FEMARA
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I think the benefit of AIs over tamoxifen is very slight, like 1%.
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hello i went to the pharmacy and i had them give me a price without insurance coverage for the three femara would be approximately1,183.68 arimidex was 1,096.78 and aromasin is 1,209.36. these are prices if you do not have insurance coverage at walmart. i have coverage through my job and i pay 75. after yearly deductable this is a maintance drug since it has to be taken indefinately. so they will give me a 102 day supply for 75.00. i feel blessed hope you can get coverage for this should be covered???someone suggested you appeal this i think that is a good idea.
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kritzy how long has it been since you have had chemo? i am also forgetful and i have not taken any femara yet. Do you think it could be the chemo drugs?
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ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANY SUGGESTIONS OR ALTENATIVES?? I FEEL LIKE I AM 80 YEARS OLD. SWOLLEN HANDS AND JOINT PAIN. WEIGHT GAIN IN MY STOMACH YUK!! YES, I SAY WHY ME??????
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I've been on Femara now for about a year. I feel like an old lady, too. I have numbness and tingling in my arms, hands and feet. My knuckles have started to swell, a lot like arthritis. My hot flashes aren't too bad but my joints really bother me. Oh, I also now have this belly. Ugh!!! I take a lot of supplements: Omega-3, Zyflament, D3, Calcium, Chondroitin, Glucosamine, and a little bit of this and that. If you're taking Melatonin, how does your doctor feel about it? It's one of those supplements that seems a bit more controversial than others..
I have done some acupuncture; it felt great while getting it and for a short while after. I don't think it made a significant difference for me. I started Tai Chi for relaxation, do pilates 3X a week, walk and don't do enough cardio or weight training. There is no way to do all the recommended things that are supposedly helpful. How is someone supposed to do yoga, weight train, do cardio, meditate, cook healthful meals, keep up with medical info, etc etc, if you actually work. Being a good cancer survivor seems like a full time job. You get yourself more stressed out worrying about all the things you're supposed to be doing. I need a vacation from the whole thing. Whew! I'm done venting.
Laurie
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Hi Laurie. Thanks for the post. I finally crashed this week and I think I partly understand because of your post. Worrying about cancer is hard enough, then you combine the worrying about everything we are supposed to do, what tests, what to take, what not to take, what is new, etc., etc., etc. I do and have done all of the things one is supposed to do to not get cancer and now, that I have cancer. It is a full time job. I need a vacation from this job.
Thanks. e
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I am on my 6th day of not taking my Femara, supposed to call the onc's office tomorrow to report if I have had any relief from the achies ! Although I do not feel great, I think that some of my joint pain in my hands, wrist and elbows has subsided. Now what to do .... if this is all the better I'm going to feel, I might as well go back on Femara for the added benefit of an AI vs Tamo.
What to do ?!?!?!?!?
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Golfer...When I took a break from Aromasin it was three month by the time the s/e's got better. It took that long for my liver enzymes to go back to normal as well. This was a s/e that 15% of patients can get.(how lucky am I ?) But then gradually aches and pains came back into my system. And I am not on anything right now.I dread going back on Femara in a couple of weeks and then get all beat up again by the muscle and joint pains not to mention the weight gain. I lost about 15 # being off of this stuff,so I'll really need to watch it when I go back on.Maybe it's all the stress in our bodies that give us pain too.Always looking over our shoulders can be very stressful.
What is the Zometa for?
