FEMARA
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I just started taking Femara. I was told that you have to take it for 5 years, however, all the information I have read says they only have 2 year trials on Femara. It seems that it was the drug of choice after Tamoxafin.
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I believe that Tamoxifen is now prescribed to pre-menopausal women, and that some oncologists are following the Tamoxifen with 2 years of an AI, whether Femara or another one.
But for post-menopausal women the protocol seems to be 5 years of an AI. My oncologist said I'd be taking Femara for 5 years.
Hugs,
Karen
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Does anyone know when you will be able to get femara in generic
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No, but hopefully will be sometime in the next 5 years that I'll be taking it. I start after my last rads boost on Wed. The onc gave me a month's trial supply to see if it agrees with me so guess I'll know soon whether or not I'll have some of the nasty SE's. Sure hope I'm one of the lucky ones!
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Bonnygg,
We could be sisters! I am 54 and feel like 90!!!!!! Been on Femara since March 2009.I have a hard time getting up from a sitting position--my right knee about kills me! Never hurts any other time. I have pain in my neck on the right side as well as pain in my left arm!! I look like an elderly lady when I start to walk--all bent up and shuttlering(sp??) my feet. I noticed many of you exercise by swimming--do you think our insurance will pay for a pool for us to exercise!!!!!!!!!!!
My hair is growing but not long enough. I stopped wearing my wig, however, daughter getting married the 24th--took the wig to the place I got it to shape it up. The wig for the wedding and the reception!
Does anyone have ALFLAC? I was going to call to see if they will pay for Femara.
Go for my mammogram today and then for the results next Thursday (2 days before the wedding). I am going to tell him if he doesn't have good news to wait til Monday after the wedding!
Someone mentioned about headaches! I use to have migranes and headaches here and there; but ever since I have had chemo (no headaches then), I have not had 1 headache!
Everyone take care!
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Hi Linda,
I remember you from the Mammosite posts!! I'm sorry you're having trouble with Femara. I initially was on Arimidex and had many of the same SE's as you are experiencing with Femara, so my onc switched me to Femara and it helped. Maybe you should talk to your onc about one of the other two AI's?
Congratulations on your daughter's upcoming wedding - and you'll be in my thoughts and prayers for a good doctor's report.
Hugs,
Karen
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Hi Ladies; I have been on Femara for a few months, and had no side effects. Then wham!!!!! Headaches. I'm starving all the time. I don't want to gain any more weight, lol. I live in Canada. It costs $230. a month for femara. I hope the generic comes out soon.
xoxo Angel 0 -
Hi Nanna and Angel,
You might want to check into www.alldaychemist.com. I order most of my meds through them.
Hugs,
Karen
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LindaBusEd - I dont know details about your situation but I was having a lot of the bone and joint pain and aches until my doc put me on a weekly Vitamin supplement- its a once a week gelcap with 50,000 IU of vitamin D (D2 I believe)- and it has done wonders for the achiness!!!! Might be worth checking into it........
Kristy
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I had terrible lower back pain (when I say that I mean severe) for the first 8 months on the femara and all of a sudden they have started subsiding. I am taking vitamin D with calcium also. I think the vitamin D is really helping.
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Dear Kdeit; Thanks to you, I'll be saving almost $200. a month!
The generic isn't available in Canada, yet. xoxo Angel 0 -
Angel - I'm glad!! It's not available in the US yet, either. That's why I love ADC/
Hugs,
Karen
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Quick poll- what is the cost of femara? Right now I pay 62.50 for a 3 month supply but my insurance is changing next year to where I will pay 30% on a 3 month order through mail order- wondering how much that will be????
