FEMARA
Comments
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Hi Ladies................Femara still sitting on the countertop calling my name..............Can't make myself take it.........not even to try it to see what happens..................I hope I don't regret doing this...........but I feel wonderful, and would rather feel good for a few years then horrible for more years..................I know, I'm playing Russian Roulette, but I can't do it, can't take it.............think I'm gonna take my chances...................pray for me
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Ducky, with all the things we do it is always our desicion and this is yours......of course we will support you! This is what you think is best for you but I will say one more time, I feel great on it!
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Chrissy...............I am beside myself, and so depressed about all of this AI stuff.....I just am scared to death to take it.................I guess I'm reading about so many women on here who have horrible problems, and very few who don't.....................Maybe the ones who don't say nothing because they are content that they have no problems..................I wish the ladies who had just minor, or no SE would come on and say something positive about this lousy drug
My kids are very upset with me, and want me to at least give it a try, and so does my RO, who has no axe to grind other then to say "you did so well on Rads..........please at least give this a shot"............I want to do what is best for me.............after all I've gone through it seems like I'm giving up now at the most crucial time.......God help me make a decision..........
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ducky, I have been on Femara since Nov '09-initially had SEs like hot flashes, joint pain & MAJOR fatigue. I am one of the ones who switched to taking the pill at night & lo & behold, most of my problems went away; that's not to say I don't have SEs---I still have some joint pain, usually daily, but not always the same joint & nothing that Ibuprofen or Aleve for the persistent ones can't help. The main benefit for me has been peace of mind (for the most part) & since taking @ night, no more fatigue. My main complaint-weight gain, not so much pound wise on the scale, but my inner tube around the middle has definitely ballooned. I walk 2-3 miles per day rain or shine; I can't imagine what I'd look like if I didn't do that. My eating is not very controlled so I can't blame Femara for all of it, but I do!
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Ducky,
I've been on it for five months and haven't had any problems. Why not take it and see? If you start having any problems then you can decide.
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Ducky, I've been on it for 2 months. Perhaps because I've already been through menopause, I've had no SE's except for some insomnia. I started having sleep problems about 5 years ago so had hoped that the tiredness attributed to Femara as a SE would help me sleep better, but instead my insomnia is a little worse. It's still a walk in the park compared to the possibility of having a recurrence of cancer in my life. It seems like everyone reacts to Femara differenlty and you just might be one of the lucky ones who have no SE's at all. Since it's already sitting on your counter, why not give it a try?
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Ginger have you tried taking it at night? It works for me!
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Chrissy, when I first started it I took it before bedtime, but the insomnia kicked in right away. After two weeks I switched to mornings, thinking that maybe I'd taken it too close to when I wanted to sleep and it had made me overtired. I've been trying various things like warm milk and occasional sleep aids to see if any help, but so far haven't hit on a solution. I may retry taking it at night and see if there's any difference now that I've been on it a bit longer. I'm having my first lab tests early next month and I'm hoping that maybe they'll indicate some imbalance that's causing the problem. If not, I'll ask my MO for some meds to help.
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Ginger, if morning or night aren't working for you why not try lunch time? Nothing to loose. To help with the sleep problem I take Melatonin and I know of a lot of others wo do as well.......have you given that a try?
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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ducky,
Why do we get mammograms and check our breasts monthly? Why do we have lumpectomies and mascectomies? Why do we go bald with chemotherapy and let our breasts be fried with radiation?
Because, we all want this nasty breast cancer which is threatening our life to go away, and to once again, get on with our lives.
I sure haven't enjoyed taking Femara for the past 9 months, but I do appreciate what it is doing to keep any breast cancer cells from being nourished and invading my body. I think of it like insurance.
Sure, I was a bit tired when I first started taking it. My knees ached in the morning but got/gets better even after my first cup of coffee. Yes, I grew soft fine pale hair on my face (so I had it lasered off). It's all okay.
Femara gives me peace of mind. I would take it beyond the 5 years which is recommended now if that recommendation increased. It has clinically been shown to significently reduce reoccurrance of cancer. That's good enough for me.
It's normal to be scared.
As suggested, you could try it for, say, three months. My GP said it takes about a year for the body to adjust to the levels of estrogen and progesterone being decreased in your body and the side effects should lessen as it's the actual lowering of the hormone levels that causes the havoc, not actually maintaining the lower level.
Only you can decide for yourself.
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Chrissy, Haven't tried Melatonin yet but I'm planning to get some this weekend. I'll let you know how it works for me. How much do you take?
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I take 10mg about half an hour before I go to bed or I take it and go to bed and read for about half an hour. I started on 5mg, it worked but to me not well enough so I added another one and it works like a charm! Mine are 5mg per tab. Hope it works for you as it's a great way to sleep without adding more chemicals to the body.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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My side effects from Femara went away after awhile. I'm still stiff when I get up from sitting a long time. (I have a bad hip, but I the hip's arthritic and I've overused it for years pushing a big gear on my bike, so not sure I can blame the Femara.) My doc has given me Aromasin to try instead, to see if my joints feel a little better on it, so I'll try it just for the heck, but I'd be happy to switch back to Femara. I take it at night, and I take Ambien to sleep. Primary doc thinks that's all fine.
