Reviews for FEMARA21 ratings: (side effects include neuropathy)Edit Filter | Clear FilterCompare 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 |
More on FEMARA: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR FEMARA | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | Stage 3 breast cancer | Joint stiffness, very sore muscles and burning sensation in legs when sitting. Also back pain while sitting. Neuropathy in fingers and feet , controlled with alpha lipoic acid ( very helpful ). Not sure if neuropathy is from chemo though. I do exercise 4 or 5 days a week and eat tons of vegetables. I try to eat as healthy as possible. | F | 56 | 8 months 2.5 mg 1X day | 6/19/2023 | 3 | Stage 2 breast cancer | Fatigue, joint and muscle pain, muscle stiffness, bone loss, insomnia, weight gain and now have been diagnosed with diabetes and high cholesterol. neuropathy in hands and feet that is worsening, brain fog, it can be hard to pull up nouns, mood swings. I have difficulty walking any distance because of pain and rapid heart rate with difficulty breathing. I have to ask my 82 year old mother to slow down because I can't keep up with her. I used to be very active before cancer dx, walking 2 to 3 miles each day and working out. Now can only ride a stationary bike 15 to 20 minutes a day.. Because of allergic reaction to chemo, I was not able to finish the treatment. I am grateful that nothing has come back, but must admit this medicine is quite difficult to endure. 5 more years and boy am I counting! Any suggestions for handling the side effects? | I am grateful that it is available but can't help but think there should be effort made to develop something with less side effects. | F | 57 | 5 years 1X day | 5/16/2021 | 5 | Stage 3b breast cancer | Night sweats, insomnia, severe periphal neuropathy in feet, hands and legs. Weight gain and mood swings with mild depression. Muscle and joint pain on left side of neck. | Was on Tamoxifin for 4 yrs n 2 months, then Oncologist switched me to Femara. Been on Femara for almost 3 yrs now n yes side effects suck, but I have n will deal with them. Seen a Neurologist n on Gabapentin for my Neuropathy. Works beautifully n told my Neurologist, thank you so much n of course not stopping my chemo pill everyday because I have been cancer free 7 yrs mow. Femara worse than Tamoxifin side effects. Had some side effects with Tamoxifin, but again both meds kept me cancer free 7 yrs and I had stage 3b breast cancer, TWICE!!!! 50 chemo treatments, 35 radiation treatments and 2 surgeries....thank you and God bless | F | 54 | 0 years 2.5 mg 1X day | 3/25/2021 | 1 | Breast Cancer | Made me feel so bad I thought I was dying. Went to ER, onco took me off...Neuropathy set in on my legs, feet & hands. I have been off of it for 4months and still having problems with legs, feet & hands hurting, tingling & swelling. I would not recommend it. | I feel by taking this drug only for 11 days I will never be the same again. Fatigue, pain in my feet, legs & hands are extremely bad if I stand for any length of time. It takes me days to recoup. | F | 57 | 11 days 1 1X day | 4/2/2019 | 3 | Breast cancer HER + | 40# weight gain. Headaches. Bone & joint pain. Hair loss. Neuropathy in hands & feet. hot flashes constantly. | After 3 yrs 7 months the effects have not improved.. I have til March 2017 to deal with these effects.. Can't wait to be finished! | F | 66 | 3 years 2.5 mg | 6/25/2015 | 1 | Stage 2B breast cancer | Severe joint pain especially in my legs. I have developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand, neuropathy started after I ended chemo and started taking Femara. Foot pain is worsening daily. | M | 56 | 1 years 2.5 1X day | 9/19/2013 | 1 | Post op BSO.Past history breast Ca | I am reposting having been off this drug for 5 months now. Whilst on it my joints and muscles ached immensely, some days I struggled to walk, get out of the car and walk up stairs. I have been left with excrutiatingly painful feet and heels which has now been Dx by a pain specialist as idiopathic peripheral neuropathy. | I have not been able to become pain free following the side effect pains brought on by this horrid poison. | F | 49 | 2 months 1X day | 2/15/2013 | 1 | breast cancer | Pain in joints and muscles, severe osteoporosis, loss of hair, extreme fatigue, brain fog, neuropathy, Raynaud's disease, weight gain | Look at the chemistry Femara is made with!! I feel like a guinea pig for the pharmacuetical companies. There is no justification