FEMARA
Comments
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Hi Ladies: Femara's patent expired 6/15/11. I emailed Novartis to be sure. I was told yes it had expired. That is why you may be getting a generic. I called my oncologist's office today and they were unaware of it. They have samples and are going to give me a 5 month supply.
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Ladies: one other thing. I drink tart Cherry juice when I can't sleep. I saw it on the Dr. Oz Show and tried it. It works like a charm. It naturally contains melatonin. It is also good for a lot of other things. I don't have to drink it every night. I rarely have a hot flash since i started drinking it.You can google the Dr Oz show and put tart cherry juice in the search box to find out more information.
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I doubt if we can get tart cherry juice here , everything in Spain is a fair few years behind everything else .
I don´t think the licence on Femara is finished yet in the UK . They still seem to be able to be prescribed the "real " Femara . Arimidex came off licence there a few months ago .
Justagirl , you´ve been through an awful lot in the last couple of years , and a lot of it involves having other people , virtual strangers taking charge of your life , ie oncologists , surgeons, nurses , etc etc I´m not suprised that you want time to be by yourself and have some peace and quality time of your own . The problem with your husband and son is so typical of "father / sone " relationships . I have two sons , and their father was away a lot when they wer young , he was in the royal navy . However when they did get together , they clashed , I don´t think you can get away from the fact that this is normal , the younger male challenging the older , same in nature . Once your som¡n leaves home , they will become the best of friends , mine did . Unfortunately , you have to live through the interim period .............difficult ! Plus as you say ,. older men , ( mine is 67 ) can be awkward and contrary . You must have some "me " time . have you told your doc that things are getting on top of you ? I would , you cannot sort out everything yourself , sometimes we all need help , but as women , we are not that good at asking for help for ourselves . Hope you have a good weekend .
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Hey ladies..................Tart Cherry Juice.................got it today at Trader Joe's..............really reasonable......big bottle $3.79................thought that was a great price..
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Thanks Chrissy, That was really helpful. n.
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You can also find it at Walmart in the refrigerated section where the milk and juice is. It is a bottle of concentrated that will make 3 quarts.
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mscal - do you drink it at night? I need help with sleep! Don't want to take Halcion the rest of my life. ~ Daiva
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Dr. Oz says to drink it at dinner time. I drink mine about 1 hour before bedtime. My niece drinks hers about 2 hours before bedtime.
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thanks!
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Hi Femara girls,
Taking Femara for 15 months I have had so much SE's that I decided to spend a fortnight at a Medical Fitness Center at the seaside. During the day I have had a lot of treatments: all kinds of massage, baths, therapeutic exercises and I was very tired at the evening. Hoping it will be helpfully for the next months.
I reached BCO from there but cannot login or post. I read your post and felt connected with your questions and answers, dear girls.
Justagirl, I was thinking of you hoping some ladies will come with new suggestions to support you. This board is really connecting patients with BC all over the world...
Best wishes
Usha
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Clap for me ladies................took my first Femara today....................waited 6 weeks, swore I would not do it, but finally bit the bullet..........................I'm very nervous, very scared, don't want anymore aches and pains, nor all the SE that come with this shit, but I will not leave this world without at least trying it......................if I can't handle it, at least I can say I tried..................I'm sure I'm not going to escape the SE's, but it is what it is.......................just hoping for the best.................
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Hi all - my onc told me to take Aleve for the joint pain. I'm sorry, that's just not doing it. I was on Arimidex for 6 months and now Femara for one month. My hips hurt so bad that it makes me cry sometimes. Knees, ankles and now hands. Without some sort of rx, does anyone know what to do for such severe pain? Thanks so much.
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spendygirl.................my fear also............isn't it about quality of life...........i'm trying this crap, but if it causes me worse pain then I have just by being 76........it goes...............I refuse to live in pain...............what the hell kind of a life is that..................I'll take it till I can't take it anymore.....................thus the reason for all the delay...............good luck to you
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spendygirl,
My dr put me on Celebrex, which is an antiflammatory and usually given for osteoarthritis (which I have in my fingers also) to deal with the pain and aches in my hips, knees and ankles and it has really helped.
We really have to be proactive for ourselves so the 'living after diagnosed with BC' does not fill us with dread.
I know I have to stay on Femara for another 4 years, and I understand what it is doing to keep any BC cells from thriving in my body even though I just had a DM in March. I am doing everything I can to stay cancer free and if it requires taking some pills so be it.
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Hey Ducky!! Good for you girl!!! The option is always there to stop should things get too bad for you.
Hi Spenygirl! I have osteoarthritis and need two knee replacements. I started taking Boswellia Serrata about two months ago and am now almost totally pain free.........I was on Px strength painkillers 3x p/day but now take none. Sorry for sounding like an add but that little capsule has done me the world of good! It is a natural anti-inflamatory that doesn't upset my stomach as all other Px anti-inflamatories do.
I'm hoping I can stay on Femara for the next twenty years but I know that won't happen!
Love n hugs to all. Chrissy
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I am suppose to start my FEMARA but I am scared. I decided to give myself a week of "being normal" before I start taking it. My dexiscan came out very good. Is there anyone who has not had any side effects from this medicaton?
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Hi ktam96, I'm one of the people who have little to no SE's from Femara. I have been on it since October last year and other than a sleep issue to start and hot flashes that continue, I feel great. I take the little pill at night so that takes care of the sleep problem for me and over the time, the flashes are becoming less in number, intensity and duration. I also take some supps and believe that they help as well.
