FEMARA Reviews (LETROZOLE)Average Rating: 2.5 (1087 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare FEMARA with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
|
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 |
| 1 | stage 2 breast cancer | at first I could hardly walk, feet hurt so bad. Very stiff upon wakening or sitting too long. Depression, loss of libido sever mood swings. I have to lay down in the car when we drive long distance. after 6 years I stopped taking it and had to file for disability. This drug has destroyed my bones and joints. have to take pain pills to make it through the day now. why are the doctors not telling us about the long term side effects? | 36 when started the drug. 42 now. stopped the drug on my own in July. I walk and move like I'm 90. Have to take pain pills to make it through the day. this drug has destroyed my bones and joints!!! I cant participate in a lot of family activities cuz I hurt too bad. I am taking my chances. would have wound up in a wheel chair if I continued taking it. This drug was destroying my marriage and my life!!!!! | F | 42 | 6 years | 11/23/2009 | 3 | breast cancer | joint pain - knees mostly. Feet sore until up and moving. Emotions seem to run amok at times. Oh and the hot flashes. Definately someones idea of a sick joke. | Wow! Came across this site and never realized. I'm only a few months into Femara and yes I wonder if the pain is worth it. Lots of good advice from everyone. Thank you. I know that we all must be strong to get thru this. 5 years of this huh? :( | F | 49 | 6 months | 11/22/2009 | 2 | Stage 1, Grade 3 Invasive Ductal Ca | Severe bone and joint pain 24/7 throughout my body. It was like I had injured myself. My right shoulder has limited range of motion and I have trigger finger. A rise in my blood pressure possibly due to the pain and some depression setting in. Cannot sleep due to the pain. Fatigue due to not sleeping. | After taking Femara for 6 months, I decided that my quality of life was so poor that I am going to have to take my chances with a reocurrence. I have had surgery, chemo and radiation. That was the easy part compared to how Femara made me feel. I started on Arimidex first and because of the pain switched to Femara. I may try Aromacin next, but I need a break. I have been off Femara for a week now and am feeling so much better. I forgot how great it feels to feel good! I wish all of you good luck with your decisions. Remember, you are not alone. | F | 50 | 6 months | 11/13/2009 | 3 | breast cancer | I have 2 operations for lump removals from right breast. joint pain is severe, feet /knees /hip /fingers. Could hardly turn over in bed. Struggle in the mornings to walk but gets better each step.Knees sometimes swell Stairs are a problem at times. Tiredness/fatigue huge issue & also forgetful. Hot flushes/nausea/breast pain at times. keep the body moving - I have taken up water aerobics for fitness which does not affect the joints. I also have an ion cleanse detox & reflexology weekly which has me helped enormously. A soft bed has assisted & an understanding family & network of friends. | I have given Femara a 3 time will reveal all. - If next tests are all clear & bone density ok then my rating will have to go up. We all have good & bad days, make the most of the good ones. | F | 56 | 11 months | 11/12/2009 | 2 | Breast Cancer Stage 2 | Hot flushes, joint pain, numbness in fingers,lower back pain, unable to stand first thing because of pains in backs of legs. Forgetfulness, dry eyes, loss of libido, depression. | So glad to have found this site. I have two cousins who have MS and was convinced that my symptoms were due to the onset of this. I was just about to use Word to make a list of symptoms to show to my GP when I found this site. What a relief! - although I am not sure I can stay feeling like this for another 4.5 years. I am 61 and feel 90. