FEMARA
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Had my zometa infusion about 3 weeks ago. I really think that it is helping with my body aches and pains. They seem to be not as bad as before I have really good days lately. Has anyone else seen difference since taking zometa?
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Hello .... I have been reading your posts since February. Started Femara in March. I have been having a "Femara vacation" for the last 4 weeks due to bone and joint pain. Joints have gotten much better being off the Femara but my wrists and hands are constantly hurting. Is anyone else having this problem and if so, found anything that helps?
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jadams - I have been taking both Aleve and Glucosamine everyday and it has definitely improved my pain. It's not a cure - but it sure does help. Worth trying.
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I second Glucosamine/Chondroiton for helping ease joint pain. I take 2 capsules (750mg glucosamine/250mg chondroitin plus supporting minerals copper, manganese, sinc, selenium and boron) a day. I tried the gluc/chondr without the support minerals and it wasn't as effective for me.
My cholesterol has shot up since taking Femara too so I was put on Simvistatin about 6 months ago. This is a bit off the Femara track but recently I started to have leg cramps mostly at night about twice a week which I mentioned to my dr and he has me on a personal clinical trial to see if it is the statin - 3 weeks on, then off, then on. Anyone else had leg cramps from statins?
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Hi
By the end of the first year My joint pains and muscle cramp were worse. SE reduced drastically ever since this may be due to Zometa, calcium and D3 or was a someone had suggested a while back that menopose caused by chemo and the sudden deprivation from estrogen has kind of seteled down.
I hope every one's side effects will ease off as mine.
HH
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Thank you to all for your response. I have now been on the Femara since May 25th and the side effects were worse the first couple of months.Hot flashes are still present but a little less often...sometimes sweating. I will try the pill at night instead of during the morning hours and see if that helps. I have the stiffness in the morning and if I am sitting for a while...and I have had some fluid retention resulting in carpal tunnels. I have had some increased weight gain which I am currenlty working on. I admit I am not doing as much walking as I should and plan on picking up on that after my reconstruction surgery on Oct 6th.......( am sooooooooooo nervous)
Thank you again...you are all wonderful.
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Thanks for the recommendations for wrist/hand pain. I will definitely try the glucomine, I already take Advil everyday, 3 times a day per the doctor. Hope y'all don't mind if I chime in every once in a while, I have gotten a wealth of information from reading your posts.
Jane
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I do believe that Aleve works better than Advil - you may want to give it a try - not as hard on your organs either.
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raeinnz, I had the leg cramps, too. I also take Femara and Lipitor (a statin) because the Femara made my cholesterol go way up. I discovered through trial and error that certain things I was eating (cinnamon candy) and drinking (green tea from China) were the causes. Now that I avoid those two things the leg cramps have never returned. Thank goodness because they were horrible.
infohh, I have been getting Zometa every 6 months (5 infusions so far), I also take D3. The test for D3 showed mine is in the normal range. For me they did not make any impact on my chronic joint pain. Joint pain and hot flashes have been with me for nearly 5 years now. Wish it were otherwise. The only thing that helps me sleep is aspirin. Other pain relievers haven't helped.
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I am still having sleep issuse any suggestions. I thought about taking melatonin.Has anyone tried this and did it work what mg did you take?
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Sleep problems are a side effect of Femara. I take Melatonin to help me sleep, and it works well.
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I have been on Femera for a little over a year,and had problems from day one.Feet,legs,arms,and hands,and now back.Onc has tried me on some different meds for the neuropathy,and i can't tolerate either one so far.I go back to see him the 2nd week of Oct.I'm also on lipitor and i think that is adding to the problem,as when i first started it(femera),it sent my cholesterole way high.I had only taken a statin once b4 in my life and it gave me horrible charlie horses in my legs and feet,and trigger fingers.
B4 i started chemo they ran several test on my heart,not because i was having any problems that i knew of,but they wanted to include adriamycin in the mix of my drugs,but the muga scan showed there was a slight problem with the left ventrical so the decided against the adriamycin,since it can cause heart damage.Thank goodness for that test!!
MY problems with the femera get worse by the day,i feel like i'm 95 years old.Feet all parts of them hurt,my legs hurt ,my arms and hands,wrists hurt and i get trigger fingers.Then this last week or so,my back has started hurting,also have put on a few pounds that i don't need or want.Seems there's always something going on and we just have to make the best of everyday.
Kathi
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What mg of melatonin do you take ?
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nanna - there has been quite a discussion recently on not sleeping and sleep aids on the "Can we have a forum for 'older' ladies with BC?" forum - worth reading through the last 4 or so pages for info on things to help you sleep. One of the ladies there take 4mg of melatonin.0
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Hi
I bought melatonin as I have sleep problems but my onc said "NO", it wasn't a goos idea but she did elaborate on why, just not a good idea for breast cancer patients like me, so I am assuming it was something to do with hormones.
I have had continued sleep issues from doing chemo onwards and it only got worse with Femara. My onc and personal physician prescribed me zopiclone for a long time, only to find out when I was having major anxiety problems that it was the zopiclone and you are only supposed to take it for 2 weeks max. Imagine my horror after I had been taking for 18 months. I now do not use a sleep aid!!!!! I continue to have sleep issues and fatigue, by 2 in the afternoon I just sit at my desk and want to fall asleep. Recently we bought a hot tub and I have to say that really seems to help, half hour before bed helps, now I only wake up once or twice through the night which is a huge improvement from it was.
The aches, like everyone else here, continue unabated, but for now they are do-able. I have told my onc that if they get worse then I will rethink AIs. I have tried switching but that doesn't help. Two years down, only 3 to go - at least that's what I hope.
