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 Age from youngest to oldest (reviews with no age reported listed first). 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 |
| 2 | IIA, N-neg ER/PR+/HER-2+ breast ca | Joint pain - shoulders, arms, wrists,fingers,knees and hips. Muscle weakness. Occasional hot flashes. Low libido. | Arimidex was prescribed after chemotherapy and Herceptin treatment. The side effects of Arimidex became intolerable (muscle weakness and pain, joint pain, hot flashes, low libido, low energy). I told the doctor I would not take Arimidex because my quality of life was so threatened. She discontinued Arimidex for 10 days. Within 3 days, all pain went away and I started feeling human again. Then started Femara. I have been on Femara since October 2007. At first everything was fine, but then I started experiencing similar side effects. On Arimidex, muscle weakness and pain was in my legs and pelvis. On Femara, most of weakness and pain is in my upper body - shoulders excruciating, carpel-tunnel like pain in arms, thumbs, fingers. This pain is especially severe at night. I am beginning to have leg and knee pain, as well. I will be seeing oncologist in April and will discuss discontinuing Femara. I am almost 2 years since diagnosis, s/p bilateral mastectomy, Adriamycin, Cytoxin an | F | 56 | 6 months | 3/30/2008 | 2 | Stage I Breast Cancer | severe insomnia Hot flashes Tiredness | Please find an alternative. I don't know how Long I can do this | F | 56 | 5 months 30 mg | 12/4/2016 | 2 | Stage 0 - ER | Severe heel and foot pain - do feel like 90 - also hip pain, no libido, very dry. Joints ache - can't do yoga because I can't support my weight on my wrists. | Had no side effects with tamoxifen - in fact I never have a side effect with anything - except this. I can't walk without shoes - and look 100. I have walked 5-7 miles a day for the past 27 years - and can't anymore. I have to say it did make me feel better to see that I'm not alone. For the expense and the side effects, is this really a better option? I was lucky (?) - I had stage 0, but opted for a mastectomy - and required no other treatment except tamoxifen - and then femara - because it was to have fewer side effects.. I'm also lucky that I have health insurance that makes this affordable for me. The cost is outrageous. I thought maybe I was just getting old- btw - since this is October, everything is pink, and it's breast cancer awareness month - shouldn't we have a cure? And shouldn't the meds be free -- or reasonable? Just asking. Bless all of us who endure the indeceny of this disease. | F | 56 | 5 months | 10/11/2009 | 2 | ductal and lobe- triple positive | severe joint pain, hands, shoulders, knees, hips and feet. Hot flashes, memory foggy, headaches, dizziness. Doctor finally has taken me off of the drug. I am off of it for one week and will not take the new one till I know this one is out of my system. Does anyone know how long it takes to get out of you body? | F | 56 | 5 months 25mg 1X day | 4/27/2010 | 2 | breast cancer | My major complaint is joint pain, especially in my hands. Thumbs began to get nodes on them. Went to orthopaedic doctor who said I have arthritis. No family members ever had it. On occasion, have awoken to find that my hands are clenched. I also have flushing on my face that comes and goes. What is troubling now is that my cardiologist told me that I have thickening of my heart wall. During the last month I have had pounding sound ( heart beat sound) in both ears. HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED CHANGES TO THE HEART OR POUNDING IN EARS? | I decided to take a week off from femara to see if the ear problem stops. I am struggling to weigh whether the benefits outweigh the known risks and more importantly the unknown risks. | F | 56 | 9 months 30 mg 1X day | 2/10/2010 | 2 | stage 2 BC | Started taking after having bilateral mastectomy and chemo. Within weeks started having foot and hand pain. My oncologist related it to previous arthritis. After 8 months, could hardly get out of bed in the am, hand pain, hip and back pain. Memory issues and hair falling out. Vaginal dryness was also a big problem. Like many of you - I was too afraid to stop as the consequences were more frightening than the side effects. Then I started having pounding in my chest and shortness of breath, terrible memory problems. My quality of