FEMARA
Comments
-
Oh Man, I picked it up at the pharmacy and am staring at the bottle and afraid to swallow one....
I guess because I felt so crappy with high blood pressure and dizziness and knowing it elevated my cholesterol when he pulled me off the Arimidex and I don't do well with new meds..... The bottle says it's Breckenridge brand. Company is us based but bet the drug comes from some third world country......Maybe tomorrow.....
0 -
Red, you really, truly won't know until you try it. As I've said until I'm blue in the face, I take it just before I go to bed. That way if there are any issues such as dizziness or fatigue they won't present any serious problems.
I hope you do well on it.
0 -
I have been on it 10 days! I was on Arimidex and Aromesin and was also leary of starting it!! But other than a weird taste and smell in my mouth and nose, No SE like I had with others. I thought mine was from China and might be made there, Accord is the mgf and is in North Carolina. We really have to trust they aren't going to poison us!
0 -
Red I take the Breckenridge brand--almost two years now. I also take it in the evening. I have not had many side effects--a little joint stiffness when getting up after sitting for a while (of course that could be age as well) occasional hot flashes but usually not more than one or two a day. As Hopeful said you really won't know until you try.
0 -
So far no noticeable side effects for me. Like BookWoman said, a little stiffness (could be age) but things are always better if I keep moving.
0 -
ive been on letrozole for 3.5 years now. Taking the Sun brand (which has been the easiest on me). I have thin and brittle hair. Brittle nails my toe nails have gotten strange (they fold in half lengthwise) and hurt if I don't have regular pedicures.
Joint aches and muscle aches aren't bad as long as I stay away from allergens as well as wheat and sugar.
Weight gain, yes. Cholesterol a little higher.
Blood clots, but I haven't a clue if that relates to letrozole or not. My MO doesn't think it doesn't but her associate thinks it does. I have anemia now which I've never had before, and the cannot find any reason for it.
Ostopenia, yes.
But, all that said, it has never crossed my mind not to take it for the full five years. It's ever so much better than cancer.
0 -
Gardengumby, you said it! Having an excu to have regular pedicures or a massage isn't too bad either
0 -
Gardenruby and Tammy, I am all for the pedicures too! Only been on it 2 weeks so we will see. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Robin
0 -
Thanks ladies. Had sore ankle and sore knee (opposite sides) after day 1. Have work up at 2AM instead of 4Am since starting it. I will tough out the first 30 tablets, but not sure about this. Maybe staying on the Arimidex and adding a small dose of statin would be wiser. I just don't know....0 -
Red, i have been through them all!! It is the worst part of all this so far! My BMX was easier than this hormonal treatment. I had such bad arthritis that came with Arimidex and Aromasin that it is still with me. Albeit it is better than when I was on them. Femara seemd to be agreeing so far, but only been 2 weeks.
What caused you to switch?
0 -
Robin--at my 3 month check up with Arimidex, my AST was slightly elevated. At my 6 month check, ALT AND AST were up even more as were all the other numbers in my Liver Functon Panel, although the ALT AND AST were the only ones outside the range. I started having elevated blood pressure and one episode of such severe dizziness they kept me overnight at the hospital after 8 hours in ER. Then I had a check up and my Fasting cholesterol had jumped from 171 before Arimidex to 228 with Arimidex. Dr. had me go off my Armidex for about a month and a half, then when I saw him for the 9 month check up I told him about the cholesterol so we did a non-fasting cholesterol and without the the Arimidex, it was down to 198 and I had eaten that morning.
I had zero aches and pains with Arimidex and I feel like I am 90 years old this morning, so we will be calling him on Monday....
0 -
Hi Gamgam,
Nothing you can do will reduce the hair shedding while on Femara. One thing you might want to try is Joico Whipped Foam. I use it after washing my short, thin Femara affected hair and it makes it appear 5x thicker. Don't over do it rubbing it in because you don't want it to be sticky but it does help.
Good luck and prayer helps.
Glowcat
0 -
So Ladies who have been on this drug for a long time--is there an adjustment phase where you just hurt like hell and then it stops? Or is it all the time?Redhead's have no pain tolerance and we are not PATIENT
0 -
Glowcat, how long were you on Femara before your hair started shedding? I have been on it for about 3 months now and my hair is still growing like a weed and getting curlier every day.
I haven't had any pain with Femara. I started out on Arimidex and after one week I hurt so bad I couldn't move. My MO took me off Arimidex immediately and I waited two weeks and went onto Femara.
0 -
So far I haven't had any noticeable side effects with Femara....keeping fingers crossed.
