FEMARA
Comments
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Ronna I get my Femara at Walgreens and I've been using the coupon for 8 months, every time I pick it up I have to tell them I have a coupon on file and they readjust the cost from my copay down to $10, can you call a different pharmacy and ask them if they accept your insurance and the coupon and see about getting your prescription transferred over?
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weety-when I was having some fairly bad joint pain which I attributed to the Femara around June/July last year, my onc tried to talk me into switching, but I didn't want to because at that point Femara was a known entity. I'm glad I stayed on it now as most of my SE have mellowed out to pretty much nil (Or else I just notice them anymore because of everything else that goes on with me). Anyway, passed my 1 year mark on Femara in November and barely even thought about it. It has been a year, just about right now actually, that I switched to taking it at night. That has made a lot of difference for me! Good luck all!0
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Hi girls! I join the club of high cholesterol 6.1mmol/L , 6 months on Femara. Just discovered by neuropatologist by chance. The bons aches gone, flaches getting rare, mainly in the night, but cholesterol is up and thyroid is hyperactive.
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Should I be asking for a thyroid test as well?
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Hi everyone. Just found out Femara is going generic within the year.
Hi Cheryl: I also called Novartis directly. They put me on a patient assistance list to try and help me with co-pay. I have to wait to hear from them. Novartis people did explain that you can only use one coupon for the reduced amount up to $800.00 which I have exceeded. No more.
I went to Onc today, my hemoglobin is down, waiting to see other results of my blood work, (incl. iron)I told the dr. I am considering going off the med because it is either take the medicine or eat. He was nice and gave me some samples.
All in all, I find living is easier with Femara than Arimidex.
Can't wait for generic. Has anyone else heard this. Novartis and Doctor told me.
Hugs.
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To all, if I understand it correctly, the Novartis insurance company works with your insurance company and I pay 50% of a drug cost, or the contracted rate. My plan stinks big time. All my doctors are on my plan and don't want to change.
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We at least I do not have to worry about my thyroid as that has already been taken care of, was diagnosed with hyperthyroid in 2000, took the drug to slow it down then it started to affecting my liver function, stop it then had my thyroid nuked, opted for non removal since it is attached to your voice box. Now hypothyroid, been on synthroid ever since. Going to see my PCP about my cholesterol to see if it is high next week and see what other things we need to look at. SE at a minimum knock on wood. Except for the lack of sleep I am doing better.
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Getting ready to start Femara. Have been having wicked hot flashes since going off HRT in November (when I was diagnosed.) Any words of wisdom on what you can take for this (anti-depressant?) while on Femara?
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KatherineP, My onc. put me on 37.5mg of effexor, that did the trick!
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Hi, Katherine, I am on Paxil, 10 mg.
Mine also does the trick,
Hugs,
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Hi... sorry I haven't been on in awhile. I had a bone density test, and I have lost significant bone mass since starting Femara one year ago.
So... it's back to Tamoxifen for me...
Bye... good luck to all!
Harley
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Oh, forgive me but I'm whining today!!!! My hands hurt so badly ---- particularly my thumbs. I feel like an OLD LADY!!! I've only been on this crap -- sorry, Femara -- for 8 months. And I also take a statin for my elevated cholesterol & Effexor for the other side effects (sleeplessness, hot flashes, etc.) Joint pain is not fun, that's for sure!
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No it's not Bev. Sometimes I feel like beating people up when they make comments like "I'll bet you're glad it's all behind you!" If they only knew!
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Hi all, I sometimes feel I shouldn't post as other than the melting moments, I'm doing really well on the Femara. I feel a little guilty as a lot of you seem to be suffering badly with SE's. My thoughts are, that perhaps new takers of Femara need to know that not everyone has bad SE's. The same goes for all meds that are given to fight this beast. I know that the girls who mostly post are the ones who need the support of others going through the same things and to you, I wish for you the ease that I so far feel.
Peace, strength, love n hugs. Chrissyb
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chrissy, you are so right. Though many of us suffer through femara, women need to know it is very doable, for most, and some (lucky you) have little difficulty.
Of course you should post. It's encouraging to us all to hear success stories at every level !!
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yes it is nice to know that some are doing well. My knees and hips hurt today. Walked a lot yesterday.
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Does anyone have any idea why Dr's decide on which AL to give us? Mine said Femara, but I really have no idea why, he just said it was the best one for me if I could handle it ok.
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My last onc started me on Femara and the first onc wanted me to take Aromisen(sp), I asked her why she wanted me to take Femara and she said that she thought it was a better drug and worked better and that studies kind of proved it.....I truly think it was personal preference. The first onc gave me Herceptin when I did not need it. Why? perhaps profit...as he was the head of a cancer clinic.
I only have 10 months left for 5 years on Femara. My present onc says I might be able to keep taking it. Any thoughts on more than 5 years among readers?