Artsee
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Artsee, thought I'd cut and copy a response to your question about Zometa ... here it goes
December 2008: Updates from the 2008 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Email to a friend PrintPage last modified on: January 7, 2009
Ask-the-Expert Online ConferenceOn Wednesday, December 17, 2008, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Updates from the 2008 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P. and Carol Kaplan, M.D. answered your questions about the latest updates on breast cancer risk, screening techniques, treatment options, and more.Questions from this conferenceNew ways to manage nausea?HER2-positive people who may not need Herceptin?Research on flaxseed?News regarding triple-negative breast cancer?Taking aromatase inhibitors longer than 5 years?New chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer?Prophylactic Zometa for hormone-positive breast cancer?What are some upcoming clinical trials?Long-term followup on DIEP reconstruction?New research on chemo brain?Zometa for early breast cancer?Were any updates to the HERA trial presented?Anything new about lymphedema?Research on breast density as risk factor?Long-term research on brachytherapy?Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for survivors?Prognosis impacted by BRCA gene?Risk of leukemia after chemotherapy?Most promising news from San Antonio?Skip to transcript content Meet the Experts
Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P. is associate professor of clinical medicine at New York University School of Medicine. She is the founder of The Women's Oncology & Wellness Practice in New York City where she specializes in treating women with breast cancer and other malignancies, as well as women at risk for cancer. Dr. Oratz is committed to helping women with cancer continue to live full, active lives. She is active both locally and nationally as a speaker and healthcare educator, in live appearances and also on television and radio. She is a medical consultant to CancerCare and also serves on several advisory boards, including Cancer and Careers and Sharsheret: Linking Young Jewish Women in Their Fight Against Breast Cancer. Dr. Oratz is also a member of Breastcancer.org's Professional Advisory Board. 
Carol Kaplan, M.D. is an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Rena Rowan Breast Center at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Her work revolves around the clinical care of breast cancer patients, as well as teaching medical students and house staff. She completed her hematology/oncology fellowship at Penn, during which time she focused on breast cancer clinical therapeutic trials, including development of a clinical trial using Avastin (chemical name: bevacizumab) and Abraxane (chemical name: albumin-bound paclitaxel) to treat metastatic breast cancer patients. She received her medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, followed by an internal medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Related ConferencesJune 2008: Updates from the 2008 ASCO Annual MeetingDecember 2007: Updates from the 2007 San Antonio Breast Cancer SymposiumJune 2007: Updates from the 2007 ASCO Annual MeetingAsk-the-Expert Conferences: Research News » Email UpdatesStay informed about current research, online events, and more.Spam Control Text: Please leave this field empty Privacy PolicyVisit our Gift Shop!
New ways to manage nausea? Question from Diana: Are there any new ways to cope with nausea associated with chemotherapy and radiation? Answer -Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: The focus of this meeting was very much on the molecular biology of breast cancer and there were not any major presentations on managing the side effects of chemotherapy. The management of nausea and vomiting has really come a long way in the last decade and I think that most of our regimens have very good anti-nausea treatments. Back to top
HER2-positive people who may not need Herceptin? Question from ShirleyR: What are your views on the latest findings that seem to show that HER2+ patients who also test positive for topoisomerase IIA do not require Herceptin if they have had Adriamycin as part of their chemo regimen? Answer -Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: This raises a very interesting molecular biology question in the management of HER2+ breast cancer. We know that in tumors that have high levels of the HER2/neu receptor, treatment with Herceptin (or trastuzumab, the generic name) is very beneficial. This is true in the setting of metastatic disease as well as in the early stage setting. Topoisomerase is an enzyme that repairs abnormalities in DNA. The gene that codes for topo II is adjacent to the gene that codes for HER2/neu. There is some question about the relationship between amplifications of the HER2/neu gene and alterations or amplifications of the topo II gene. There is some data to suggest that if topo II is amplified, the tumor cell is very sensitive to treatment with Adriamycin (chemical name: doxorubicin) and it has been suggested that Adriamycin is more effective in cancers that are HER2-positive than in those that are HER2-negative. However, the consensus amongst medical oncologists is that if the tumor overexpresses HER2/neu, HER2 targeted therapies