Kristy
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Kristy,
I believe it's variable, depending on which pharmacy you use. I just checked and the full price at Target and Walgreen is $368.37 a month. At CVS it's 378.79. You need to see what the mail order full-price is going to be. I hope you're not looking at a large co-pay. :-(
Hugs,
Karen
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Forgive me if this has been answered already in the many posts under this title. Here is my small story on Femara so far. I started on Femara at the end of July right after finishing rads. After 7 days and gaining almost a pound a day, I started to bleed as if I was on a light period. I have not had a period for over 3 years. My medical onc took me off of it and sent me for testing to see if I had any uterine problems and to check if I was truly post-menopausal. I got the all clear today from the gynecologist and said it was ok for me to take what ever my onc prescribed to me. So I am thinking that my med onc will probably put me back on the Femara. Has any one else had problems with bleeding and if you did, what was the outcome or "fix"?
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Hi all! I was hoping I could join this thread as I am a new Femara user. Here is my story about how I got to Femara at 37 years old. I was diagnosed in January, had 8 chemo treatments that ended in May, had bilateral with expanders end of June, and then about a month later got the all clear to start Tamoxifen. I had bilateral BC but because I was node neg and had the bilateral mx I got to skip radiation. I started on Tamox and about two months later I was still having no SE's. Not one hot flash and I was on Lupron during chemo to protect my ovaries and had many flashes. My husband and I have no children but had been trying for awhile and then, BAM, breast cancer. So we were told by the doctors that in a few years they would ok a pregnancy. Well I had the Tamoxifen metaboliser test done and I am a poor metaboliser. My onc said then that I needed to have my ovaries removed so I could take an AI. I chose to have it all out did a complete hyster so that I would not have any other girlie bit cancers. I figured if I was not going to be able to use them then I did not want to worry about them either. As you can imagine at the time this was devastating to my husband and me but we are comfortable now with adoption and possibly surrogates out of all of the amazing friends and family that have offered. This is how I became suddenly post menopausal and on Femara. I just started bottle number 2, which costs me $25.00 a month with my insurance by the way, but CVS told me it is close to $400 a month without insurance (OMG!). I have not had any major SE's yet but I am awaiting the day because so many people have posted about the horrible SE's. I have a good friend who stopped taking it because she said that it was worse than chemo. Do you all think that I am "out of the woods" or not even in the woods yet on SE's? When do they normally begin? Thanks for listening:)
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Except few hot flushes here and there at the beginning I have no SE. ooh and gaining wait.
I have been on it since March 2006
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Hi - been on Femara since February 2009. Have the hot flashes - aches (especially in legs) but am coping. Have NO interest at all in sex. Anyone else experience this ? Anything help?
Oh and my onc seems to indicate I might be on it longer than 5 years depending on the ongoing research...Thinking of asking him about switching to Armidex when I see him in December to see if there is any difference.Thoughts?
One more question - anyone's hair come in real curly? Any idea how long that lasts?
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nene,
sorry about the lost of your ovaries, about Femara it's hard to tell only two months in, but it varies so much form one person to the other that it is hard to say for now. Hope you will be among the ones that have no or little side effects, have a nice day
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After 17 years and 7 years of tamoxifan, my cancer came bace a year ago. It is in my upper chest area near my clavical. Oncologist said I have several small nodules. Put me on Femara last October and early Sept. my tumor markers went up and now I am on Aromasin. Onc. said that femara sometimes only works for 8 mos. to a year and I should be glad it worked for a year. Some nodles showed improvement, some grew slightly. If aromasin doesn't work, chemo will be next, then some type of hormonal therapy after. Have been Aromasin for one week, not as much joint pain in my feet as femara, so hoping I will be able to cope. I take 4 tablets of fish oil for high cholestral, which some said helps the joint pain, but did not help with femara. Worst part was I just ordered a three month supply of femara that I have to through out, since drugstore will not take back. Sucks, makes me feel good I only had to pay $55. for three month supply. Aromasin costs me the same.
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Welga,
Thanks for the info and the compassion. Since I was er/pr+ it was probably the right thing to do regardless of my Tamox metaboliser status. If things stay the way they are now on Femara I will not have a problem for the next five years. BTW my onco office is participating in a study on AI's to see if there is a benefit of staying on them past five years. Maybe when I get there I will participate but I will post if my onc tells me anything before then. I know we all hate to be medicated but it does give me a sense (even if false) of security to still be doing something to prevent reoccurrence. So mentally I give myself a pass on worry every time I take a Femara. Since I realize I probably have no control whatsoever if it comes back this is how I get my mind around it. My grandmother had BC 41 years ago and was treated with surgery only as far as I know and she is 88 now. I am BRCA neg so this is supposedly not hereditary but I do hope mine follows her path. As my onc told me every year that passes without a reoccurence is another year of research being done towards a cure. Maybe he is an optomist but I like the attitude.
