dermatologist got a steroid shot, and was told to stop the Femara and call the Onc. So now what? My Onc. is on vacation for the next 2 weeks. I'm so frustrated!
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Kira, maybe the cabbage was to blame
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Momine You made me laugh with that comment about the cabbage. If it could just be the easy. We know I'm allergic to petroleum products, so I'm wondering what is in the meds. I've used steroidal cream for years to treat small out breaks, but this is way to much for the cream to handle.
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not sure if you will read this post due to the date but...
I was on creastor but could not afford the copays so asked ~ to switch to simistatin (generic zocor)
since it was the same time I started on my femara, when I started getting horrible leg pains, cramps, weakness in the leg, or whatever you want to call it
I blamed it on femara and never spoke to my PCD
after about 2 1/2 years, I finally ended in tears in my PCD office and she finally said, gee, maybe it is the simistatin.....after offering me muscle relaxants......
fast forward, I stopped all statins, my cholesteral when up to 300
ended in a cardiologist office who got me on lipitor
so far, no problems and the cholesteral is fine
sigh
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Kira, if you know what you are alergic to, and can not reach your doc, try the pharmacist.
lordie but I have found mine to be great at telling me what to avoid regarding alergies
as in me..alergic to NSAIds...guy told me what I need to avoid....pepto, aspirin and loads more
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proudtospin, Thanks for the info, but mine seems to be evolving, and that is the rub. I have all the Doc's looking at the situation at the moment. They are very concerned, so having a group discussion before moving forward. I know it will be another drug, but have no idea whoich one at this time.
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proudtospin - I too am allergic to NSAIDs and aspirin products. I have, however, found that I can take the natural form of aspirin (white willow bark) with no adverse affects. It might not work that way for you, but it might be worth a shot.
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Garden gumby(what a fun name!)--hmm, never knew of the white willow bark so will do some research.
I get real nervous on trying new stuff but may look into it, for me, tylonel works although,had a nasty reaction to the tylonel PM version which contains benedryl....so added that to the no no list
just replaced my friendly heating pad, no side effects!
alergies are scary so I try to avoid things and do try natural and also, keep a handy rescue inhaler by myside
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The fillers they put into pills can have toxic effects on some people just like some people are affected by food additives....and sometimes cause life threatening conditions.
I think if you are taking on generic and it's really upsetting your system, check the additives in it and look for another generic with different additives.
For me I think the Femara itself, and I take the real one, not generic, is what knocks me around. Tired, aching joints, mood swings. Every month when I get the prescription filled they say would you like the generic, less expensive one and I say 'no way'.
We have to do our own investigations and can't rely on doctors to decide which one is good for us.
Think about it - estrogen is one hormone that makes us what we are and now we are all taking a pill to wipe it out of our systems so we can starve any potential breast cancer cells that might be lying dormant in our body but looking for estrogen, which they feed off.
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HI Debbie,
So glad to see you again and would like to tell you my MO changed me to Aromasine in 2012 and i must tell you now I have really less SE's as on Femara, but still asking will it be as success full.
All the best and greetings
Usha
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My doc switched me to aromasin also, doing the generic now and not seeing any SEs from it.
then again, got aches and pains so who knows, counting the months till the 5 years are up and really hoping to be able to end the stuff then
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jlmg, I haven't tried the honey. I don't know if you can try elderberry tea or extract. It works well for me, but usually more at the beginning of an illness. I file it under the "it certainly can't hurt" tab and take it when I'm sick, anyway.
I had a frozen shoulder for a year. I injured it swimming, trying to exercise...go figure. I went to the doc over and over again. I got three shots in the back of my shoulder. It would ease a little, but the pain never got better, always worse. Finally, I told him, enough with the shots in the back. The pain is worse in the front. He said there is more risk of adverse side effects with giving shots in the front. I was like, adverse side effects like losing the use of your shoulder? I've already got that. DO IT. So, he did. Within days it was better and two weeks later, it was almost back to normal. The miraculous part was that I haven't had any trouble with it until recently. But then every joint, everywhere, hurts! I don't know if that will help or not, but it was my experience. And there has been nothing to date that would send me to my knees faster than someone grabbing my arm and pulling on that shoulder. It is horrible pain.
As for the aromasin, I've been taking it about a week now, after switching from Femara. I can't tell a difference. I hope that my side effects lessen over time! Just gonna keep holdin on, for now!