life sucked and I felt old and tired. | I quit taking the medication after 18 months. My chances of recurrence are low due to the double mastectomy (they were preventative) I have been off the medication now 10 months. Emotional, mental and physical health are back to normal. Still some loss with word memory and I'm sorry to say, my hair loss - while at a slower rate has continued. I feel happier and healthier now than in a long time. Hopefully, no further problems but will deal with them if I need to. I'd rather have a good life even if it is shorter than a longer one and be miserable | F | 56 | 18 months 2.5 1X day | 7/31/2010 | 2 | To prevent cancer recurrence | Joint pain, soreness in hands and feet, sore hips, depression, anxiety, lack of sense of well being. Night sweats, hot flashes, some head aches. | It has helped me to read this board, the description of my fellow sister sufferers has made me feel like I wasn't the only one, and that I wasn't just being a wimp. I have been taking hydrocodone to deal with the pain I am having from the expansion process, so I have been masking the pain with that, I think the depression and anxiety and mental and emotional distress has bothered me more than anything! I hate taking pills of any kind, but I think I will have to ask for an anti-depressant to help me through this--my cancer was grade 3 and I am stage 3b so I don't dare not take it--HELP!!!! | F | 56 | 90 days 2.5 1X day | 1/17/2011 | 2 | breast cancer | dizziness, muscle burning and aching, joint pain, thin hair, extreme vaginal dryness and bleeding, high cholesterol, high BP, nervousness, heart palpitations, uti, muscle and tendon cramping, depression | Femara has made me feel like I'm 90 years old, but apparently the statistics show that it increases your odds of the bc not returning. I want to keep living, so I feel I need to keep taking the pill. | F | 56 | 5 years 2.5 1X day | 12/13/2010 | 2 | stage 2 ductal breast cancer | Hot flushes that are more like nuclear burns; insomnia; weight loss; ankle and knee stiffness; difficulty walking after waking up; mental fog - difficulty concentrating; memory issues; thirst - drink lots of cold water in a day; vaginal dryness that Replens only partially alleviates; fatigue; general disinterest in life | It may be that I need this drug to prevent cancer, but after 2 years it is becoming a struggle to cope with the effects. I work full time and have to THINK, but it is so hard. I'd love to exercise more but at the end of a day I'm exhausted! I bought a treadmill and haven't used it for 6 months due to increasing tiredness at the end of each day. NOTE: Bone density scans show a big slide in my bone health. | F | 56 | 2.3 years 2.5 MG 1X day | 3/31/2011 | 2 | Hormone receptive breast cancer | stiffness in hands, legs and back- especially upon waking or after standing for long periods of time; beginning hair loss; affected state of mind... uncharacteristically angry, depressed, intolerant, impatient, difficulty coping with stress; High pressure job- not functioning normally; weight gain in mid-section. Have high bp and feel like it's up all the time from the mood issues; loss of interest in sex; unusually tired almost all the time. Went off the drug 3 days ago in agreement with oncologist. Starting to feel like myself again. Will see nutritionist and start exercise program now that I'm beginning to feel better. Hope it was the right decision. Surely don't want to develop another cancer. Difficult trade-off. | Need more research so the cure isn't worse than the disease. | F | 56 | 7 months | 12/1/2006 | 2 | Recurrance BC stage 2 est. + 2nodes | I was on Tamoxifen after a partial mastectomy and node resection (first diagnosis)After a recurrance 2 yrs. later I had a mastectomy and was switched to Femarra. I am experiencing joint pain, esp hips knees and ankles as well as pain down my spine. I look like my much older arthritic mom when I get out of a chair I am also very tired but not sleeping particularly well (don't know if that's related. I learned that if I drank wine, I was really ill the next day. | I mourn the loss of the active life I had prior to taking this drug. I force myself to swim three times a week and walk daily. I am currently taking a gentle yoga class and see a physio. I can't imagine returning to distance running, I feel so brittle. I am however going to try dragon boat paddling with Abreast