FEMARA Reviews (LETROZOLE)Average Rating: 2.5 (1087 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare FEMARA with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 |
More on FEMARA: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR FEMARA | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | BC, stage 2 | Hair loss, thinning, and texture change. Some joint aches but mostly minor discomfort. Severe sleeplessness. A few hot flashes but mostly minor compared to when I first went through menopause. Onc is taking me off Femara now. Am having EXTREME itchy/crawly skin, day and night. Didn't experience this while taking it at all. Has anyone experienced this or have any suggestions? | Take Femara first thing in the morning if you are having a hard time sleeping. Took it about dinner time for 4 years and spent most of that time trying different sleeping pills to help me get through the night. ONC had no suggestion when best to take the pill. Noticed that one of the documented side effects is sleeplessness and immediately started taking pill in morning. Within a few days, I started sleeping better and stopped taking sleeping aids. I tried Arimidex for 5 months before getting on Femara. Although list of side effects appear similar, they are NOT the same drug and you may do better on one than the other. Biggest issue with Arimidex was heavy/sad mental spirit. ONC had never heard of it. Went off of it for 2 weeks and felt so much better and then started FEMARA. | F | 57 | 5 years 2.5 , 1X day | 10/4/2011 | 1 | BC stage 1 | widespread pain. fingers hurt and top of fingernails burn, lower back ache on both sides, hips on both sides, knees on both sides very very painful. feet hurt, both top and bottom, had gout for three months, both shoulders hurt, cry when I turn over at night even though I am asleep, gained 14 pounds. | I want to get off Femara. I am going to call my primary nurse tomorrow to start this process. I would rather have quality of life than quantity of life and it is my life I am talking about so I should have the last word about this. I have Fibromyalgia so the fm may be exacerbating the pain from Femara. This is not living. I am unable to make commitments and carry out activities that I enjoy doing. Chemical neutering. | F | 67 | 9 months 2.5MG 1X day | 10/2/2011 | 4 | Stage 1 bc | I went on the drug at 66 and was already experiencing joint pain and stiffness, fatigue, and memory loss -- these have continued. Femara did seem to bring back the hot flushes of menopause, but not as intensely. I had some depression and my onco started me on Paxil. I continued this for six months and it helped. I'm not sure about brain fog, but I probably do have some of that -- it's harder to concentrate. | I'm noticing that many people are experiencing pretty severe bone and joint problems, and I'm wondering if you are getting prophylactic treatment to protect your bones. When I started Femara, my oncologist also started me on Zometa infusions every six months and Calcium with vitamin D three times a day, both to counteract the effects of Femara on bones. You might want to check this out with your doctor(s). | F | 67 | 2 years 2.5 1X day | 10/1/2011 | 3 | Breast Cancer | LOTS of bone issues. I am older (63 (was diagnosed with bc at 58) but walk and move like I am in my 90's. Getting in and out of a car is awful. I am near the end of my 5 years of taking Femara and am hoping and praying that these side effects (as well as others that I have) will go away. | F | 63 | 5 years 2.5 m 1X day | 9/22/2011 | 1 | not anymore | Fatigue. Horrible joint and body pain. Loss of memory. Depression.gained weight. Bloated. Indigestion. Headaches. The worse now is Macular Degeneration. | This the worse drug ever. It is so toxic. Besides all of the above side effects the tissue next to the tail bone is so inflamed. That when I sit down and try to get up it hurts so much, that I want to cry. | F | 56 | 8 months 2.5 1X day | 9/7/2011 | 1 | Breast cancer, stage 1 | Arthritis in my hands | F | 70 | 10 months 1X day | 8/27/2011 | 3 | Recurring Breast Cancer | Hot flushes (getting worse) joint pain, arthritis in spine and neck and hands, some osteoporosis, hair loss, some memory loss. Feel it is ageing me very quickly but that may be rapid menopause onset following chemo. Scared to stop as BC has returned 6 times