FEMARA
Comments
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Treeskier...how many Ibuprofen do you take every night? I can see where it would be good but I'm always so afraid of hurting my stomach. I will try it though. this Femara is killing me, especially since I have osteoporosis pretty bad. About 10 years age they tested me and my Dr. said I am 27% lower than the average person my age. Haven't broken anything yet or neither do I have a 'hump'. Thank God!
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Artsee,
Good to know I'm not the only one terrified of osteoporosis! My grandmother had the hump, and my mom died in pain from compressed vertebra fractures (not the cause of death, but can't you die of not wanting to be in agony any more??).
I guess if I were in your shoes I'd talk to the doc about switching to tamoxifen, which does not eliminate your estrogen (just blocks it) so it doesn't affect your bones.
If you want to try ibuprofen for the joint pain, here's my experience. If I take it 3x per day, 2 tablets (400 mg total, the regular adult dose) does the job for me. When I was in more pain after lumpectomy but couldn't tolerate the narcotics, I was taking 600 mg, the equivalent of 3 tabs. Even that little difference made the difference. I could tell when it wore off.
Most people I know who take it have no stomach irritation as long as it's (a) not on an empty stomach and (b) taken with a full glass of water. My understanding is liver damage is not a concern unless a person takes an excessive dose over a long enough period of time.
Good luck! I really hate to think of you in pain...
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Dear Femara girls,
Dxed in 2009 I was said I'm Stage IIA, according too NCCN BreastQuidelines 2011, I'm Stage IIIA because of high number of nodes.
Greetings
Usha
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I went through menopause at 48. Ive been taking Femera now for three months. The hair thinning, although mostly in my crown, joint pain and foot issues are for sure from Femera. The bloating of my tummy looks ridiculous without breasts! (I was not a candidate for reconstruction) What I really want to know is, after were done, are any of these side effects over?????
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Tree..Are you saying you take 2 tablets, three times a day? Meaning 6 in all? Are you doing this every day? You must have a lot of pain. I feel bad for you. I think I could get away with less than that.
Tamoxifen would do me no good. I think that's really for younger ladies that aren't in menopause.
I really do need the strength of an AI seeing as my tumor was a very aggressive grade 3. Sigh.....
My 90 year old mother is in constant pain and she keeps wondering why she has to go through this at her age.She has Osteo as well.
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Treeskier - I am confused about vitamin "I" - ibuprofen. You take that - what I understand to be over-the-counter Advil, only generic, for joint pain.
But you take naproxen - which is (at least in Canada) a prescription med, for headaches.
But aren't they both NSAIDS. Except naproxen is stronger?Or is it that ibuprofen is cheaper and easier, with no prescription needed, on an ongoing bsis?
could you kindly sort out my confusion? I take Femara's sister - arimidex, as well as have arthritis, so have plenty of joint pain. I've never tried ongoing plain old ibuprofen - sounds pretty good to me.
many thanks
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Hey girls, Some of you know that I started a blog while recovering from my DIEP. Actually, I started it in the middle of the night when I had an adverse reaction to some meds....had too much energy and I've continued it through many nights because my Femara is still causing hip pain. Onc is changing my prescription finally!!!
Well, I have found much respite in painting, crafting, sewing etc and I was wondering if there are any crafters etc who are interested in participating in a weekly posting about what they do. If they have items to sell on Etsy or anywhere else they can post it or they can just come over to show off their work, tutorials or whatever. If you have a crafting business, you can post it as well. I've had over 10,000 hits in less than a month.
I'm thinking of calling it "Breast Cancer Crafters"....anyone have any thoughts. I don't make any money off of my blog, I just do it for fun. So, if you are interested, come see me at http://larissahill.blogspot.com/ and/or email me at hmh308@gmail.com For those of you who blog, it would be a blog party of sorts.
I'm not promoting a business I have because I don't have one, I just thought it would be a great place for women with breast cancer and breast cancer survivors to show off what they are doing.
Please pass this along to all of your friends here as well as survivors who do not belong to this board. I can't wait to see what we're all doing and I encourage you to visit the site which I intend to have up in a week or so.
Thx so much and enjoy this wonderfully sunny fall day.
Fondly, Heather
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That sounds cool, Heather.
Artsee, for three weeks after surgery I was taking pain meds around the clock. Happily, not any more! I have never taken ibuprofen in 600 mg strength before and I found out it is definitely more effective than the regular dose. I don't have a reaction to them, taken with food and water, but I wouldn't take more than 400 at a time without my doctor's okay.
Flannelette, You're right, Ibuprofen is the generic of Advil (and Motrin?). I agree that naproxen is stronger -- ibuprofen doesn't put a dent in my migraines -- but ibuprofen is better for muscle and joint pain.
I am just about to start taking Femara, so I don't have any personal experiences of side effects yet, and hope I won't. I worry about joint pain because I guess it's common, and I already have osteoarthritis in my knees. My new oncologist said it's not clear whether ibuprofen will prevent joint pain from an AI. The first one I talked to recommended it, though -- 200 mg, or 400 if needed, at bedtime to prevent morning stiffness.
What they both said is that research shows the best remedy for AI joint pain is exercise! I know that if I have sore joints I find it harder to exercise, so if I get sore on the Femara I'm going to try taking ibuprofen and also try some different kinds of exercise like yoga and water aerobics. (Good intentions! Wish me well with them!)
Good health to you all and sleep well.Ellen
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I am completing my 2nd month on FEMARA and so far no side effects with the exception of an occasional warm surge. (knock on wood)
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That's great news ktab96! Sure hope it continues on in the sme way!