Thanks,
Shirley
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kira-I know some of the s/e's determine which AI is used. I think Arimidex and Aromasin might cause blood clots more frequent than Femara. And some are worse for those with cardiac disease, etc.
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jacee that does kind of make sense to me. The Femara is the first he wanted me to use but did say if the SE's are to bad I could try the others. He did mention the blood clots and heart issues in general for all Al's. If the Femara causes less of those issues that might be why since he knew those were issues in my family already with a brother who has had a heart attack at the age of 50.
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I understand that because Femara lowers the levels of circulating estrogen, it prevents or slows the growth of estrogen sensitive cancer cells. And, according to clinical trials, it does a better job than the non-steroidal Arimidex. I for one would be willing to take this pill the rest of my life if it would prevent my cancer from coming back or developing in the other breast. The small yellow pill has been a part of my daily life since Nov. 1 and so far I've had no SE. I do continue to exercise and work like heck to maintain a positive outlook. So it's hard to tell if any muscle aches are from Femara or my Body Pump classes. Lifting weights will also be a daily part of my life forever to guard against bone loss. Best wishes to all.
Diagnosis: 9/10/2010, IDC, <1cm, Stage I, 0/2 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-0 -
Thanks Ladies. I am planning on trying 20 mg Prozac (my onc put me on Effexor about a month back - after 3 days I quit due to rapid heartbeat and having the jitters.) I'm hoping Prozac side effects aren't as bad. Also, I hear it's easier to get off Prozac? (Effexor takes a while to come off?)
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Katherine_P, Have you checked to make sure that Prozac does not interfere with Femara. I say this because Effexor is the drug being prescribed for breast cancer patients on hormone therapy because Prozac and others were found to interfere with Tamoxifen but I'm not sure about the aromatase inhibitors. I would ensure that it does not make Femara less effective before I switched if it were me. I will be finished with my five years of aromatase inhibitors in July of this year. I will have been on Arimidex for one year and Femara for 4 years. My oncologist originally put me on Arimidex but I asked to change to Femara after a year because I read studies showing Femara reduced circulating estrogen levels lower. There is no proof that Femara is more effective than Arimidex, not yet anyway as studies are ongoing but it made sense to me to switch. I do think that all 3 of the AI's are good drugs and it probably doesn't matter that much which one you take as long as you continue on some type of anti-estrogen therapy.
At my follow-up appt with my oncologist this month I asked him if I could stay on Femara and he agreed. He said that if my nodes were negative he would say no but that since I had a positive node he would agree. He would not commit to how much past the five years but I asked if I could stay on at least until the results of the MA-17R trial (which compares taking an AI for 10 years with only taking it for five years) are in which is suppose to be in 2012. He asked me about my side effects and I told him I basically have them all but I still want to continue.
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Hi Ladies. I have been taking Femara since January 2010. The only problems I have experienced with it is hot flashes and sometimes aches .I menioned to my PCP that our bodies need estrogen and she said that Cancer does too! So I will be taking it until my Oncologist takes me off of it. I am pr+ and er +. I have my alarm clock set for 8pm to take it. If anything goes on in my body while I am asleep I will not know it. It is very doable.When I have aches mainly in my legs I just take an Aleve.This happens mostly at night after being up all day.
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Ronna - I started on Femara in April 09 and in NZ Femara became generic late 2009 and I have been on it ever since. It is called Letara here. The cost is NZ$151 per year and our government covers the cost - I pay NZ$12 per year dispensing fee. The SEs haven't changed so I guess it is doing the same job as the original.0
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Anyone knows when femara will be generic in U.S. I just had my prec filled 90 days was $1477.60 Last oct 90 days cost $1122.45. Iam on medicare and have part D coverage. So i will be able to get 5months this year before i fall in doughnut hole. Then they say. you can get half price who can afford $700.00 month. Have tried get help but have not been able to get.My income is only $1300 a month. I going ask onc if i can split pills
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ask the onc FOR the pills-they have samples!
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Hi Texas 357, I agree with your statement, the surgery seems easy compared to the effects of medications.
Hugs,
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Nanna, sometime this year the Femara pill will go generic, probably the end of the year.
My retail price for 30 pills is $522.00. Call Novartis directly and ask for patient assistance. Last June the cost was $430.00. Obviously someone is looking to make a profit before generic is out.
My onc. also gave me samples.
Have you tried the coupon on line. Go to Femara. There is a coupon. Try it.
Hugs,
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Shirley... Hey, my onc. said that we could take AIs ... for longer than 5 years. He said we could take them l o n g e r.... as long as we want, I guess...
I have a FULL BOTTLE ONE MONTH of Femara, if anyone needs it. Just pm me with your address and I'll send it to you. I can't take it anymore, as I have lost 'significant' bone density since starting it last year.
Harley
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