with Herceptin or Tykerb (chemical name: lapatinib) is indicated. Most medical oncologists would not recommend the use of only Adriamycin in this setting. There is more research being done on the relationship of HER2/neu and topo II, and the question of whether or not Adriamycin is required in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. There are several chemotherapy regimens which do not contain Adriamycin and which do contain HER2-targeted therapy both for metastatic disease as well as early stage breast cancer. These have been shown to be equally as effective as a regimen that does contain Adriamycin. The ones that do not and the ones that do are equal in their clinical efficacy. Certainly, more work is going to be done investigating the molecular biology of HER2/neu and topo II. As of now, our clinical practice and treatment decisions are not being based on topo II levels or topo II expressions. Back to top
Research on flaxseed? Question from Jan: A few years ago there was some encouraging research about the effect of flaxseed on breast cancer. Has any further research been done or conclusions drawn? Answers -Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: Flaxseed is a phytoestrogen, a substance derived from a plant which has estrogen-like properties. Whether or not these agents have any effect on the growth of breast cancer cells -- either to promote the growth or inhibit the growth of these cells -- is somewhat unclear. It is very difficult to do research in this area and to actually measure the biological effects of these dietary supplements or products. As far as I know, there is no new data from this new meeting regarding the dietary intake of phytoestrogen. In general, most medical oncologists recommend that patients avoid large-dose supplementations with phytoestrogen; however, small doses or small amounts taken in the diet are probably safe. Carol Kaplan, M.D.: I agree with that, and we also often caution patients about taking high doses of other plant estrogens, such as black cohosh and soy. We often advise patients with questions about this to run their supplement list by a clinic nutritionist in order to identify supplements that they may be unaware are plant estrogens. Back to top
News regarding triple-negative breast cancer? Question from Joan: Was there anything new presented regarding triple-negative breast cancer? Answer -Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: Yes, triple-negative breast cancer is a subset of breast cancer that is of great concern clinically. This subset of breast cancer means that the tumor cells are negative: they don't express the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, or the HER2/neu receptor. They're negative for all three of these biologic markers, which can serve as targets for therapy. The implication of this is that the mainstay of treatment for triple-negative breast cancer is chemotherapy. There is a tremendous clinical need for better understanding of the biological processes that drive the growth and proliferation of triple-negative breast cancer cells. Two very interesting abstracts were presented at the meeting in San Antonio about possible molecular pathways, which may play an important role in the biology of triple-negative breast cancer. One of these described the higher expression of a gene called GRB7. Higher expression of GRB7 was associated with an increased risk of recurrence and did not correlate with any other clinical characteristics of either the tumor or the patient, except that lower expression of GRB7 was often present in women who were older than age 65. GRB7 played a critical role in signaling the molecular pathways which affect motility, migration, adhesions, and interaction between the tumor cells and its surrounding tissue. All of these factors are related to the ability of the malignant cancer cells to metastasize, and in particular to triple-negative breast cancer cells. GRB7 may present a new promising target for treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. Another interesting abstract related to triple-negative breast cancer was the presentation about a new drug called dasatinib. This is a powerful oral drug which seems to inhibit some of the pathways related to metastatic activity of triple-negative cells, perhaps including those that have to do with GRB7. In one small clinical trial, which was a Phase II study of dasatinib in 36 patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer who had received prior chemotherapy, four patients had meaningful clinical responses, and another four patients showed some transient benefits from treatment. Although this was a small study, and activity was modest in this trial, dasatinib may be a promising agent and it deserves further study in less heavily pre-treated patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Dasatinib is a targeted biologic agent and may be more effective if given in combination with chemotherapy. Additional research will be looking at these questions. Back to top
