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 |
| 3 | Stage IIIB Breast Cancer survivor | Every joint aches all the time. I can't walk down stairs as a result of the pain and I often feel like my knees will give out. Also my hips, ankles ache constantly. My hands, shoulders, elbows ache sporadically and I get stiffness in my whole body. I'm 48 and I often feel like I live in an 80 year old body. I was an athelete as a young woman and now I can't really run much. I also have bouts of anxiety that are followed by hotflashes. I go from hot to cold quickly as well. I've attributed these side effects to menopause (I had my ovaries removed) however it may be the medication. I would love to not have to take this anymore. I'm told that I'm doing great and I would rather deal with these side effects than go through chemo again. I just hope there is no permanent damage to my bones. I'm told that I only have to take this medication for 5 years. I'm in my second year. I hope the doctors are telling the truth. | F | 48 | 2 years | 7/9/2009 | 2 | Stage 1 Breast CA, HER2NU + | forearm pain, feet and knees painful, now with stress fracture, low Vit D, Increased cholesterol panel | I've never had a problem with meds. Femara was causing so much pain I finally went off after about 7 months. The clincher was checking my cholesterol panel - everything up. 3 months after stopping, I have a foot fracture - no trauma - a "stress fracture". I'm really glad I stopped it. | F | 49 | 7 months | 7/9/2009 | 3 | breast cancer hormone positive | I don't know what all you can relate to taking the med. My hair is thin: I hurt all over(hands-hips-knees-other joints) I have hot flashes that nauseate me: sleeping is difficult. My skin has thinned. | I turned to femara at 3+ years on arimidex. I experienced the same side effects as with arimidex. Taking Femara is akin to taking chemo and radiation. I have not found any recurrence of cancer but that could be just around the corner. Who really knows? So your rating system does not really fit the info you are wanting to know. So far as anyone who treats me knows I am cancer free. But on the other hand that is what I was told when I had mammograms which did not discover the lurking tumor. As a person who uses this drug I hope it works for the rest of my life but I know there are no guarantees. | F | 67 | 4.8 years | 7/6/2009 | 4 | Stage 1 & 2 BC | All over joint pain (very bad in elbow area) especially in the a.m. or after sitting for more than 10 min. Hot flashes, thinning hair, memory loss, 0 libido, dry vag, weight gain, worsening vision, 50 going on 80! | I started on Tamoxifen, then had full hysterectomy so switched to Femara. I've been on it for a year. I was recently told that I will probably have to stay on it the rest of my life (vs. 5 years). I had bilateral mastectomy with 5 bad nodes. I was ErPr+ and had lobular on one side and ductal on the other. I try not to think about all the bad side effects I'm having & just hope it's working. I won't know that for sure unless I get a recurrence. I'm on a trial for testosterone cream - it helps the vaginal dryness and bleeding a lot - doesn't do anything for the lack of libido. Also going to start Zometa infusions for bone loss prevention (after I get a wisdom tooth pulled). It's all a drag but I try to make the best of it! | F | 49 | 1 months | 7/4/2009 | 2 | Stage II Breast Cancer | Bloating, depression and worst of all is the weight gain. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to lose the weight, even though I watch my diet and exercise. | I just wish I did not have to take it, but unforunately this is not an option. I went through surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and finally I am now on Femara. As bad as the side effects are, they are better than having the cancer come back. | F | 55 | 20 months | 7/1/2009 | 5 | Breast Cancer-Stage 4-bone mets | aching feet/hands in the morning which dissipates quickly. moderate hip/lower back pain. yoga and swimming seem to help. I have occasional insomnia but is is tough to know if symptoms are from meds or forced menopause in general! | For me, the good of this drug has far outweighed the bad as I have had minimal discomfort overall and my mets