for the price of this drug. I have quit takeing it and looking forward to being pain free and have some energy to have some kind of a normal life. My radiation oncologist told me if you have breast cancer go to France or Italy as they have a success rate with drugs they have there that FDA will not approve here! | F | 68 | 4 years 2.5 MG 1X day | 3/25/2011 | 1 | stage ii breast cancer | terrible joint pain, hair loss (my eyelashes and eyebrows literally fell out), frequent nausea, vaginal dryness and tearing (any kind of sexual activity is out of the question due to pain), no libido, difficulty concentrating, confusion, neuropathy in hands, feet, and legs which has caused loss of balance and falling, constipation, and complete unrelenting exhaustion. | there has to be a better way. | F | 62 | 2 days 2 mg 1X day | 3/11/2011 | 1 | Breast cancer after 5 yrs Tamoxifen | Peripheral neuropathy started after 6 weeks. I had this during chemo with taxatere. Then I could accept it was temporary and would go away and it did just about. I have stopped taking the Femara and am contacting my oncologist as I cannot cope with barely being able to walk and my hands starting to lose function.All sorts of other aches and pains, but I was putting these down to sudden weight loss from coming off the Tamoxifen and sciatica. | F | 51 | 6 weeks 2.5 1X day | 3/9/2011 | 4 | Stage IIIC Breast CA | Bone and joint paint, muscle pain and spasms, muscles sore to touch, peripheral neuropathy, difficulty getting up after sitting, or going up/down stairs. Fatigue. Word loss, feeling vague. | I had mild to moderate symptoms until about a year on Femara, but they do seem to be worsening. I dont care, it's tolerable with Advil or Ultram on the worst days. If it keeps the cancer away, I will take it and CRAWL to my childrens' graduations! | F | 43 | 18 months 2.5 1X day | 10/10/2010 | 5 | idc, left breast | headache, neuropathy in feet. neck & wrist, thumb joints hurt. Muscles ache. Ribs hurt if I twist. sweat a lot upon exertion. losing words while speaking. some swelling of extremities. horrible insomnia. | Taking Femara as a neoadjuvant treatment before surgery. MRI shows that all 3 tumors have significantly shrunk. Ki67 level is 2% according to the 6 week biopsy. I can tolerate the pains, the sleeplessness and the headache so that I can see my family grow. The good news is that it is killing my cancer. Hoping to get more killed before I have a mastectomy in 3 months. Hang in there ladies, this is better than the alternative. | F | 57 | 6 months 2.5 1X day | 4/26/2010 | 1 | Stage 0 Breast Cancer/DCIS | Hot flashes, memory loss, weight gain, joint and bone pain especially in hips and back, headaches, neuropathy in hands and feet. occasional dizziness, difficulty sleeping, tired all the time, dry cough, sore throat, depression (crying) and in the beginning nausea. | I began taking Femara in August of 2009. Almost immediately I felt flu-like symtpoms.Sore throat, headache, nausea, etc. After 2 weeks of this, I notified my oncologist whom said that it's possible that I have a virus or it could be the medicine. I asked if I could take a break from it as I was going on vacation. She agreed and within days I felt myself again. Restarted meds in Sept. 2009 and began to take it with breakfast instead of at bedtime. I had joint and bone pain and hot flashes. It was better than first time. Then had blood work done. My sugar is through the roof (now on meds for that!) as is my triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Now I have the pain, hot flashes, severe neuropathy, and all that I previously mentioned. Gets worse as time goes on! I feel like 100 yrs. old. | F | 52 | 4 months | 1/26/2010 | 2 | Breast CA Stage 2-A, HRC+ | Aching muscles and joints especially hips/hands/shoulders/forearms and upper back ,nonpitting edema of feet/ankles/hands, stiffness especially in mornings, neuropathy/partial numbness in hands (worsening of carpal tunnel),weakness in hands, increase in frequency & severity of hot flashes, lack of libido, weight gain | I had 2 surgeries, a wound infection, chemo, a blood clot (4 months of Coumadin) sepsis, and radiation. My oncologist did not want to try Tamoifen as it has a risk of blood clots. I have tried Arimidex, and Aromasin (the other 2 aromatase inhibitors) with the same side effects (plus leg weakness), which gradually increased with time. The hand numbness eventually became debilitating. I am an RN and cannot work with numb hands! I am trying Femara, but