Taking aromatase inhibitors longer than 5 years? Question from Speechpro55: Are there any updates on the efficacy of continuing aromatase inhibitors past the 5-year mark? Answers -Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: There was a great deal of discussion at this conference about hormonal therapy of estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. All of the major clinical trials looking at the use of aromatase inhibitors in this population were updated at San Antonio this year in a meta-analysis of all studies, using aromatase inhibitors either as first-line hormonal therapy for 5 years or in studies in which patients received tamoxifen first and then switched to an aromatase inhibitor. In all of these trials, there was a benefit for the use of aromatase inhibitors. The benefit of aromatase inhibitors compared to tamoxifen is modest. The benefit is between a 2 and 4% decrease in breast cancer recurrence, much of which relates to a decrease in either local recurrence in the breast or in the incidence of contralateral breast cancer. There was less of an impact of aromatase inhibitor use on distant recurrence for metastases. There was no significant survival benefit to the use of aromatase inhibitors for any duration of treatment when compared to tamoxifen. The question of duration of hormonal therapy remains unanswered. In only one clinical trial do we have information about more prolonged treatments with aromatase inhibitors, that is beyond 5 years, and it is unclear if prolonged therapy has a significant benefit over 5 years of treatment. There is some concern and difficulty in interpreting the results of these clinical trials because in most of the studies, patients were able to cross over and receive treatment with aromatase inhibitors if they had been on tamoxifen alone, or to continue treatment beyond the set duration of time. So it's difficult to interpret this data. I'm not sure that we're going to have a clear-cut answer on whether or not prolonging therapy beyond 5 years of hormonal treatment truly is beneficial or not. We did not see that information emerge from any of the presentations at San Antonio this year. Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: I would also add there was a lot of discussion about aromatase inhibitors being superior to tamoxifen. I really want to emphasize (and this is my own personal viewpoint but I think shared by many others) that the benefits are modest. The side effects from these aromatase inhibitors are significant and not inconsequential. And although this was mentioned only really in one presentation, some of the difference between response to aromatase inhibitors and tamoxifen may be accounted for by the fact that perhaps between 7 and 10% of individuals taking tamoxifen do not actually derive the maximum clinical benefits from tamoxifen. The reason for this is that tamoxifen must be activated by enzymes in the liver to its active metabolite endoxifen, and perhaps up to 10% of individuals do not have the enzyme that activates tamoxifen. Also, some medications -- in particular, antidepressants -- may interfere with the activation of tamoxifen. Many patients taking tamoxifen are also on these medications, and these include Paxil (chemical name: paroxetine), Zoloft (chemical name: sertraline), Wellbutrin (chemical name: bupropion HCI), all the common anti-depressants. Perhaps some of the differences we see between aromatase inhibitors and tamoxifen are in fact related either to problems with tamoxifen metabolism or interference with tamoxifen activation by other medications. Both tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors are effective, active hormonal therapies for women who have estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer. The choice of which agent is best for each individual patient should be discussed by each woman and her physician, taking into account factors such as other medications that she may be on, and perhaps even the consideration of testing for the presence of the enzymes that activate tamoxifen. Carol Kaplan, M.D.: It's important to note that the standard of care at this time for aromatase inhibitor therapy is an aromatase inhibitor treatment duration of no more than 5 years. Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: Either 5 years total tamoxifen plus aromatase inhibitor, or 5 years of the aromatase inhibitor, or 5 years of tamoxifen followed by 5 years of aromatase inhibitor. They're all effective; whether one is better than the other remains to be seen. Back to top
New chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer? Question from MLP: Dr. Kaplan, are there any new/upcoming chemotherapy drugs for metastatic breast cancer? (Any in clinical trials at this time?) We need more conferences on metastatic breast cancer! Thanks. Answers -Carol Kaplan, M.D.: I think that at every conference that we attend we hear about exciting new drugs to be used in the metastatic setting. Some of the more notable drugs being discussed at this time include targeted therapies, specifically drugs that target patients with BRCA gene mutations, and drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors. An example of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor is lapatinib (brand name: Tykerb), which many of you have heard of. There was an interesting presentation at San Antonio this year about neratinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which seems to have efficacy in the treatment of metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer patients. However, this drug brings with it a significant rate of diarrhea, which is not to be minimized when treatment in the metastatic setting is often intended to improve quality of life. That is just one example of a number of agents that were discussed at the meeting. This goes back to Dr. Oratz's comment earlier about the focus of this conference being the molecular biology of breast cancer. As we learn more about the genes and protein expression involved in the biology of breast cancer, we are excited to see the introduction of a number of new targeted agents. Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: Another interesting class of drugs, again for patients with BRCA gene mutations, is the PARP inhibitors. At the conference there was an update on clinical data using these agents. Again, another promising direction for new drug discovery in the treatment of breast cancer. Carol Kaplan, M.D.: Finally, another interesting presentation revealed a promising level of efficacy when using what are called conjugated therapies; specifically, a drug conjugated, or attached to, an antibody. In one case presented, this antibody was trastuzumab. These conjugates may allow a more direct delivery mechanism of anti-cancer drugs to tumors. Back to top
Prophylactic Zometa for hormone-positive breast cancer? Question from MLevine: Any new research about prophylactic Zometa for hormone-positive breast cancer? Thanks! Answer -Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P.: Yes. To review, there was a presentation at ASCO in June of this year which demonstrated that using Zometa (or zoledronic acid) may help prevent recurrence in young women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer. Historically, Zometa has been used for the treatment of bone metastases from breast and other cancers. Zometa is not a chemotherapy drug, but rather belongs to a class of drugs called bisphosphonates. These agents, including Fosamax (chemical name: alendronate sodium), Actonel (chemical name: risedronate), clodronate (brand name: Bonefos) and others, have also been shown to help improve bone density in women who have osteopenia or osteoporosis. At the San Antonio meeting, we saw an update of a clinical trial using Zometa in postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer who were also receiving an aromatase inhibitor as hormonal therapy. In this study, similar results were now reported for the benefit of Zometa in postmenopausal women as had previously been reported for premenopausal women. So, in addition to helping maintain bone density, Zometa may help prevent recurrences of breast cancer in hormone-receptor-positive cases.0 -
Hi Artsee, Zometa is for bone health I believe, but high doses of it have been found to help bc patients in Europe. They are doing a trial in the US on it now.
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Artsee, tried to cut and paste a good response to your question in regards to Zometa, from one of the Ask the Expert Q/A portion of BC.org. In a nutshell, the Zometa infusion was suggested two-fold for myself, first off to help build up bone density while on Femara which depletes it, and secondly studies have shown a decrease in the risk of bones mets.
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My oncologist also recommended switching to Zometa instead of Fosomax (I have osteopenia). There is good research that it reduces your risk of recurrence and mets. But, I am really concerned about the possible side effects; I'm already pretty miserable with the AI side effects. Could I get some feedback from anyone on Zometa now? What SEs have you experienced? Also, has anyone seen a rheumatologist for their aches and pains? When does our swelling joints seem more like rheumatoid arthritis vs. just AI side effects? Perhaps it should be treated more aggressively. It would be nice to know that there isn't any permanent damage to our joints. I've been switching between Celebrex and Naproxen and they do take the edge off but I still hurt most of the time.
Oh Yeah, I also think I'm going through a presenile dementia. I don't mult-task like I used to and I am just very spacey. I need to have total attention on something to remember it. Sometimes it feels like the lack of estrogen must be shrinking my poor little brain.
Laurie
Laurie
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Paras: I was lucky and didn't need chemo. I was on Tamoxifen for a year before switching to Femara. I had a total hysterectomy that enabled the switch. My fogginess didn't start until I switched to Femara.
Laurie: Multi tasking is out of the question for me too. I have to concentrate hard to stay focused on a single thing. I too have described it people like a early stage of dementia.
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KRITZY HOW SCARY IS THIS?? forgetfulness from femara. I have been forgeting things lately but i attribute this to the chemo now i will be on femara in a week and i am really worried.
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Being on Femara and spaciness seems to go hand in hand...just 1 of the little side effects they seem to 'forget' to tell you about. I've been on Femara sine 1/1/09 and I swear that I spaced out the whole month of January. OMG..this is not funny anymore. I'm doing things and forgetting things that just aren't ME. I don't like this drug and I'm worried whatelse it's going to do to my body over the next 5 years. UGH DO NOT like being a guinea pig!