0 -
I was on it for 8 months, along with monthly Zoladex injections. At first I had no side effects, then after a couple of months started noticing aches, hair loss and bad headaches every day. I could put up with all of that, but it is what it did to my heart and blood pressure that scared me. I've been taken off it now for the past month and feel so much better. I am still having funny heart episodes though and my blood pressure it still very high despite medication. They are now going to put me on Tamoxifen. Apparently only a very small percentage of people get such bad side effects, i.e. heart etc. If it was just the aches and pains I think I could have put up with them because AI's are supposed to be better for Lobular BC compared to Tamoxifen, but what can you do?
0 -
I started on Femara just over a week ago. I started on Arimidex four years ago and had to stop after 14 months as I had arthritis in almost every joint and didn't have any before starting Arimidex. That wasn't the main reason I stopped though - it gave me severe cognitive dysfunction and insomnia.
Went onto Aromason and it was like a breath of fresh air. Still had stiffness in my joints, but was coping with that. The thing I hated most was the hair thinning and loss. About six weeks ago I got severe headaches, dizziness, confusion and almost couldn't string two words together. Went off Aromasin for a month, and within a week, was back to my normal self.
Onc has now got me on Femara, but isn't too confident that I'll be able to stay on it long term given the other two AIs have given me cognitive issues. I can put up with a lot (even thinning and losing my hair sob) but I need my brain to work.
Hopefully Femara will help me for a long while. My onc wants me on something for more than 5 years (I don't think he's game to come out with the 10 year advice to me yet lol).
I'm a bit stiff in the joints again after a week, but nothing I can't manage. I'm not happy that my hair will probably continue to thin and fall out, but it's better than the alternative for me.
So, if it's ok with you ladies - can I join your group please? Hopefully for a long, long time? lolTrish
0 -
Glowcat,
I use Joico hair conditioner that is very thick and creamy. I started using it after my surgeries and after starting my first AI. My hair go so dry that I asked my hairdresser what might help. It is very good. Is it a mousse that you use after shampooing? I haven't noticed hair thinning yet, but have only been on it a little over 2 weeks.
0 -
I too have been on that long road of AIs! Didn't have cognitive or heart problems, just arthritis so bad in hands, thumbs and wrists. So far after 2 weeks of Femara, can't tell if it will do the same thing or not. My wrists and thumbs still have pain and some swelling. I use Aleve, glucosamine, chondroitin,Coq10, a B complex, calcium, D3, and Australian Dream cream. I am handling it well, but like Trish, NEVER had it before starting it.
0 -
Robin - you have my attention - what's Australian Dream cream?
0 -
I have been on Femara for over 7 years now, and unfortunately I don't have any good news about the pain and arthritis getting any better after a period of time, it has only continued to get worse, to the point I don't know how much longer I can continue to take it.
Pain in just about in every joint and muscle, and have had really bad hip pain for the last 2 years when I walk however doctors couldn't tell me what was causing it. Now diagnosed with bursitis in both hips, can't walk more than about 100 metres at any given time because of the pain levels.
Consequently I have been suffering depression for the last year because my quality of life is so bad. Put on weight that I had lost earlier in my treatment, not only because of the depression, but also can't even walk or exercise. They are thinking about switching me to tamoxifen, but I have read that also causes joint pain, plus apparently not quite as good for keeping the cancer away for post menopausal patients, so I have heard? Is that correct?
Ched
0 -
Aussie - why are you still on it? My diagnosis is somewhat similar to yours and I was released after five years. In the months since stopping, I have seen considerable improvement in everything but my bridge game.0 -
Gal's I have a appointment with the MO tomorrow at 9am to tell him I am not taking Femara. I can't believe I had none of this ache stuff with the Arimidex. I can't live my life for the next 4 years with this pain, so we will either go back to Arimidex and add a statin or try the Aromasin. It looks like from my limited reading Aromasin is best for after you have been on Tamox or an AI for 2-3 years, and one study suggested it is better than the other two AI at preventing a distant reoccurrence in the bones. Probably because it is a estrogen terminator (irreversible) vs. a suppressor......
I'd just encourage those who ae hurting on the Femara to try the generic Arimidex made by TEVA--I don't think you will hurt as bad. I sure had none to speak of compared to this past week on t he Letrozole.
0 -
Trisha,
It is an arthritis cream that has an "empty jar guarantee". If it doesn't work you can return the empty jar for a refund! It has a hystimine ingreadient as well as chodrotin, glugosomine, emu oil and MSM. I rub it on my sore areas twice a day. It seems to help but nothing takes it completely away.