in a Boat, as much for the camaraderie of those "who get it" I was saddened to read so many of us are having these effects. I guess I hoped it was in my mind and I could just work through it. I will stay on it, because the recurrance was such a shock and I don't want to risk that again. I already eat a low fat diet and had been active so my lifestyle was not an issue. I too take fish oil and other supplements. | F | 56 | 4 days | 12/2/2007 | 1 | stage 2 breast cancer -estrogen pos | after 2 months I went from jogging 3 miles a day to not being able to get out of bed or tie my shoes..back pain, stiffness and horrible bilateral thumb pain immediately | I stopped Femara 1 month ago and took a week of cortisone tablets. Slowly I'm returning to my normal self..however the thumb pain continues..how did this drug get approved by the FDA with all these complaints. I consider the quality of my life more important than the quantity. | F | 56 | 2 days | 9/4/2007 | 1 | breast cancer stage 2 | Extreme joint pain feet and hands, stiff, extremely tired, mild depression. Numbness in feet and body aches. Weight gain accompanied by elevated liver enzymes. Sonogram of liver revealed fatty deposits in the liver. Losing weight was next to impossible.Development of ostopenia. | Took tamoxifen for 5 years with uncomfortable but tolerable side effects. Within 1 month of starting femara extreme side effects began to occur. Could not sleep because of aching bones and muscles. Wrists would not function and knee pain was extreme. Neuropathy in feet was very uncomfortable. Gained 25 pounds and liver enzymes were elevated. Increased cholestrol and blood pressure was borderline. Stopped femara after 1 1/2 terrible years. Within 2 weeks symptoms were better. Able to lose weight (30 lbs) and liver enzymes have returned to normal. Blood pressure has returned to normal. Day to day living is much better but I still have that lingering thought,did I make the right decision by stopping? | F | 56 | 1.5 years | 9/22/2007 | 1 | Post-surgery stage 2 Breast Cancer | Apalling stifness on waking. Pain in night severe enough to wake me. Back, hip ankles, fingers and knees. I am 57 and feel 100. Have to crawl in the mornings and slide down the stairs on my bottom. Health professionals give me scare stories about stopping but it may be that I have a happier/more comfortable if shorter life | F | 56 | 2 years 2.5 1X day | 5/20/2011 | 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 | prevention of recurrance | Severe muscle weakness in legs with pain. Anxiety attacks. Could not function normally. | F | 56 | 3 weeks 2.5 | 1/2/2012 | 1 | stage 2 breast cancer | Excruciating joint pain in feet, ankles, knees, shoulders, wrists, and fingers. It hurts to stand on my feet when I get out of bed in the morning. I have to walk down the stairs sideways, one step at a time. I feel like I am 90 yrs. old. Previously, very active. Lost my eyelashes. | I originally took Arimidex, but my oncologist said it was not working and he switched me to Femara because he said it was a stronger drug. I will be meeting with my oncologist to make him aware of the severe side effects I am having and have a discussion about my options and pros and cons of another AI. I will also educate my Rheumatologist and Internist that severe joint pain with Femara is not unusual, as they believe. This site is extremely helpful!!!! | F | 56 | 2 months 2.5mg 1X day | 8/21/2010 | 1 | Breast Cancer | Knee, ankle, foot, elbow, joint pain. Fingers swelling, Fatigue, vaginal dryness, broken hand, increased cholesteral, UTI. all related to Femara side effects | The side effects are overwhelming for me. I stopped the drug. | F | 56 | 6 months 2.5mg 1X day | 8/6/2010 | 1 | cancer | Never had any aches or pains before taking Femara, changed almost immediately after starting the drug. I stopped taking them after 3 months, I was feeling like a cripple. | F | 56 | 3 months 2.5mg 1X day | 10/23/2010 | 1 | after chemo for protection | After my last chemo I started to feel myself again. I really felt great. Then I took Femara for 5 weeks and started getting severe joint pain, hot flashes, insomnia etc. That was 6 months ago and still feel terrible. | To make matters worse, I was missed diagnoised and have Triple Negative BC so Femara should have never been given to me. When will the aches and pains stop. | F | 56 | 5 weeks 30 mg 1X day | 4/12/2010 |