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I just take one tablet of whatever melatonin is the least expensive at the drug store.
The longer I'm on Femara, the more side effects are showing up. With some people, it's the exact opposite, so I'm hoping the side effects will subside again!
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My back has been giving me major problems since 2006 -- 2 years before dx, -- so getting to sleep is always a challenge. I take a sleep aid (currently Zolpidem) and sometimes a pain pill every night, but it is still difficult to relax enough to sleep with pain in the picture. I've been on Femara since May (was on Arimidex for a year before that) and don't really know how much of my pain is from Femara and how much is from my disc problems. Whatever the cause, sleep is becoming more and more difficult. Since my hands and feet are also stiff and sore, my guess is that some of this pain is from the Femara. I remind myself every day that Femara is keeping cancer away and that makes it all a little easier.
Later today I will have my annual mamm and I'm anxious, but expecting things to be fine. Tomorrow I see the PS to figure out the best solution for my CC and Wednesday is acupuncture -- this girl has really forgotten how to have a good time!!
Take care,
Bonnie
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Dear Seashell and Miami- You may want to check out the topic about arimidex vs. not taking it. There is alot of info very similar to what you are saying here and they are virtually the same drugs with different chemical compositions. Only aromasin (exemestane) is a steroidal aromatase inhibitor. Arimidex and fFemara are both non-steroidal. Hope you can be at peace no matter what you decide.
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Bonnie, good luck with the mammo. I completely understand your anxiety.
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Hello Femara Sisters,
Does anyone but me pay less than $500 per month for this med???? Does anyone buy Femara through Canadian Drug websites? I was sent a Canadian site where the Femara only costs $154 per month. Any thoughts.....throw them my way!
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Mammo was clear -- woo hoo!!
Femara would cost me $510, but my insurance co-pay is only $35 so I'm very lucky -- don't know how I could possibly pay $510/month. Hope you get some good ideas from others, ktmimi2.
Today I see the PS and don't even know exactly what I want from this visit. Going to Target to shop and figure it out before the appointment.... Also have another UTI that started up yesterday. I caught it soon and Cipro is doing its job, so I don't feel too bad.
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Hi ktmimi2,
I have been getting my Femara from www.alldaychemists.com. It is $7.00 for 20 pills. They are a generic form of Femara manufactured in India. Contact me privately if you'd like to have more details - I've been ordering from that company for several years - not only Femara, but meds for my COPD and other co-morbidities that I have.
Hugs,
Karen
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ktmimi2 - I take a generic form of Femara called LETARA. It is made in Fiji by a reputable drug company called Douglas Pharmaceuticals Ltd. I only pay a NZ$3 dispensing fee - our government health system provides some drugs free - but the cost listed on the receipt is NZ$26.55 (US$19.60) for 30 pills. I just wanted to say, in case you are concerned about taking a generic drug, that I noticed absolutely no change in my SEs when I changed from Femara to Letara about 8 months ago so I believe the new one is doing the same job as the original Femara. A generic drug would be a much cheaper option if you can source it.0
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Hi ktmimi2,
there used to be a $10 a month coupon on the Femara website. I haven't been on it in a while but it was supposed to be good until June 2011. I havent' had any issues when I go to get it filled. Good luck.
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I used the $10 month coupon from the website. Just printed it off, gave it to walmart pharmacy, they entered it in their computer and told me I didn't need to show the coupon again, it would ring up $10 every month...and it has.
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I pay 9.00 for a 3 month supply thru express scripts.DH is retired military,thank God.If the base carried it i could get it free,but they don't,so i have to order it online and they ship directly to me.
Kathi
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Hi lukelessesmom
I have exactly the same problem. My middle fingers on both hands are trigger finger and worst in the mornings. I have had every test known to man/woman including MRI's and there has been no further progress on why. I think it is just the Femara. I have been off it for 6 months now (big risk) and there has been no change. Pity but hope you have more luck.
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Hi,
Many of you have spoken about statistics of recurrence with Femara or without. The one point I seem to notice is missing from most posts is that everyone is different. The stats depend on many things.
1.Size of original tumor,
2. Number of lymph nodes invaded,
3. Family history
4. Previous diagnosis,
5. Whether or not patients are highly hormone receptor positive or not.
6.Stage of life eg: how far through menopause the person is
7. Type of cancer (in situ- lobular, ductal)
So as you can see there are a lot of factors to take into consideration. My oncologist put all these factors into his computer and worked out the probablility of recurrence and the stats. But of course the body is strange and can react to many other things despite the oncs best efforts.
Good luck all of you,.... I hope this may have been a bit helpful. I don't think its a case of statistical manipulation as many fear (understandably) but the great unknown.
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Hi everyone. I am basically a newbie to Femara, (switched from Arimidex) because I just could not handle it. Onc started me 8-29 1 pill every other day.
On Oct. 11 I will start taking the pill every day. I still have wrist problems I guess left over from A.
I do have night sweats but again I am not taking the pill every day. My neighbor has been on Femara for 3 years and has had no s/e's. How lucky she is. She also could not do A.
Today I reordered my prescription and used a Novartis coupon and paid $10.00 for a 30 day supply, and it is good for 12 times renewal.
I believe I got the coupon from this site.
Have a great evening.
Hugs,
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I've been on Femara for just a few months (was on Arimidex for a year before) and am noticing increasing stiffness in my hands, feet and knees. It's the worst when I get up in the morning -- hands woke me up several times last night because they hurt and this morning I could hardly get up because of the knees and feet. Is this typical? Should I call my onc or just wait and see if this goes away? Thanks.
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