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for these awful symptoms to go away if I stopped taking Femara. | F | 61 | 8 months | 11/11/2009 | 3 | 2000 lumpectomy | 1st 5 yrs post op + tamoxofin; now 3 1/2 yrs w/femara. Didn't put 2+2 together. Have very painful feet & shins, lots of bone, joint & tendon pain in whole body. Vaginal dryness resulting in bleeding; dry eye, insomnia and severe diahhrea. | Associated all aches and pains with aging process. Seen 2 geriatric gyns, 2 othomologists re: pain/eye dryness. Been fighting diahhrea, evaluated for colonitis, worms, every possible gastro problem, considered gallbladder removal, stomach ulcers, ankle and leg tendinitis. Have been diagnosed with severe decreasing bone density problems - happening over 2 yrs (was okay before Femara). And now I find that I'm on an average with other Femara patients. Go figure. Just have 1 1/2 yrs to go but leg and foot pain is increasing. As suggested by others, will start taking drug with food, will start taking muscle/ligament strengthening supplments and hope to tough this out. Thanks for all the info from others; I was beginning to think I was aging pretty rapidly and would feel this bad until the end. | F | 69 | 3 years | 11/10/2009 | 2 | breast cancer | severe muscle pain, lower back pain , insomnia,weight gain,severe dry eye,headaches. | F | 62 | 2 years | 11/1/2009 | 3 | Breast Cancer/HER2 w/ hormone recep | Hot flashes, joint stiffness and lower back pain. | I've been on Femara for 2 years. Neurontin (generic, Gabapentin)alleviated the hot flashes. Mobic (generic, Meloxicam) really helped the joint stiffness and lower back pain. | F | 54 | 2 days | 10/28/2009 | 2 | Breast Cancer Stage 1 | I hurt in all joints. numbness in hands. not sleeping | I have been on Femara since Aug 09. In September I started hurting all over. My hands would go numb in the middle of the night. I am now on a 2 wk break to see if Femara is the cause of this. I am not sure if I will go back on this. I had a lumpectomy in Oct 08 then chemo & radiation. No node activity. My cancer was agressive so that is why I went though all of this to cut down on my recurrence. I won't live in pain everyday. I know 90 yr olds that move better than I do. Durning my this last year I lost my sister to a blood clot and my mother to heart problems. Life is to short to be in pain very day. | F | 46 | 3 months | 10/27/2009 | 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 | 3 | Metastatic Breast Cancer (Bone only | bone pain, joint pain, myalgias, severe fatigue, severe incredibly numerous hot flashes, crazy huge amounts of sweating, difficulty breathing upon exertion, insomnia, | Impossible to really rate it! Femara has saved my life (in remission with stage IV breast cancer for four years and counting on Femara after Avastin/Taxol Chemo and radiation). At the same time it has made my life miserable, that is, if it is truly the cause of all of these problems. Most are simply the inevitable result of menopause, but I do attribute the severity of the problems to the use of Femara (along with Zometa). Unbelievably none of my doctors seem to understand how bad and life limiting the side effects are, and give me little support in that regard. Quite frankly they don't even seem to realize that Femara is the cause of many of these symptoms, which is clear to me even more now that I read all your posts! Mostly the docs make me feel like a hypochondriac for complaining. Hooked on methadone for pain now, no matter how hard I try to do without...Bottom line, I'm still here....but not enjoying much of the time I have left! I would love to take a Femara vacation, but at what cost? Please share any of your thoughts on methods to alleviate side effects. Good luck to us all! | F | 43 | 4 years | 10/13/2009 | 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 | 4 | Breast cancer, stage 1 | Joint pain, especially hands, feet, and lower back. On recommendation of oncologist, I saw a rheumatologist, who prescribed Mobic (generic version). It has helped a great deal - after the first day, my feet did not hurt nearly as much. I used to shuffle like Tim Conway's little old man when I first got up. Still have the back pain when getting up from sitting. I had mild arthritis in my thumb joints, but the other joint pain is an aggravation of the arthritis. My onc has agreed I can go on a "vacation" from the drug next week, as I am going on a two week vacation. I am curious to know if my symptoms will alleviate during the three weeks I will be off. The Mobic has made my life a lot more bearable. | F | 62 | 11 months | 10/6/2009 | 2 | breast cancer | PAIN ALL OVER FELT LIKE I WAS RUN OVER BY A SEMI