the same side effects have been developing over the last 2 weeks. Today I read that Femara can also have some risk of blood clots. Will try to tolerate the side effects for the 2 more weeks of med I have, but if my hands become constantly numb I will have to discontinue Femara too, and trust my future health to God (and a healthy lifestyle). Only long term use would really show if the drug is working to prevent recurrence of the cancer. | F | 54 | 12 days | 10/19/2009 | 1 | breast cancer | swelling, neuropathy, joint pain, fatigue, headaches | horrible! Does the benefit really out weigh 5 years of quality life? | F | 49 | 2 months | 9/9/2009 | 2 | Breast Cancer Treatment | Overwhelming fatigue, slept 12 hrs per night, still sleepy during the day and dizzy. Extreme addition pain to the neuropathy in my hands. I will try Tamoxofen and hope it's side effects are tolerable. | I tried the med once for about 3 weeks and then allowed it to clear my system before I tried it again. Same symptons within a week. My statement on satisfaction/dissatisfaction is based on the side effects of the drug....not it's cure qualities. I am unable to answer that. | F | 50 | 36 days | 7/11/2009 | 3 | Survived breast cancer stage 2 | bone pain: neuropathy - my bones especially my wrists hurt so much. i also have nueropathy and walking is painful. lately i have migraines, and hot burning eyes. i feel uncomfotable all the time. plus some nausea. i have been taking this for almost two years. also some cloudy thinking, i think it is affecting my memory or i am getting old - I am not sure which. | M | 58 | 2 days | 8/16/2008 | 1 | breast cancer | I had been on Tamoxofin for 5 years. I then took Evista for about 1 1/2 years when my doctor put me on Femara because it is more effective. I was fine in the beginning. After two years or so, I started having pain in my right hip and down my leg where it was uncomfortable to walk. I also developed neuropothy in both feet. I did not understand what the problem was. I went to multiple doctors, and no one could figure out what was going on. A year later I was in so much pain that I had trouble sleeping and could barely walk at all. Long story short, it was the Femara. I have been off of it for a year. After several months, I was not feeling that much better, so ended up going to an accupuncturist only becaus I was desperate! The next day my pain was gone which absolutely amazes me. I still have the neuropathy, but I can deal with that. I started last january having a monthly injection of Faslodex which so far has caused me no problems. I almost forgot to respond to this web | 3 1/2 years | F | 64 | 3 years | 7/17/2008 | 3 | recurrant breast cancer | Joint aches, hip pain, neuropathy, weight gain,heart palpitations, and did I say joint pain, I mean extreme joint pain. | I was on Tamoxifen for 5 yrs, went off and 2 mo. later had a chest wall recurrance, this time had chemo and radiation, and am now on Femara. Was told I would have to be on it for life. Which I hope is a long time. But could just cry sometimes with the pain and discomfort. Would appreciate any suggestions for the pain and wt gain. | 57 | 1 days | 4/11/2008 | 2 | 2001 mastectomy stage 1 BC | Joint pain, muscle pain, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, lack of libido, neuropathy in fingers. | I was diagnosed at age 44, and my youngest child was 2 at the time. My children now make comments that my 73 year old mother is faster getting up off the couch than I am. I feel like I'm 90 years old. The joint and muscle pain is awful. I cannot sit through a movie without having to get up and move my legs. Exercise helps but not enough to eliminate the pain and stiffness. I take medicine for the joint pain, medicine for the vaginal dryness, medicine to sleep. Tamoxifin may not be as effective but my quality of life was better. I have been cancer free for five years and I'm grateful but it certainly isn't easy. | F | 50 | 2.5 years | 11/25/2007 |
FEMARA (LETROZOLE): This medication is used to treat certain types of breast cancer (such as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer) in women after menopause. Letrozole is also used to help prevent the cancer from returning. Some breast cancers are made to grow faster by a natural hormone called estrogen. Letrozole decreases the amount of estrogen the body makes and helps to slow or reverse the growth of these breast cancers. FDA Approval Date: 1997-07-25 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)