FEMARA
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Thanks Chrissy - I'll try to find it! Pat
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Good to know about Acupuncture for SE's. Haven't tried it, but if it's known to work, I might at some point.
Lane
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Well I've been on Femara 11 days. With lots of ideas from you all my nuropathy seems under control. The hot flashes seem to really hit me at night, so sleep is something I am lacking. It was hard last week while I was trying to teach. My principal has decided to have me co-teach with another teacher for the rest of the year. I am so glad that pressure is off me till I adjust to this little yellow pill. One question, how quickly can I expect the aches and pains in my joints.
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I started taking Femera in March - aches and pains within 2 weeks. But the good news - many of the s/e (aches, hot flashes) faded by September. I try to ignore them as just part of life, and many days they are not an issue. Odd coincidence: I switched to taking the pill at night and noticed better sleep, but had a lot more joint pain...I would rather sleep poorly than have the daytime pain, but I'm not sure they are related. Because I'm getting ready for nipple recon, I can't take aleve right now - so am going to re-try the nighttime approach after the surgery. Today I am focused on how thankful I am to be so far through this journey. It has made me a much stronger (if not thinner) person. So when I hobble to the bathroom in the middle of the night, at least I'm not bald and lopsided anymore, and my fabulous husband snoring beside me loves to be warmed by my hot flashes.
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Well I'm not as far along as you, I'm still bald, and really hate it. I've only been on Femara 10 days, aand have already put on 3 pounds. At least I don't have the really bloated feeling any more.
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I found on another thread Femara has lower estrogen levels than the other AL's, I wonder why thats so and is it a good thing. I am worried about bone loss.
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Hello everyone. I would like to join you here on this thread. Finished chemo the end of August, finished rads on Nov 12th. So, I'm still rather bald and have a nice burn along my collar bone. I just threw my first Femara down the hatch and waiting to see what it is going to do to me. Typically have not had many reactions to much of anything so I am hoping that may be true with this little pill. Somehow, I don't think so.....
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kira123 - my joint pains didn't show for about 3 months and then one morning I couldn't stand on my feet when I tried to get out of bed - the pain was excruciating. DH was sent off for glucosamine/chondroitin and fish oil tablets that day and with the help of Diclofenec (sp) for a couple of weeks it settled to what it is now - manageable. I can't run any distance anymore but I play tennis with the help of painkillers and walk lots. I had rapid weight gain for the first 6 months but some of it was just lack of exercise post surgery and during inflations and about 9 months it stopped. Hot flashes are still worst for me at night but have lessened in intensity over time although I am still woken 3 or 4 times a night by them. Fatigue and a muzzy brain are the most frustrating SEs for me - just can't do anything about them and I have had to adjust my way of doing things to be able to keep going. Fatigue didn't hit til about 6 months but I noticed the muzzy brain fairly soon. Oh well, it's all better than having BC so I will keep shoving the little yellow pill down for the next 3.5 years. Wishing you a good ride with Femara.
My onc said that Femara IS the best AI because research has shown it does lower the estrogen levels in our body better than the other AIs and the possible SEs are the same for all AIs. AIs work for us because our cancer used estrogen and/or progesterone as fuel to grow, so the drug which lowers the level of estrogen in our body the most has to be the better choice if we can tolerate it. He said I could try the other AIs if I couldn't handle the Femara because some people do better on different AIs.
joan888 - welcome to our thread - hoping you have a SE free ride with Femara too!
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Hi Joan, You and I are starting Femara at about the same time. Good luck, hope the SE's aren't to bad for you or me.
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Does anyone know what a good "suppressed" estrogen level would be? Asked my Dr. to check my estrogen levels to see whether or not the femara was truly suppressing it. Just curious if anyone knows. Or maybe it's been discussed and I just haven't run across it.
Thanks,
Joni
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Joni, My Onc. hasn't even check my levels. I see him in January, and may ask him to check my levels. As I understand it Femara brings us as close to 0 as possible. If takes us lower than the other AL's. The others as I understand it are about 5% estrogen left in body.
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Welcome Joan888, wishing you an ez journey with us.
Hugs,
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I think, but not positive, that anything under 8-10 is good. My first test even before the femara was not specific enough, but my result came in at "less than 10." My ob-gyn wasn't so sure if I still needed the femara, but my onc was pretty adamant about still taking it. She said the closer to zero, the better. I wonder if I should have paid an outside facility to run a more sensitive test before I started the femara and then after. Maybe I'm causing all these extra problems for nothing!
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I seems funny to me why the Onc's aren't that concerned with checking our estrogen levels. How do they even know it it is working. My first Onc. refused to even discuss testing at any time while on the meds. I haven't broached the subject with my new Onc. so have no idea what his feelings will be.
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I see an endocrinologist for my thyroid, and he is actually the one who ordered the test for me. I haven't even mentioned it to my Onc. I will have the lab in Dec and see my Endo. in the first part of Jan.