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ducky, I have been one of those who has had a lot of SE. I have been on Femara since December. My Oncologist decided it was time to try a different AI just to see if my side effects ease off any. I have to say that taking 3 motrin at bed time has really helped, taking my 1200mg of Calcium and 4800 IU of Vitamin D have all made a difference in my pain. I would call and tell my oncologist but my insurance co pay will be cheaper with the other one. I was able to get on the floor this week on my knee....something I haven't been able to do since I started Femara. Even my foggy brain has let up some. I have one more week of pills left....I can't wait for my one week break!!! I will have to clean my house from top to bottom that week.
I say give it six months and see how you feel.
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I have been taking Femara for over 4.5 years. I am leading a perfectly normal life. The first month I had a little soreness and a bit...tiny bit tired. I take it at night now and all is well.
Give it a try....I am thinking of extending to ten years. It is worth it to live. I felt great when diagnosed with BC. Cancer doesn't hurt...until it does. Femara may stop the cancer.
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thanks ladies again.........................this is what I needed......your all right.............I can try it, and if it gets tough, I can always end it.
I am 76, so how much Estrogen could possibly be left in this ancient body..............I went through the change at 56, had my Estrogen levels checked yesterday, and waiting for the results.............if its low they say the drug doesn't have to work as hard, thus less SE's....................
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Two days off Femara and the joint pains are completely gone! And I slept 11 hours last night! Onc says he's going to try me on Arimidex. I'm not telling anyone not to take Femara. I"m going to stick to meds till I find the right one. Hope everyone finds one they're compatable with! Also, my onc nurse takes unused meds and gets them to women who can't afford them. Cool!
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Rohanna, you are doing the reverse of what I did.......had such bad reaction to Arimidex and am doing great on Femara.....Hope the change will be good for you and to you. Good luck!
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Thanks, Chrissy. Isn't it funny how different things work for different people? My mom is a 7 yr. survivor and she was on Arimidex for 5 yrs. with no SE's. What were your SE's on Arimidex, if you don't mind me asking? Hope you're having a restful weekend!
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Getting ready to start Femara this week. Wish me luck !!!! I have been on Lupron since August of last year. SE are JOINT PAIN, HOT FLASHES and more JOINT PAIN and HOT FLASHES but that is it. Hoping that Femara and Lupron don't produce more SE's as these suck, but are tolerable for what the drugs are acomplishing:)
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Hi duckyb1
to mention only; at the time of surgery I was 70, my Estrogen level 100%!
Best Usha
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Rohanna, my SE's on Arimadex were, memory loss, hair thinning, every joint painful, I'm 59 but moved like a 90 yr old, depression and general malaise. I didn't realise how bad I felt until I stopped taking them but I knew I felt bad. The change of meds bought with it a whole new outlook....yahooo!! Goodluck with yours!!!
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Slousha..............Wow girl, 100%............that is huge......................and shocking to me at 70..............I have excess body fat................not huge, but more then a 5ft. person should have........I read where your body fat causes you to produce more Estrogen.............if that is true......I'm not expecting "low %'s", when the test results come back......................Isn't it amazing when we're younger we think "oh I really need to lose weight"...............then it is because we want to look slimmer, better in that dress, wanting to be a smaller size, and just "hey don't I look hot".......................................now its.................."if I would not have gained that weight", maye I wouldn't be dealing with the "health issues" I have today.........................oh well.................can't worry about things past.......................just gotta learn from mistakes we made...................I'll let you gals know what my results are..........hugs.
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I have always tried to keep my weight fairly even and I succeeded for most of my life until I was Dx'd with BC. since then it has been a loosing battle and the lbs have gathered in placed I'd rather not have them....all I can do now is keep it stable and try not to put on any more but at 5'4" I look like an apple with limbs and a head!.....ugh!
Love n hugs to all. Chrissy
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Hi,
About estrogen level:
All my life I was a little fully shaped, haven't had any difficulties with menopause, I haven't had hot flashes, all was normal, then BC at70th! I was told from DR's my biological age should be lower as my chronologic therefore I got all the treatments for ladies till age of 60. It was a bit tiresome, but I got through. It could be possible the higher E levers could cause more SE's. I was really complaining about on these sites.
Best wishes!
Usha
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ChrissyB-I totally relate (sorry if this is duuble posted. Computer acting wonky!)
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I am on femara and will have been taking it for a year in September. I have not had many SE's. I take it at night. I have a trigger thumb and sometimes I have pain in my thumb when I try to move it. I do feel stiff and I do have hot flashes. I started to have hot flashes when I went thru chemo. I may go off femara for a month in October just to see if the thumb issues go away. I do not want to go thru 5 years of femara and find out it is was not caused by the femara. If it is the femara then I will probably go back on it as the SE's are really not that bad for me compared to what I have heard from other people. I also take a yoga class for breast cancer patients once a week. It really helps with the stiffness.
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Took 3 mg Melatonin half hour before bedtime last night and had a beautiful sleep. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Glad to hear it Ginger!
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Well, I am glad I stopped by tonight. Tomorrow I see my Onc for the last time. (He is moving) I have been on Femara for a month now. I am walking like an old lady. The joint pain, fatigue and after reading all your posts, I realize how emotional I have been latley. Although the joint pain and fatigue could do that as well.
I am thinking it's a quality of life issue. Tonight I want off. After spending a year recovering from BMX, chemo and rads, I just want to go back to being me. Tomorrow in front of the Onc I will give him all your suggestions and see what he says. I am only taking 1200 Vitamin D so perhaps upping it will help.
Thank you, beautiful ladies for your constant source of info. Onward
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