EVISTA Reviews (RALOXIFENE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 1.9 (377 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare EVISTA with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
|
Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on EVISTA: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR EVISTA | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | as a preventative for breast cancer | I've been taking Evista for four years without any side effects. I still have slight hot flashes but I had them before Evista, too. And seeing as I don't have breast cancer(knock on wood)I guess it's working wonderfully! | F | 55 | 4 years | 3/16/2007 | 5 | osteopenia | For the first 3 years I had no side effects. The last two years have been a different story. I have had hot flashes constantly and toe cramps. I stopped taking the Evista for a month and the hot flashes did subside but not disappear. My doctor has prescribed Vivelle dot for the hot flashes and osteopenia. | I actually participated in the clinical trial of the medicine in a 2 1/4 year blind study. I asked my doctor to put me on Evista after the trials were over and a year later I found out that I had been receiving the Evista during the study. My bone density has remained constant over the last five years. I had tried Fosamax and it was a horrible experience. I stopped after two doses and went back to Evista. If it wasn't for the hot flashes I would still be on Evista. | F | 55 | 5 years | 3/3/2007 | 2 | Osteopenia | I had constant pain in my arms, hips, and spine when I took Evista. I took myself off it and the pain totally disappeared. | I was very concerned when I read that a side effect of Evista is increased risk of blood clots and that my doctor had not told me so. Due to Atrial Fibrillation, I'm already at high risk for blood clots. The last thing I need is to increase the risk more. | F | 59 | 6 months | 2/11/2007 | 1 | osteopenia | Hot flashes, hip pain, my head felt fuzzy, couldn't think clearly, difficulty with my memory, felt dizzy, and lots of stomach acid. | I tried both Actonel and Fosamax and they both caused extreme digestive problems so my doctor had me try Evista. The first few days I only experienced hot flashes but as the weeks went by I had digestive problems, too. The most disturbing of all was just recently, I've been experiencing memory problems, trouble concentrating, and dizziness. After reading the posts on this site, needless to say, I threw the bottle away. My Doctor had me taking Lipitor a year ago, too, and I stopped taking that. I found a natural product that really works and will look for one for this problem, too. | F | 54 | 3 weeks | 2/6/2007 | 1 | osteoporosis | On day three, bad heartburn or esophagal spasm, plus dizziness. | This is only the 3rd day so am withholding judgment... but if these symptoms continue tomorrow I'm going to stop taking it. There isn't anything else that could be causing these symptoms, that I know of. (Also have fibromyalgia, so it's sometimes hard to know what's going on -- what's causing what!) | F | 60 | 3 days | 2/5/2007 | 1 | osteopenia, high cholesterol | Increased frequency and severity of migraines and hot flashes. Also developed leg and foot cramps. I lasted 6 months before going off. Also experienced some hair loss when I stopped (I stopped abruptly - did not wean off). | I am about to try a weighted vest for the osteopenia and have worked hard to reduce my cholesterol with diet and exercise. I want to do everything I can to avoid having to take these drugs. | F | 55 | 6 months | 1/19/2007 | 1 | to increase bone density | Severe leg pain, cramps in legs and feet, tingling in feet and lower legs, pins and needles sensation in legs | I was on ABVD for Hodgkins Disease,and am wondering if I have a low tolerance for this medication due to the chemotherapy I underwent. Any thoughts on this? | F | 58 | 5 days | 1/7/2007 | 3 | osteoporosis | extreme heartburn after taking for 6 months, night sweats (nightly)& occasional hot flashes during the day | I haven't had a follow up dexa scan as it has only been 6 months, so I don't know if it has improved my bone density. (The studies I read said it generally takes 2 years.) The heartburn has just developed in the last 2 weeks and is something I have NEVER had. I constantly need to belch to relieve the pain in my chest. I missed a dose due to waking up late one day and realized that night that I was no longer burning & belching. I plan to call my doctor next week, but will stop taking Evista until then to see if this symptom goes away. | F | 53 | 6 months | 12/29/2006 | 3 | leg cramps especially at night, pains on veins especially on fingers and feet, sometimes I have abdominal/uterus/cervix pain, minimal leg swelling. You may email me. | Can't say if bone density increased after taking Evista because health insurance wont cover for bone scan and osteoporosis meds in my country. After 2 months, pelvic bone pain has decreased. It's a costly drug so I can't maintain it. When I have the money, I take it every other day but take calcium with Vit.D daily. | F | 44 | 2 months | 12/23/2006 | 4 | osteoporosis plus high cholesterol | None | This is a good drug for most ... two doctors have said it helps with high cholesterol. Mine had risen to 265 (even tho I watched my diet and weigh 109, 5' 5") after stopping Evista due to taking Actonel.. but after going back on Evista, my cholesterol dropped to 198 in 45 days..... I am staying on it.. a safer drug, I think, than Actonel.. Has anyone else seen a drop in their cholesterol after using Evista? | F | 68 | 45 days | 12/21/2006 | 3 | Osteopenia | After being on the drug for a year, I started having heartburn (actually more like a lump in my throat). Quite by accident, while on vacation, I ran out of Evista. The heartburn symptoms went away almost immediately. I have not experienced any other side effect. This one is not mentioned in literature. Any thoughts or suggestions? | F | 57 | 15 months | 12/15/2006 | 4 | osteopenia | A few minor hot flashes. | I have LOST weight since I started taking Evista. No bothersome side effects. I hope you folks with severe leg pain went to the doctor since that is what the medication's warnings say to do. My Mom had severe osteoporosis and it is worth some risk of medication side effects to prevent that. She lost 4 inches in height and broke vertebrae by sneezing. | F | 50 | 1 months | 12/2/2006 | 1 | Did not take this drug | My mother did not take Evista. My mother took Actonel and experienced life altering side effects, she had osteoporosis and her local GP recommended this drug to increase her bone density. She did not mention any side effects to her. She developed shooting pain down her hip, back and neck and she was bent over double, she suffered from exhaustion and could only get relief from pain by sitting down. This resulted in a normally active and alert 83 year old woman becoming almost bed ridden. She took Actonel for 3 months. After stopping the drug it took over 6 months for the toxins to finally leave her body. I found the ask a patient web site when looking up side effects for Actonel. I could not believe that there were so many women suffering like my mother with the same symptoms. I was appalled and she stopped the drug that day. Thanks to this web site for alerting me to this enormous problem. | I live in Sydney, Australia and was listening to the radio when the announcer started to call for volunteers to attend a major sydney hospital for a drug trial. You had to have been diagnosed with osteoporosis and be between 50 and 70 years of age. My ears pricked up and I wondered if the drug was Actonel. I actually phoned the hospital and found out the drug they are testing is Evista or Raloxifene. I immediately went to the askapatient web site to see whether there were any side effects. I am again gobsmacked by what everyone has written. This drug is destroying lives, the side effects are horrible. This drug sounds like a poison. I feel sorry for the volunteers/guinea pigs in Sydney. I wonder if the doctors conducting the trial will tell them about the side effects? I hope more people read this website which I find most eye opening. I would never take any drug without research now. Where better to learn about a drug than from the very people taking it? I would like to thank the o | F | 50 | 0 days | 11/30/2006 | 1 | Prevention of BC Recurrence | SVT's, Disorientation, loss of brain power, terrible leg cramps, unusually high blood pressure | 15 days after starting Evista, the following events began changing my life: Blood pressure would just jump to 185/95 with no exertion, spontaneous rapid heart beat while sitting, total loss of analytical thinking - felt like I had dementia, would get lost walking home, leg cramps would wake me several times a night. Basically, I aged 20 years and felt like my mother who is 93. Other than breast cancer in 2004, I have never been this ill. I had MRI's, EEG, brain scans, heart scans, ended up in the ER. All test results negative for tumor or cancer recurrence. Neurologist can find nothing irregular with my brain. I stopped Evista after 24 days, which