Joni
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My oncologist also refused testing. I had the same question: How did he know it was working? But since I did have my blood tested after starting Vagifem, and discovered my estrogen levels were lower despite the heavier 'loading dose" of this medication, I figure that Femara is working as it's supposed to.
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Well I guess it's working, my hubby and I tried tonight, and for the first time in our married life it really hurt. I hate it, cancer seems to have taken everything away. I may be old, but till now we really enjoyed sex even if we were rather old farts. So here I am on this damn computer instead of cuddeling with my hubby.
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Kira, there is a thread about mojo and also the girls on the A and coping with SE thread are also discussing this very issue. It might pay you to check them out so you can get some ideas that may help. Good luck!
Love n hugs. chrissy
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Chrissy, I will do that. This whole thing stinks. We haven't even tried for months, and tonight was not fun at all.
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kira, I'm sorry that's the case, but at least you have someone to cuddle! I've been man-less for 7 years and even tho I don't miss one on most occassions, every now and then I miss good sex!
oh my - did I really say that!!??!?!?!?
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Eph3, I'm sorry you've been manless for 7 years, but then think about all the things you can do with out having to worry about how he would well about it. My daugher is 32, and has chosen to remain manless. She loves her freedom.
So the last couple of days I want to eat everything in sight. Is this a SE of Femara? If it is I that will be a problem. I'm already about 30 pounds over weight. I even want sweets, and I never eat sweets. I couldn't eat them as a kid so never developed a taste for them. Well now I just ate a cookie from the batch I made for DH.
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Kira1234,
I've been on Femara almost 2 years now. I do think my appetite increased, but not sure whether part of it might have been due to depression. Seems I either tend to eat more, or lose my appetite completely when I'm depressed. I do know it's harder for me to make myself exercise when I'm depressed. So that must be part of it, too.
Trying to get things under control. I'm exercising more, which makes my muscles feel better. The depression has been helped with Celexa, and I'm FINALLY adjusting to Stage IV. It takes a long time for any of us to accept a diagnosis of cancer.
The mojo thing needs to be addressed. Man, it's just one thing after another! Just ask my DH. I feel like I have zero estrogen, but the Femara has worked almost 2 years.
Happy Thanksgiving and blessings to everyone!
Lane
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Oh trust me-I prefer the single status, in oh so many ways. I mostly wish that I could have a man's (healthy) paycheck to add to my puny one!
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Lane, You are so right about the reduction of estrogen. I'm really looking forward to 4 years 11 months 2 weeks of this crap. I'm sure my levels will be getting much lower than they are now. I just don't understand how this is good for us.
I had a really interesting thought while I couldn't sleep last night. What are men who have prostate cancer given? I know it is also driven by estrogen. Some how I can't see the men putting themselves through this.
Yes the mojo does need to be addressed. I'm taking myself right over the that tread, plus I'm ordering some personal things on line. I live in a small town, and somehow bumping into one of my parents doesn't appeal. I'm a teacher by the way.
Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for being such a great group of friends.
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Kira I've heard that men with prostate cancer are treated with much the same drugs as we are.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL !!!!!!!!!
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Hi Carol1949,
I read your post on Feb.9. My mom has been on Femara since March and I'd like to see her get off it. I have been trying to find her an Oncologist in the Connecticut area who is open minded to alternative therapies. This is difficult since I live in Florida and don't know the doctors up there. I was wondering what alternative therapies were encouraged? I've read about bioidentical horomones and have been looking in that direction. Any suggestions on alternative therapies? I'm all for alternative as appose to the drugs and I don't want to see my mom suffering from any SE's of the drugs.
Corie
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Nanna,
I am a stage IV gal and this is my 2nd antihormonal drug (1st was tamoxifen). I have tolerated the Femara personally much better than the tamoxifen. I have absolutely no side effects, it has put my cancer in temporary remission and I feel better than I have in years. So, go figure.
I hope you have a similar experience. I realize many are not as lucky as I am.
Cat
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Cat, Glad you're doing so well with Femara. I have used it only a couple of weeks, but ok so far. I'm just happy we have something to fight the cancer.
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Well hi all, it's been a month since I changed to Femara and I actually feel pretty good. The only thing I can grump about really is the fact that the mouth sores are still hanging around although I did get a break of about a week without them.....yay!!!!! Hopefully the breaks will come more often and last longer........I'll just have to wait and see. Still get tired but I guess that's par for the course and to be expected and I must admit that that is a bit better since I've been taking the little yellow peril at night rather than in the morning. Verdict for me? So far, so good and I do feel a whole lot better than when I was taking Arimidex. Be well all.
Peace, strength, love n hugs. chrissyb
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I've been on femara almost a year. I began with arimidix, misery. My Dr. changed me to aromasin ended with a severe reaction within 3 weeks so now I'm on femara. what do you do about thinning and I mean thinning hair? I can handle the aches and pains, sleepless nights, and some of the cognitive miseries. I have 4 more years of this. Thoughts?
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