Cheers,
steph
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I went off all my supplements prior to stage II, as they were ALL blood thinners. My right knee just kept getting worse and worse, to the point that I'd almost be crying from the pain. I'm back on all of the supplements now, and it's slowly improving.0
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Has anyone stayed on femara longer than 5 yrs?
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there was a woman on my weightwatchers BC boards a couple of years ago who had stayed on the ALs for about 8 years, she was part of a test at the center she was going to
but one day she posted that she was throwing in the towel on any more and her onco was fine (she had 8 years!)
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I wonder about this, too. My onc said that now that more and more women are surviving breast cancer (and many of them young with lots of years to live) that it might end up coming out that we need more than 5 yrs of an AI if estrogen postive. I don't want to even think about that though! Does anyone know if there are any studies or results on this yet?
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My mom was on tamoxifen for 10 years - which was the prevailing requirement back then (about 20+ years ago). My oncologist said she wanted me to have some kind of hormone suppressant for a total of 5 years. She said that a lot of women throw in the towel at about 3 to 3.5 years. I had about 6 months on tamoxifen and so far about 7 months on letrozole. I'm planning a letrozole "vacation" for a month this winter (with her approval). Some of the studies I've read said that 2.5 years of tamoxifen followed by 2.5 years of letrozole provided the "best" results. I'm not sure how they came up with that, though. I just don't think I can do more that 5 years of this stuff. I walk like I'm about 800 years old - on a good day.
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Last conversation with my onco on this, she seemed to say she would be ok with me stopping at 5 years
lordie but I sure do hope so, that would mean I have 1 1/2 years to go on the junk,
not sure how to tell is my aches are a side effect of the meds or if just getting old
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Usha, sure glad to hear the change in medication has made your life easier. I know I can do with all the help I can get. When I was 57 and before BC, I felt and had the energy of a 37 year old. Now, 2+ years later, at 59 there are days I feel 69, what with the aches and pains, mood swings, hot flashes, and now 2 prolapsed discs all thanks to Femara leaching the calcium from my body. I truly hate the changes Femara has done to me more than the double mastectomy with reconstruction!
Enjoy your summer.
Debbie
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I hate the mood swings. Sometimes I feel great and then I'll turn into a raging bitch - I feel so bad for my poor husband who puts up with me through all this @#$%^.
Oh yeah, and I also hate the joint pain! movement has become something that is difficult, and I end up not knowing if it's because of the letrozole or have I hurt myself somehow and don't even know it.... frustrating.
Is it OK to take calcium supplements on letrozole??? If so, does anyone have any recommendations as to what is good? I've never taken calcium in my life as I've always had super duper bones, but I'd like them to stay that way....
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Gumby, my doc put me on 600mg calcium with 400mg D3 a day to maintain my bones while on femara. I already have osteopenia on my spine, so he was concerned. We will scan again in 3-6 months and see how it is going.
I am also joining a gym, since weight lifting can help maintain and even build bone.
I am having some joint pain as well. It comes and goes in unpredictable ways, but I find that moving, even if I have to move a bit slowly, helps.
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My doctor told me to take 1200mg of calcium a day along with magnesium and zinc which help the body absorb it (so she said). So I take a supplement that contains all three and space them out over the day with one in the morning, one after lunch, and one after dinner. She told me that if you take them all at once, your body can't absorb it all and you just eliminate a lot of it. This way, your body is more likely to utilize it. She also told me to take VitaminD3 so I've been taking around 3000iu of that a day also, some of which is in my calcium supplement and the rest in gelcap form. I spread those throughout the day also.
I have really found that exercise is helping my joint pain, but I do still struggle with fatigue (though I still have some!). Since I feel my best in the late morning, I exercise then and usually need a nap in the late afternoon.
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It's important to take nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium, on an empty stomach.
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Wow...my doctor told me to take them with a meal. Hmmm...
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I can not handle those big old calciums on an empty tummy, it doesn't like them! so I eat something even if only a bite of a muffin or piece of bread first, then all is fine
actually, lately making a flaxseed walnut and apple muffin that is small but fine on the tummy as my b fast
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I looked it up online and everything I read said to take it with a meal.
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It depends on what type of calcium you take & what other meds you take, especially high blood pressure meds.
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I take my high blood pressure meds right before bedtime so I'm not taking that with food or my calcium. The articles I read said that if you take calcium carbonate, you should take it with food. If you take calcium citrate, you can take it with or without food.
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