MY FEET WERE IN SO MUCH PAIN, WHEN I FIRST GOT UP IN THE MORNING OR ANYTIME I SAT DOWN FOR A FEW MIN. MY VISION IS WORSE COULD NOT SLEEP WITHOUT WAKING UP DO TO THE PAIN. | I HAD CALLED TO MAKE APPOINTMENT WITH DR. TO STOP TAKING FERMARA COULD NOT GET IN FOR TWO WEEKS IN THAT TIME I STARTED USING A HOT TUB I CANCELED MY APPOINTMENT I DO NOT KNOW IF IT'S THE HOT TUB OR NOT BUT I AM A WHOLE LOT BETTER THEN I WAS MY FEET STILL HURT BUT NOT AS BAD AND THE REST OF ME FEELS A WHOLE LOT BETTER DOSE ANYONE ELS USE A HOT TUB?? WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT'S THE TUB OR NOT | F | 50 | 6 days | 10/6/2009 | 1 | Stage 2b Breast Cancer | Fatigue, weight gain, anger, crying, joint pain, no libido | I was diagnosed in March of 2008. Cancer in R breast and one out of six nodes as per sentinal node biopsy. I opted for a bilateral mastectomy. Was given chemo of Taxotere and Cytoxin. Was given Femara and awful symptoms began and only increased as time went on. Almost 40lb. weight gain, NO desire for sex,uncontrolable anger, joint pain making it difficult to get up from seated position, cry at EVERYTHING. I told my oncologist I couldn't take it anymore and he let me stop on Sept. 8th. It is now almost a month later and I'm feeeling like a human again. The midruff weight gain is starting to go down, I'm not crying at all, joint pain gone.....I will take the chance rather than to live a living hell on that medication. I would be happy to answer any questions for anyone. Don't hesitate to email me. | F | 56 | 15 months | 10/5/2009 | 4 | stage 2 breast cancer | Much knee stiffness, very difficult to get moving after sitting or resting,fatigue, mental fog, forgetfullness, blurred vision,trigger finger, depression at times but Effexor for my fibromyalgia helps with that. | I have been experiencing more mental fog, inability to focus & concentrate. Memory is weak most days. Last evening I was searching my pocket for vitamins when my friend reminded me I had just taken them! Honestly, I had no recollection! Also my vision has seemed more blurry. I have been successfully dealing w/fibromyalgia for past 20 years so always wonder if symptoms are from fibro acting up [there are many similarities]. Today I decided to look up side effects of Femara. It was so reassuring to learn many others are experiencing similar symptoms. My breast cancer was estrogen driven involving both ductal & lobular area in right breast only. Shrunk tumor with chemo prior to surgery, followed by lumpectomy [2 lymph nodes removed] then radiation. So far my numbers are good & I will continue Femara in hopes of keeping them that way. It is helpful to be reminded these symptoms are common. This journey is a long one but our survival is one great success. Love & prayers along with thanks to all who shared thier stories here. | F | 58 | 22 months | 10/4/2009 | 1 | breast cancer stage 1 er+pr+ | MY LEGS AND HIPS HURT SO BAD I CAN HARDLY GET MY LEGS TO MOVE . I HAVE ONLY BEEN ON IT FOR 5 WKS NOW. I CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT AND HAVE TO TAKE SLEEPING PILLS TO GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP. | F | 58 | 5 weeks | 10/4/2009 | 3 | Stage 1 Breast Cancer | I have hot flashes, fatigue, joint pain, insomnia and my hair is thinning. Eyelashes on one eye almost gone. Extreme vaginal dryness | My feet hurt me so bad I could hardly stand and then I started taking Glucosamine, Chrondroitin and MSM Complex. It has helped a lot. Sometimes the hot flashes make me sick to my stomach. I never know when they are going to come on, and I just get soaking wet. They are horrible. I take a lot of ibuprofen for the joint pain. I would like to be able to sleep better and stop the hair loss. I rate Femara a 3 hoping it is helping rather than killing me. | F | 63 | 9 months | 9/28/2009 | 3 | BREAST CANCER HAIR LOSS .JOINT PAIN AND WEIGHT GAIN | ONLY THING THAT HELPS WITH THE PAIN IS PREDNISONE. I TAKE 1/2 OF A 20MG TABLET. | F | 49 | 2 years | 9/28/2009 | 2 | breast cancer | joint pain, hands, feet, knees. etc - i hurt so bad... | thank you - i thought i was going crazy. it's not like you don't worry about whether the cancer is going to come back enough as it is. it's nice to know i'm not the only one feeling the way i do. | F | 38 | 3 months | 9/28/2009 |