have been stable for over 3 years. I very rarely take anything for pain. | F | 43 | 40 months | 6/29/2009 | 3 | Breast Cancer | Very achy, especially hips and feet. Insomnia and massive sweats. Can go from boiling hot, to freezing cold within one minute. Headaches, tiredness, memory loss, breast pain, vaginal dryness, nil libido. Wake up feeling like my whole body is shaking. | Diagnosed 2006 grade 3 breast cancer. Chemo and radiation treatment. Have been on Femara for 12 months, better for me than Tamoxifen or Aramason as I didn't function well on either of those. I am 48 years of age, but feel like I am about 80 some days. Light exercise seems to aleviate some of the aches. I have a feeling that my whole body is shaking when I wake up which is horrible. Have got another 3 years to go on this and will persist with it. Femara has worked out better for me and hopefully it is working. I wish I didn't have to take anything, cause I don't like the side effects, but hopefully its working. I would rather have the side effects from Femara, than go through chemo again. "We can do it", good luck to everyone. | F | 48 | 12 months | 6/28/2009 | 2 | Invasive lobular carcinoma | Alopecia,insomnia,joint pain | I can't tell how effective it is | F | 56 | 30 days | 6/25/2009 | 1 | Breast cancer, Stage IIa, 1 node | Joint pain, stiff and painful hips and back, aching feet, fatigue yet insomnia, drenching hot flashes and zero libido. Also, I feel like my vision is worse; is that possible? | This is for the birds. After only 3 weeks I feel like I'm 100 years old--I'm 51. Walking hurts everywhere. Exercise has had no effect except possibly making things worse. Sleep is a rare pleasure, and as for intimacy? My libido has left the building. I plan to talk with my doctor about this but I don't think he's going to budge. I can't imagine going through this for 5 more years. Thanks, all of you, for your honesty in postings. It's good at least to know I'm not alone. | F | 51 | 3 weeks | 6/24/2009 | 5 | breastcancer, estr. recep. | joint and bone pain, specially feet and hands, fatigue, headaches, forgetfulness/ fuzzy, diabetic, high cholesterol, loss of libido, dry vagina, | exercise, no alcohol, healthy diet helped with the pain and general well-being. Had to rest mid day, taking Femara at night reduced the pain, Supplements: calcium+ Vit D and Fosamax for the bones, glucosamine for the joints,Omega 3 for the brain! And lubrication, lubrication, lubrication for the sex. 2 weeks ago, I took my last Femara after 5 years. I am cancer free and celebrating survival and life! Keep heart, ladies! You can do it, too! | F | 57 | 5 years | 6/23/2009 | 5 | Recurrent breast cancer | Been taking it about five weeks. So far, only insomnia and hot flashes. | As my recurrence is on a reconstructed breast, several tumors are visible. I can SEE THEM SHRINKING already with the femara. When I have a hot flash, I just imagine it is energy given off by another cancer cell biting the dust! | F | 57 | 5 weeks | 6/18/2009 | 3 | breast ca, stage IIb, HER2+, 1 node | Joint and bone stiffness, especially severe in the first 2 weeks I started. Am super-stiff, especially in the AM and on colder days. Exercise seems to help, but some days are just better than others. Not as stiff in warm weather. Hot flashes! Is it true it's working if you're having lots of hot flashes?? | I'm rating it 3 because I can't really say I'm satisfied or dissatisfied yet. It's hard to handle, but I can take it if it keeps cancer from returning. | F | 52 | 11 months | 6/18/2009 | 2 | Breast Cancer StageII Pos.Lymph Nod | Wow, I was on Tamoxafin for over a year and at the end of the first year, I started feeling very depressed. My Husband suggested calling the Oncologist and changing the meds. I have been on Femara for 1 month or so and I am so stiff I can hardly move quickly. I am 51 yrs old.. I am considering calling the Dr. again as not only am I feeling like I am a 100 yrs old but the weeping just keeps coming.... I feel like I am having a breakdown of some type!!! | Not sure Tamoxafin or femara are worth feeling this crappy... Have no energy and just want to cry about every little stupid thing!!! | F | 51 | 45 days | 6/16/2009 | 1 | breast cancer | Like someone