in all - twice after masectomy and once after chemo. | Noone seems to ask about DOSAGE:WEIGHT ratio - we all seem to be on the same - 2.5mg per day. I weigh around 115lbs. Is there any chance that those with the worst sypmtoms weigh less? | F | 56 | 2 years 2.5mg 1X day | 8/25/2011 | 3 | Stage 2A Her2Neu+ Breast Cancer | Absolutely MISERABLE!!! Terrible bone and ligament pain. Feel as if I am going to snap in two at any moment. I'm tired, bitchy(er) and I shuffle around like I'm 100! It's awful. I literally have been crying in pain, frustration & scared to death my quality of life was gone. But I FINALLY found relief! Read below... | Desperate for relief, I would try almost anything. Yesterday at Costco I found NeoCell Super Collagen+C, Type 1&3. Holy Cow! And I mean bovine! I have only taken two pills and I feel as if I can do cartwheels! I've changed absolutely nothing...just added this supplement (and I'm very skeptical I might add). I've called everyone I know & decided to post on this forum because I finally have something to say that maybe we all haven't heard before. I have no idea of drug interactions or safety but I do know I can get up out of a sitting position without bracing myself for several minutes before walking. My knees, my feet, my arches and my fingers feel AMAZING. And to think I've only taken two so far! It's insane! Give this a try...you'll thank me! lol! :)) Please check w/ your onc first though because I am no medical professional and I'd hate for anyone to have more problems than they already do. FYI, I have slight stomach upset but it may be my coffee intake, either way it's nothing some Zegerid won't fix. YEAH!!!! I have my life back! Cheers and good health to all! :) | F | 48 | 1 years 2.5 1X day | 8/21/2011 | 1 | STAGE ONE BREAST CANCER | Severe fatigue. Am 70, feel like I am 100. Trigger fingers on right hand, swollen feet, hands, night sweats, shoulder pain, balance problems. | I have stopped this drug. Would rather take my chances of reoccurence. | F | 70 | 11 months 2.5,mg 1X day | 8/14/2011 | 3 | stage 2 breas cancer | In the beginning the side effects were tolerable. It was better than cancer. The weight gain, headaches, hot flashes, fog brain,. My dr wanted me on it for the rest of my life because my cancer was aggressive. My dr retired and I now have a young female ono doc. First thing she did was take me off Femera. She said that there are studies of long term effects of bone loss. I have been having alot of hip pain and just chalked it up to being arthritus. My body has arthritus all thru it thanks to chemo and radiation. After my annual scans, the doc found a spot on my lower spine. Not sure what it is. I have to go for an MRI to find out what it is. What ever it is I think that I am going to have to deal with this pain forever. I didn't know side effects to femara was bone loss. | I think femara did what it was suppose to do in the beginning. I am 9 years out and I think that Femara had something to do with it. I'm alittle upset because my original doc never said that long term could cause bone loss. I read about the person that is 44 and can't work anymore because of femara. I feel sorry for her. I am a very active person, and I don't know how things are going to turn out. I think that I will have to deal with this pain. | F | 57 | 9 years 2.5 mg 1X day | 8/9/2011 | 3 | Early stage bc | All of the same as many of you, but they were getting better the longer i took it. Then the generic came out and my onc doc put me on that. I have been on it about 6 weeks, and gradually all the horrble aches, pains, hot flashes, etc. are worse than ever before! Anyone else experiencing this? | F | 62 | 3 years 2.5mg 1X day | 8/1/2011 | 1 | breast cancer | I was on tamoxafin for 5 years and at the end of the fifth year I ended up with blood clots. Tamoxafin was a very bad medication and i took it because I didn't want my bc to return. But, it did come back in the last week of the end of my 5 years. I was put of warfarin and femara 2.5mg. I had already gained weight taking the tamaxafin, my legs and feet swelled up so bad that I couldn't walk or even put shoes on. The pain in my bones and the swelling of my body was outrageous. The femara didn't make my quality of life better, it just got worse. I stopped taking it after 2 years and a few months of it being