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mama1050 - Sorry to hear of your recurrence. That's the worry all of us will always have, I'm sure. About your unused Femara, we have a Hunger Coalition here that will take unused meds & give to needy people in our county. It makes me feel better about being able to help someone else out. You might want to check to see if there is anything like that in your area.0
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mama1050- we must have been posting at the same time the other night because I did not see your post before that. I too am sorry about your reoccurence and wish you a speedy trip back to NED as soon as the dr. finds the right combo to treat you. If the Femara is unopened, my pharmacy gives me a bottle from the manufacturer that has a seal on top like you get with OTC drugs, your oncologist's office may be able to use it for someone. I had unopened Emend during chemo and I gave it to them as I know it can be expensive for patients without medical insurance or state assistance. Best wishes to you.
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New to this discussion board on Femara. I was on Arimidex for 5 months and couldn't handle the side effects - so started Femara about 4 months ago. I have the hot flashes, headaches, joint pain/body aches, insomnia, and tiredness. My oncologist seems to just brush these concerns aside. He keeps telling me that if I don't stay on a AI - my chance of recurrence is 30% higher. Has anyone found any research to prove this? I'm tired of being 56 and feeling 76. I'm really considering chucking the pills and taking my chances. I'm in agreement - chemo was easier! At least you saw the light at the end of the tunnel. That five year tunnel is looking really dark right now. I take Prozac to help with hot flashes, but it doesn't seem to be working. Anyone switch to Effexor with any good results? Thanks in advance for any input everyone!
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Wblibrary - at least you only feel 76, I feel 106. And if something doesn't change, pretty soon I'll weigh 206. I don't want to give up, especially since I'm Stage III, but I don't know if I can do this for 5 years, either. I feel like such a wimp.
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Mary 5454
I agree with the lack of interest in sex--- the vaginal dryness has been hard-- people have recommended coconut oil--anyone every try that??? but beyone the dryness, it is like I have just shifted into neutral..... no high, no low.. it is very weird--not sure if it is the femara or the lupron I take to supress my ovaries..... I have been on it since July-- the joint stiffness seems to be subsiding,but the libido has taken a big hit....
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I know I sound a little like a borken record on this one- but Supplementing Vitamin D has changed everything for me on Femara. I take 2000 IU daily of Vitamin D3 and also a once a week 50,000 IU Vitamin D that is a prescription. My onc regularly checks our Vitamin D levels through blood work so it is closely monitored. My leg aches and joint aches are at least 90% less since they boosted my Vitamin D level and my sex drive has returned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My onc checks the Vit D level when she does my other bloodwork so it is not an extra stick or anything- and the change and improvement has been remarkable.
On the prescription cost- we have a 50.00 per month max (so 150.00) on a mail order prescription so it looks like that will be the new cost in 2010- stil not too high just a hit when you have to get the 3 month presciption. My on did go ahead and write the refill so I can get one more order at the 2009 price!
Kristy
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Hi Ladies....Is there any kind of vitamin or solution (beside diet pills wont take them) to curb the appetite little bit. I am talking about food not the sex drive lol. I am always hungry, losing weight and
even retain my weight is becoming very hard and stressful. I walk daily. I am 5' 5" and weigh 171lb. Heeeeeeeelp please.
BTW I am on Femara since March of 2006.
Sheila
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I, too, take mega doses of Vit D and go outside whenever I can. It hasn't helped me yet. I am getting a Reclast infusion on Wednesday (I know, not the same as Vit D), so maybe that will help.
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nene,
you have the right attitude, Femara is a very good drug and if but only if you get some side effects there are a lot of info on this board about supplements and meds that will hell you cope with them
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