0 -
Redhead, well this just proves that no medication is a one size fits all!! I had the most horrible arthritis from Arimidex and Aromosin. Went on Tamox but new MO said no because of history of stroke in my family. So Femara is my last hope. My MO did say that if I couldn't tolerate it, it was my decision if I didn't take anything. I know all about quality of life. When you can barely move your wrists or thumbs and have trigger thumbs and fingers, it makes it tough to be a secretary and write and type on a computer!! My BMX with TE surgeries and recovery were easier than taking this stinking medicine!! Two weeks on Femara and nothing noticeable. The arthritis never went away completely but is much more tolerable off the Arim and Aromo. I don't like the possibility of gaining wait, not after 60 years old and post menopausal!! I too like to exercise and be active and play with my grandkids.
0 -
Thanks for that explanation Robin - I wonder why they call it Australian Dream though - is our lifestyle so good? lol.
Aussieched - hello! Good to see you again, although I'm sorry to hear you are depressed. Ask your onc to change you to Aromasin or Arimidex to see if you do better on them. Does he/she want you to be on an AI for at least 10 years? Mine does, and if the Femara doesn't cut it with me, he says my only other option is Tamoxifen. He did say that for post menopausal women Tamox isn't as effective as an AI, I can't remember whether he said it was 10% less effective or 20%.
Arimidex was really bad for me - really kicked my ar@@. Aromasin was much, much better and I did well on it for a few years.
Some women have lots of really bad ses on one AI but can tolerate another fairly well. Some can't seem to tolerate any of them. But we have three that we can try if having trouble. I choose to try all of them until I really can't take it any more.
I've had four friends now, with dx very similar to mine either not take an AI at all because they'd heard about the bad ses or give up after only trying one for a short period of time, and all are now stage IV.
I know that if Femara doesn't work for me, and I have to try Tamoxifen and that really isn't tolerable, I will stop taking something. Quality of life is very important to me, but I won't give up on taking something until I've tried all the options.
Trish
xoxo
Aussie - remind me where you are in Australia? We are planning a get together in Melbourne in November this year if you are interested.
0 -
I just picked up my first 2015 script for Femara, WITH insurance (and I am talking this is the generic Letrozole) 103.00 for three months. I am calling the insurance company tomorrow, I hope that was a mistake since it cost 30 for three months all last year..... grrrr
0 -
That has got to be a mistake. Bet the company has a program you can use that is cheaper if that is your insurance rate........
0 -
My very first post, anywhere, ever. Hope it's ok.
About two months ago, I started a generic Femara, but it made me horribly nauseous. The doctor switched me to generic Arimidex - same thing. Before I quit, I asked her to prescribe the real Femara just to see what happened, and guess what - no nausea. She said the fillers were probably to blame in the generics. Insurance allowed one month, doctor appealed, they came back with approval for one year. My co-pay is $90.00 / month, instead of $900.00. Well worth the $90 not to be hanging on to a wastebasket all the time. Side effects so far - some mild joint stiffness, and strange little pains in shoulder. On the diagnosis section, I had to choose 'I don't know' on a few of them. I do remember the radiologist saying something was luminal A, but I have no idea what he was talking about. We'll see how all of this goes. All of your posts are so knowledgeable and intelligent. Thank you ! P.S. I'm 67, with no family history. Oh, and I have two hot flashes everyday. One at 9:30am and one around 5:00 pm. Weird.0 -
Hi everyone,
I've been on generic femara for 3 years. Someone asked earlier if there is an adjustment period. For me the 6 to 9 month period was the worst part. Joint pain so bad I walked with a cane, hot flashes preceded by a cringe feeling inside my chest, fatigue, numbness in thumbs and sometimes hands. When I added fish oil 4 grams a day and after about a month my knee pain began to improve. Enough so I could exercise. Vitamin E seems to have helped with the hot flashes. Still have them, but not as often. Fatigue improves with exercise. My hands are not numb anymore either. I think it takes time for the body to adjust. I still have knee pain, but only when I first stand up from sitting. I haven't had hair thinning. I didn't think I could stay on it this long, but am glad I did since side effects have improved. 2 more years seems doable. I've also discovered that dehydration plays a big part in the side effects worsening. According to WebMD, we're suppose to have 1/2 ounce per pound of body weight. In other words 1/2 your weight in water every day. It took some time, but I got it up there and now I crave water. I also put on 30 pounds the first year and it took 2 years to get it back off.
0