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Well, I've got my 6 month Oncology apt today at 1:00 p.m. Hope all goes well, but I will talk to him about this joint pain. I'll ask if I can take a couple of Ibuprofen everyday. Don't really want to switch Ai's. I'll suffer through. I believe one is just as hard on the body as the next.
Talk to you all later.
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Artsee, I was switched from Arimidex to Femara not just because I had a slight progression but because of the side effects. I was fully expecting the same on the Femara but to my amazement, other than a little fatigue and hot flashes that are subsiding, I have no other SE's. Perhaps a change would be good for you also. Good luck with your visit.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Treeskier - thanks for that info about ibuprofen to ward off mornng stiffness. I've been on arimidex 2 & 1/2 yrs and that made me stiff enough but more was coming - stiff knees! brand new, this year - I think osteoarthritis. I have lots of it in other places, why not knees too?
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Chrissy...my apt. went well today. Good for another 10,000 miles
He said we could try another AI but I told him it is what it is and I'll suck it up for another 1 1/2 years. Femara has been good to me and maybe the arthritis is just coming on with a little help from it. He did fax in a prescription to Costco....so I hope it will be $23.00 when I pick it up like they told me when I called. Doc couldn't believe the price.
Next apt and mammo...7 month. Wow that's almost spring again. WooHoo.
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Artsee, I've had arthritis for years in just about every joint but my knees are to the replacement point and we will be discussing this when I return home from my trip. I guess old age has finally caught up with me.....lol. Hope you get through the next 2 and 1/2 years without too much bother!
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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artsee-I got Femara generic @ my local Costco on Friday for $22.49. Yippee!
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Hi I am also getting my Femara generic @ my local Costco. $25. My PPO insurance was charging me $1200 for the same thing. SharonH
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I talked with the pharmacist at the drug store where I paid $460 for Letrozole my first month before I knew about Costco's price. She was amazed and said she will tell patients to go to Costco for it instead from now on!! I was very pleased and thanked her for being so ethical.
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Went for my 6 month exam yesterday and I told my Doc about the price of Femara and asked about Costco. He was blown over by their price and went into his computer made one click.....Done. He said it's faxed and all you need to do is pick it up. $23.00. Yahoo! Now do any of you submit this to your insurance company?
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Hi, have not thought about it. I don't understand how insurance companies can get away with charging so much for it. It does not seem right. SharonH
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Costco wanted my insurance info, but my new insurance is crap so I told them never mind.
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Just got back from picking up my prescription from Costco for the first time. They wanted to see my insurance card, and they found that I could only have one month at a time...well I knew that so they gave me one month. I'll have to call my insurance company and when they see the price they'll let me have it no doubt for 3 month at a time. Anyway it was $22.49, and then it'll go through insurance. Not bad...but it's a crime that there is such a difference in Pharmacy...think I'll take it too the Supreme court.
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Artsee, I'm so very grateful to have learned about Costco's price. But I'm so mad about the huge price difference at the other pharmacies that I'm planning to at least contact the local media here. They would probably love to have something like that for Pinktober news. Hopefully it will help inform more women who can't afford the outragous prices elsewhere.You're right, it is a crime!
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Hi Everyone, I got off Arimidex 3 weeks ago and the onc is putting me on femara generic... He also left me a message that if a headache, like the one I got with arimidex comes, to get off it immediately and call him... I sure hope this works better.. Anyway, I guess this will be the place for me...
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After reading this thread I'm really hopeful that Femara will be fine for me. Fingers crossed!
My oncologist wrote me a 90-day prescription that I'm filling by mail. My insurance connected me to the company (Prescription Solutions). The order person said "The computer shows that the cost to you is zero dollars and zero cents." Not sure I believe it! What a drag that SeaShelly (and a lot of other women, I'm sure) got charged hundreds of dollars a month.
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Have any of you tried going to Walmart for your Femara? It's $4 a month for me there for the generic.
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Femara recently became available in generic form. That is probably why you are seeing such a huge price difference.
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My generic still was $254.00 before insurance. This was since June before that $568.00 which I've been paying since May of 2009. Sure I have insurance but I want to give them a break....why should they have to pay those kind of prices? That's exactly why our monthly insurances are so darn high. Because of the greedy pharmaceuticals. Funny...it always boils down to greed.
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I finished my chemo & radiation treatments one yr 3 months ago, June of 2010. Life has been good...I have HAIR again...and I've moved on! I'm managing OK taking Femara, with the usual joint aches and pains. Some days I didn't even think about cancer!! Now I have developed a cough. When I saw my oncologist, she ordered a chest CT. Those results show something (??), and she wants me to have a bone scan on Friday. Do any of you ladies who have tried to "move on" find your oncologist ordering more tests which cause you stress and fear again? I just want to be well and thought I was.
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Yes....it's quite scary isn't it? A couple of years ago I was moving on just fine and then on our way up to our lake home for New years with our friends they called me cell phone and the nurse said the Dr. wanted to have me have a CT scan on Sat. so he would have the results on Mon. when I had my scheduled apt. (This was Wed.) when I got the call so you can imagine my celebration immediately was down the toilet. My elevated liver enzymes turned out to be high from a prescription drug. After a lot of elimination they went down to normal. I have never been stress free since then, because I keep looking over my shoulder constantly. Let's pray you will be fine, and that it's just a dumb cough. they sure know how to scare one right? Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.
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