in my system. My oncologist then wanted me to take arimidex and I declined because I just want my mind back. I haven't been on any hrt since feb. 2011 and I am feeling a little better. At least I can concentrate a bit better and although I am still trying to lose weight I have a smile on my face because I am not hurting as bad as I was before. I don't know what the future | I wouldn't recommend any hrt let alone femara because you will never be the same person again and your quality of life will be at its lowest. | F | 52 | 2 years 2.5 mg 1X day | 7/31/2011 | 4 | Stage 4 re-occur w/bone mets | Less hot flashes than Tamoxifen. Some bone pain from time to time. So far not a real problem. | F | 56 | 90 days 20 1X day | 7/28/2011 | 2 | stage II breast cancer bracaII | I have had increasing bone pain. My feet kill me. The first few steps in the morning are excrutiating, and after getting up after sitting down. I have started having severe bone pain in my "long" bones, like my arms and legs. My hips and back. I went to the ER today the pain was so severe. I tend to think there is some sort of "accumulative" effect, as It doesn't seem I had that many horrible side effects in the beginning. | I am seeing my oncologist on Monday. He has always pushed me to stay on it, even after asking for an alternative in the past. I can completely relate to the posts where people remark they feel 80 as opposed to their real age. I am only 45 and feel horrible. I fell asleep while at a stop light driving home from work the other day. I feel this is a medication that is simply not do-able if you are a person who has to go to work and take care of teen-agers as I do. But, I also want to be alive to do these things. I just don't know what to do any more. | F | 45 | 2.5 years 2.5 mg 1X day | 7/28/2011 | 4 | breast cancer HER2 | I have some sleeplessness at night, but seem to nap easily so since I do not work, it's ok. I have had some shoulder, neck and hip discomfort, but tried acupuncture for the neck and it worked great! I am now having chiropractic and acupuncture for the hip and it is helping. I do not have fatigue as some people have had and haven't noticed thinning hair. Overall, I am satisfied with the drug. | F | 69 | 1 years 30 1X day | 7/20/2011 | 1 | breast cancer | terrible joint pain, trigger fingers, hand pain, inability to move after sitting for any length of time, bone pain, higher cholesterol, thinning hair, hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain | I took tamoxifen for five years followed by a recommended course of five years on Femara. I stopped Femara after one year. I had joint pain on tamoxifen, but the pain became crippling when I started Femara. The most recent effect was that my hands became useless and I developed four trigger fingers. Also, Novartis misrepresents the improved protection Femara supposedly gives women regarding a recurrence of their cancer. The actual improvement for most women is only 2.9% (from 4.9% to 2%). For the majority of women taking this drug and suffering its severe side effects, the benefits do not outweigh the risks. | F | 59 | 1 years 30 mg 1X day | 7/20/2011 | 3 | Breast Cancer | F | 53 | 2.5 1X day | 7/12/2011 Patient History | 5 | stage 3 breast cancer | have had zero side effects. | F | 63 | 3 years 30 mg 1X day | 7/10/2011 | 3 | Stage 1 Breast Cancer HER+ | Fatigue, brain fog (terrible time with names), aches and pains that seem to travel around my body, rash on legs and very dry skin | I recently completed 14 Herceptin treatments, so I haven't been too sure of what side effects were from Femara and which from Herceptin. My advice to others is to take Femara in the evening, nap when you can and keep reaching out to others who are on this drug. On days when I feel twice my age I look at this website and know that I am not just imagining the pain and fatigue. (I took Tamoxifen for 5 years for a "suspicious" breast biopsy and Evista for 4 years before being diagnosed with BC last year. The side affects from those seemed milder.) | F | 59 | 1.3 years 2.5 1X day | 7/7/2011 | 1 | breast cancer oral chemo | Extremely tired. Nodding off to sleep while driving. had to take naps. No energy. Didn't realize how bad it was until i had been back on TAmox for about 45 days and got my energy levels back | F | 55 | 45 days 20 I think 1X day | 7/7/2011 |