said........nuclear hot flashes. | this med is killing me and I'm so uncomfortable. I see my doctor in 3 weeks and will tell him he's got to take me off it. I'll never be able to complete 5 years. Never | F | 55 | 2 months | 6/15/2009 | 3 | stage 1 breast cancer | joint pain, tiredness; rating seems irrelevant, how can you tell if it is working against the cancer or not; only have side effects for now, so gotta assume that it is working. | just hope it is working; this is a wonderful site; thought I was imagining the joint pains I was feeling; knowing that I should be going off meds in about a year is really an upper. I will stick it out till then; hate to quit, have recurrence, and think "I should have..." | F | 60 | 4 years | 6/14/2009 | 1 | infertility | Side effects came once pregnant =0(. | I took Femara for 4 cycles in 2008, had one menstrual cycle and got pregnant on my own January, 2009. At my level II u/s, we discovered our baby girl has both Trisomy 13 and holoprosencephaly. Her brain looks like a donut because it didn't split into two hemispheres. She is terminal. The information sheet I got from the specialist from the Texas CDC lists HORMONES as a possible cause of the holoprosencephaly. Femara messes with HORMONES. How quickly Femara is metabolized out of one's system is certainly pause for cause. Have a malpractive atty and am seeking others in similar situation whose drs have rx'd this offlabel! | F | 40 | 4 months | 6/10/2009 | 2 | Breast cancer stage I | Brain fog, lack of energy, chronic dry cough, hair thinning, weight gain, depression, sleeping problems, hot flashes, bone/joint aches | I have less energy, motivation, etc. since taking Femara than I did after the surgeries and chemo. I find it difficult to function some days. I can hardly move in the mornings and I can't keep a thought for very long. It takes me forever to complete a project due to either phsycial or mental issues. I used to be so active and now I don't even feel like the same person. Don't know how long I can stand to take this stuff. I didn't think it would be this hard. I have strong family history of cancer and my onc. score was in the intermediate range. | F | 41 | 10 months | 6/5/2009 | 1 | breast cancer stage 1 not in nodes | aching bones, foggy brain, depression, problems sleeping, no engergy. | I stopped taking femara about six weeks ago. My doctor doesn't know yet but my life was miserable. I had bi-lateral mastemony so I won't have breast cancer again. I wonder if this and other breast cancer drugs are given to help prevent cancer all over your body, then why isn't it given to everyone to prevent cancer. My joints feel much better, more energy, and I feel like I can think again. God has been my answer all along and will continue to be. I have no intention of putting this poison in my system again. God bless all of us. | F | 58 | 2 years | 6/4/2009 | 3 | BRCA stage II HRT + | Joint/muscle pain (moderately severe),extremely dry eyes (had to give up contact lens and now use Restatis and other eye drops) mouth, skin (exremely dry and flakey, even with warm weather), hair loss (has progressed the last several months and I have little left!), memory loss; vaginal dryness, occas. hot flash quite tolerable compared to other side effects. Have been tested for Sjogren's since dryness is a common sympton; test negative for it. Had little problem with Tamoxifen for 5 years. Much better tolerated than Femara. Fortunately, no weight gain, but I am very physically active. Cancer in early 2002 has really aged me. Yuk! but I'm still here. | Chemo and radiation. Chemo, including weight gain, much worse to take than the Femara. Don't know if I could deal with it again should I have recurrence. On Femara just over 2 years and in spite of nasty side effects am grateful it's available. | F | 65 | 25 months | 6/1/2009 | 4 | Stage 1 BC/ no node involvement | At first, just a little neck pain, but as time goes on, pronounced hip pain, (legs and tops of feet hurt too). Hips hurt at night. | Difficult to determine Femara effects from natural aging pain. Unfair to rate satisfaction when we don't really know the end result and what contributed to it. Still kickin' and unwilling to take chances. | F | 68 | 16 months | 5/30/2009 |