Cheryl
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Paras: yes, the forgetfulness and fogginess is scary, but the alternative is even more scary in my book. Everyone reacts differently to Femara. Hopefully, your side effects will be minimal.
Cheryl60: Your right. They warned me about the joint stiffness, but not the fogginess and moodiness. I talked to my onc about it. They suggested switching to another AI, but I worry about a whole new set of SE. They suggested switching my antidepressants, but it took several attempts to find this one that doesn't send my blood pressure sky rocketing, doesn't make me jittery, etc. Guinea pig... yup, that's me.
I have my next onc appointment in June. I've decided I am going to try to tackle this with some life-style changes to see if I can nip this in the bud before I see my doc again. Its time for me to accept that my life will never be the same. I'm going to focus on eating healthy foods, exercising and giving up my beloved glasses of wine. I'll turn the television off more often and pick up a book to keep my mind sharp.
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I've had joint pain and stiffness in my knees for a while. I have been on Femara for about a month now and I can honestly say that pain has gotten worse. I have a office job where I sit most of the time and there are times that when I get up after sitting a while, I can't hardly walk. The stiffness and the pain is almost unbearable. I eat Tylenol all day and by mid afternoon the pain gets to be tolerable. Walking though, I live 5 blocks from work and I can't hardly make it now without stopping.
And tiredness!!! By mid morning it takes every thing I've got to stay awake and it gets worse throughout the day. I've only been on this one month.. how do you last 5 years?
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kristi don't give up the wine,. we need some pleasure
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Has anyone experienced high blood pressure as a side effect of Femara? My blood pressure has always been 113/70, but since I started Femara in September, its steadily increased and on Monday it was 135/96. My onco doc didn't really answer my question when I asked about it being a se, just to monitor it and come back in a month. Since then I've been panicing of course and have decided to get serious with exercising every day and watching what I eat, lower my sodium intake, etc. Maybe it will help. what else can I do without being put on a bp medicine?
Has anyone else heard anything about Femara and High blood pressure?
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Hi kalyla. See my post on your initial thread about high blood pressure.
E
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OK girls, this has been a long time coming but I finally heard from my cousin the pharmacist about splitting the femara tablet in half and taking half in the morning and half at night. Her research and enquiries tell her that "..by all reports it looks ok to split the dose of your tabs.", although there is no official position from the company. So, on I go splitting the dose. I can't figure this drug out. Sometimes I have few pains..other days I can hardly walk the last 200m of my nightly walk. My feet are swollen, which makes some shoes look ridiculous..like cartoon feet ! The hot flashes are hot, hot, hot but I am sleeping ok..probably due to exhaustion! Hope y'all are hanging in there. XXX
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Hi all... I just found this thread. I've been on Femara about 8 months. Started it after finishing 4 Taxotere/Cytoxan chemo treatments. My s.e.'s have been tolerable...just the usual hot flashes, some minor joint pain, and occasional bladder pressure. But lately, the bladder pressure has been worse. With this particular s.e., I'm also getting concerned about the higher risk of bladder cancer, since I had the Taxotere. If it doesn't start feeling better by Monday, I think I may call the doc to get tested for a UTI.
mobay1020 and kerry_lamb -- I saw that you guys also mentioned this symptom. kerry_lamb -- Has taking the pill in half doses been helpful to relieve the bladder pressure?
Thanks,
Sue K.
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SQK.....I sent you a pm.
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bump...............
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Another bump....hoping to hear back from mobay1020 and kerry_lamb.
I left a message for my onc today about the bladder irritation symptom. I'm waiting for a call back.Sue K.