Always keep in mind with all of these meds, that you have a choice of others should you find this one too difficult but please give yourself a good few months before you make any decision to either change or stop.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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I was wondering why my femara discount card expired. I got a prescription for brand necessary b/c I think I am having more hot flashes from the generic, and when I went to pay the $10.00 copay, they said it was expired and I would have to pay $125.00 for the brand. Back to generic and hot flashes. I will see if Onc office will give me any samples:(
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ktab96, I took Femara for 2 years and had virtually no side effects, maybe a little stiffness in the joints, not much and when it got worse in the hips was when I only took Zometa every 3 months. I was on a regimen of Femara and once a month Zometa, I think the Zometa actually helped with a lot of the joint pain. When I was cut back to once every 3 months on Zometa my hips would bother me a little more so we went back to once a month and it seemed to help. I did have hot flashes but, well who doesn't at some time in their life so side effects were not a problem for me and I hope you have no problems with it either. Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing. I took it for 2 years but then had to switch to Aromasin because a bone scan showed a new spot and markers keep going up so will probably end up doing oral chemotherapy, will find out August 25.
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Good vibes for you jeanieb2!
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Justagirl: I am so sorry you are having such a rough time of it. I mean I am too. This femera is making me angry that at age 53 I cant even put on my own socks. And my fingers curl up at night and I need my other hand to open them. But, my onc said in my case, Femera was a 39% protection of return and since I am a stage IIIc, I have little choice.
For me I am angry. A year ago I was feeling just fine, enjoying my life, family and friends. If someone would have told me that a year later...
...I would always feel the streatching of my masectomy when reaching or lifting something.
...I still have an 7inch by 12 dark grey area, where they radiated.
...I would still be taking pills throughout the day.
...I would lose then regain, but still not have my old eyebrows and hair texture.
...I would lose sensation in eight of my ten toes.
...My arms would swell when ever they feel like it and I would have to forever wear sleeves on a plane.
...Gain a spare tire around my stomach, and let me tell you, it was already a shock to find out what was there before, hinding under my breasts....
...That I would be moved to tears everytime I see a women with a scarf on.
Would I still have gone through the last year? Truly I do not know.
As its been said, many times. This breast cancer is not for weinies!!!
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Whine, whine, whine. Shame on me, I am not normally cranky. Ok, I have increased my calcium and Vitamin D to 3 X a day with meals and it has seemed to work. But at the same time I began taking Advil twice a day , so I am not sure really what has helped. I had pain meds and just said enough and tossed them. Hmmm no longer having problems sleeping although like others, I take my pills at night.
God bless you women....thanks for allowing me to grumble. : )
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I started Femara in January of this year (switched from Arimidex due to bad leg cramps). I was doing fine until 6 months into it. I developed a knee strain in June, and I am now experiencing leg pain, muscle tightness, burning foot soles, hand stiffness, and ankle/foot pain. I am currently having difficulty walking. I feel like I need a walker sometimes. I am 47 years old. My onc said if I have severe side effects, I can stop Femara for a couple weeks and see what that does. I don't want to suffer like this for another three years.
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Met with oncologist today. After two years on Tamoxifen (and chemo induced menopause for 2 years) she now thinks we switch to Femara. My liver enzymes were elevated and my triglyceride levels are high...all other cholesterol numbers are not good as well. Diet and exercise did not do much to change things...has this happened to anyone? Do you take statins? Did your cholesterol improve or get worse on Femara...? Guess I will try it out after Stage 2 DIEP and see if I get any luckier with side effects.
Did you gain or drop pounds on Femara? Hair loss?
Thanks for any input.
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Nowords,
I have been on Femara for almost 4 years. This past month, my cholesterol and triglycerides were higher. Also, I have gained weight and have thinning hair. Since I ahve been on generic femara, I have been having many more hot flashes. Femara is doable though.
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Hi Nowords, I put on with Arimidex but am staying steady with the Femara and the hair started to thin but I take Biotin and that seems to have slowed it right down. I don't take a statin but my doc is watching my cholesterol with an eagle eye........all I see is it's rising
but very slowly. I have heard that this sort of thing is a SE of the AI's.Love n hugs. Chrissy
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onward,
You are so right! You can't be a weinie and fight this BC!
Like you, I know I must take the Femara to hopefully stay BC free. I resent all of the changes I have had to just take in the last 16 months. Insult after insult to my body, mind and spirit. I could kick every person who hasn't walked in my shoes who tells me to remain positive - it makes a difference or : you are so lucky you can get breasts any size you want!
I have had to fight to keep my weight down, yet it has creeped up from 55kg to 59kg. My hair is about 2" long and curly whereas before all of this I had straight long hair. My skin is dry and I have to slather lotion and cream on twice daily.
The hot flashes and muscle aches,pains and stiffness continually are pretty much too much!
It's good we are fighters! When I hear people piss and moan about minor things in their life that if it were me I wouldn't even think twice about it now - well, I just think to myself how silly they are.
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I am an 8 year survivor. i have been on Femara for 6.5 years. Has anyone else been on it this long? My oncologist seems to think that since I'm not having many problems with it I should just stay on it. Anyone else?
Barb
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Wow Sachi, you are an inspiration. Almost 2 yrs here, can't imagine more than another 3 or so.
justagirl, my hair grew back in poodle curly tight, but relaxed back to straight as a board by about 6 or 7 months. I wish the curls would have stayed.
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I was on Femara for 8 months, and got off of it! I had terrible aches, especially in my feet. I developed trigger finger on both thumbs.........I had to have a cortisone shot in my thumbs! OUCH.......... Hurt like hell! I have been taking Tamoxifen for 31/2 yrs.
It seems that I have thickening in my cervix, had a biopsy, and waiting for results. I am seeing that this is not unusual. I am do not want to develop more problems from this drug.
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