was 9/24 and I slowly gained all of the ground I lost mentally. The leg cramps stopped immediately, SVT's of the heart also stopped. It took almost a month for all of my brain cells to start working again. I really thought I was headed for a nursing home or death. None of these symptoms show on info from drug company, but I know ho | F | 63 | 24 days | 10/25/2006 | 3 | osteopenia | none | F | 71 | 1 days | 10/7/2006 | 1 | osteosporosis | Legs felt a few cramps especially at night at the beginning. After about 2 months I am having severe cramps in both legs especially when I elevate my legs in the evening. I have Charlie Horses and my legs and toes tense so much I can only get it to go away if I walk around. I'm done with Evista. | F | 58 | 2 months | 9/22/2006 | 3 | bone strength, breast cancer preven | Went on PremPro at menopause and had tremendous swelling. Because of family history of breast cancer & desire to prevent bone loss, my doctor switched me to Evista, a "designer estrogen" he had been hearing good things about. I tend to be suspicious about meds and find I'm pretty sensitive to all medications, so I have been taking half doses, cutting tablets for about five years. (My family physician doesn't approve, says the test research is for one strength only and thinks E. is only available in one strength.) Ihought it was doing a pretty good job with few side effects (perhaps because of the lower dose?), as I have outlived my mother and grandmother by seven years. Not so sure about bone density -- my dentist says it appears to be good and I have signed up for a density scan. However, my prescription lapsed for a month that coincided with keeping a journal of my calories and exercise and trying to get my weight under control. The excess weight was coming off at a | Though swelling and weight gain were not as dramatic and uncomfortable as with regular estrogen/progesterone product, I have steadily gained weight while on and have had an increase in joint problems and some reflux as well. I had just assumed that these were just due to being postmenopausal and aging and a more sedentary job (and to weight gain in the case of the acid reflux) --but maybe not. One interesting observation: while not taking Evista and restricting calories/ increasing exercise, my skin seemed to be sagging a bit and aging. Now that I have resumed my half dose the lines and wrinkles have faded somewhat. So I can't seem to lose weight, but my skin is looking better!??? I will continue for now but be talking to my doctor about other ways to preserve bone strength and prevent breast cancer -- and continuing to keep a journal and watch my weight. I have lost about 8 of the 40 pounds I have gained since my last child, and I if I find I absolutely can't lose weight while | F | 55 | 5 years | 9/4/2006 | 1 | osteoporosis | I had hot flashes, insomnia, bloating, difficulty controlling weight, swelling of ankles and calves, enventually aching attributed to "old age" and finally sharp pain in my arm, elbow and shoulder. At this point I tried stopping evista three different times in which I gained relief, but the pain always returned within three days whenever I tried to resume the daily dosage. Will not try again. | I did gain some bone mass in my back and one hip, but don't see an advantage to taking a medication that negatively effects one's health or quality of life now, in order to prevent further bone loss in the future. | F | 66 | 2 years | 8/30/2006 | 2 | doctor insisted???no family history | Not until I researched side effects did I realize that the leg cramps that I have experienced for several years and weight gain may be linked to the Evista. Not sure why I was even prescribed this since no family history of breast cancer or osteoporosis but plenty of history of hypertension. I stopped taking Evista 5 days ago and feel better already and my BP dropped from 165/104 to 135/85. I lost 2 pounds the first day in pure water. Was not aware of any side effects but are aware of them now. | F | 62 | 7 years | 7/20/2006 | 3 | jitters & other menopausal symptoms | Extremely tired, fainting, sleeping much more than usual, very slow (35-50 beat per min) heart rate. A 10-min walk exhausts me(before taking this med I was very active). Feet and legs ache constantly. Nausea and vomiting at times. | On the positive side, the jitters (emotional swings, crying jags) did indeed go away and I feel very good emotionally. I shall try another type of hormone replacement regimen to see if I can get rid of the jitters without bothersome side effects. | F | 51 | 4 months | 7/13/2006 |