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Hi Sue K and everyone else. My bladder biz, which I have described as 'almost UTIs' has become a non-issue..my onc predicted this as he blamed chemo and its aftermath for the waterworks problems. I think we underestimate just what size irritant chemo is to our kidneys, bladder etc. I believe he is right (some of you may remember I had the whole bladder checked out by a cystoscopy etc etc etc). In the last 6 weeks or so I have only had one scare and I took two cephalexin (?) tablets on that day. No more problems, touch wood. The reason I think he was on the money is because so many other things have improved and are feeling normal again: my stomach, whole digestive system really, my lungs (I experience oxygen now lol!), my brain..the list goes on. I don't know about you girls, but I have been more distressed and worn down by the bladder problems than by any other chemo side-effect. I simply cannot function when I have/had the flare-ups. On another note, I continue to experiment with my femara-taking regime. What seems to have made the most significant difference to me is the glucosamine (double dose) and exercise. I noticed it quite strongly recently when I had to have a screening colonoscopy with a 2.5 day fast. I could have the femara but nothing else. I also did not walk (too far from the loo!) for two days. The joint pain, post colonoscopy, was quite extraordinary. Now, after 10 days of glucosamine, and 40 min hard-ish walks my pain is tolerable again. I have even had a night or two when I have no pain. How fecking good does that feel??? Stay strong girls. We will be discussing this shite in 25 years time. 0
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Just went off Arimidex ( one week today) and already feel better. Don't know what my onc is going to put me on next. Are there any other choices besides Tamoxifen and Femara? Am I better off going back on Arimidex and suffering through the pain? I had pain from my shoulders to my feet. There are times when it really hurts to walk and especially stand. I have osteopenia and just got a bone density test and it has worsened since chemo. I guess I have a lot of questions for my onc. I wish there was a study that shows the different drugs side by side with benefits(percentages) versus se's. It seems we have to search and find our own solutions to our problems. There needs to be a better database for cancer survivors to get info on drugs and how to counter the awful side effects. This could help keep survivors on the drugs and prevent them from quitting the drugs. Very frustrating!!!!!!!!
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Carolyn,
I am currently on Femara because of stage 4 breast cancer. It has me stable! So the side effects I have are minor compared to the big picture. I am 42, the side effects I am experiencing are numbness and tingling in my toes and thumb (That comes and goes) Also when getting up in the morning I am very achy and sore , but after 5 minutes I am fine. I do have nightsweats & Hot flashes, but I do pretty well with them. Maybe you could try the Femara and if the SE's are worse go back to the Arimidex. Discuss it with your Onc. I just scares me that women with stage 1 or 2 are quick to give up on the A.I's when battling this disease, especially when it has been proven how these meds kick cancers butt. Maybe If I had been on A.I's Breast cancer would not have progressed in me..... I'll never know the answer to that.... What I do know now, is that is is doing a great job, by the Favor of God right now for me! Also another thing you can discuss with your Onc is maybe looking into the biophosphinate "Zometa" seeing that you have a problem with osteopenia it is an awesome treatment. I wish That it becomes protocol to offer it to all women with BC
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Renee - Thank you so much. I need someone to kick me back to reality sometimes. I will talk to the onc about the Femara and try that. I will take something. I have four grandchildren who are the light of my life and need me around to help with paybacks on their parents. You are wise beyond your years and your info is invaluable. Hugs to you - Carolyn
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Caroline,
I would give Femara a try. I was on Arimidex for a year and then switched to Femara. I was having abdominal pain with Arimidex. The side effects are different for me. I have less anxiety with Armidex, no abdominal pain, a little more joint/muscle pain. I also sleep better on Femara. My sister who was diagnosed two years before me had an absolutely terrible time on Arimidex (she was on it for 18 months) and then switched to Femara. She is doing much better on Femara. I will warn you that when I switched from Arimidex to Femara after 8 weeks I had really bad joint/muscle pain in my neck and shoulders but it only lasted for a few months. My body seems to have adjusted to Femara. If you find you have more pain, just give it some time and hopefully you will do fine on Femara. It is a very good drug and I was happy to switch from Arimidex to Femara after I read some studies where Femara reduces estrogen lower than both Arimidex and Aromasin.
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