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 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 | Breast Cancer | I have been taking Femara since 2005 after five years of Tamoxifen. I liked Tamoxifen so much better . . . Femara made me feel like an old woman, but that has since disappeared, but now after two and one-half years, I am experiencing headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, blurry vision, and elevated blood pressure. | Anyone have similar symptoms after this long of a time? | F | 55 | 2 years | 12/20/2007 | 2 | breast cancer mastectomy 6 years ag | I am still alive but the quality of life has been deteriorating. Severe pain in all joints, moving like a 100 year old. The only symptom I did not have is a hair loss. Everything else I have had including humming in my ears... The symptom nobody mentions is falling. With no reason I had 4 falls in 5 weeks: broke a hand, almost my nose and my MRI revealed ischymia which I did not have at the last MRI 6 years ago. My doctor (not an oncologist) took me off it since the symptoms (falling around) could be fatal .... I am off femara for a week and my bone pain is already much less. I will let you know what will happen..... | the quality of life as against a miserable existence... | F | 62 | 6 days | 12/20/2007 | 2 | bc | Bone pain, stiffness of the joints, hot flushes, fatigue, insomnia, pain with intercourse, headaches, moodiness | After taking femara for three months i feel very down all the time, and cry constantly. | F | 45 | 3 months | 12/20/2007 | 4 | Stage 3b breast cancer +13 nodes | After being on Femara for 1 year I started having muscle aches brought on by painting a wall in my house. Thought I was getting the flu or recurrence of cancer. Read all of the comments on this website and have to say, it's perspective. Those of you who are intolerable of the side effects should either discontinue Femara or re-evaluate your disease. Please read the experiences of the women with metastatic breast cancer versus those with Stage I, II with no positive nodes. It's illuminating. | F | 57 | 1 years | 12/19/2007 | 2 | Breast Cancer Stage IIB | Joint pain, moodiness, shortness of breath, some fatigue, vaginal dryness, not all hair back from chemo. | Was on Arimidex for 14 months switched to see if side effects improved. I am having less joint pain but I believe it is because I am supplementing with a joint formula and it seems to help. I am also trying to get more active. I noticed that when I eat and get more activity, I feel better. I still can't predict when the shortness of breath happens and it is annoying! Overall, both Arimidex and Femara are about the same. Can't wait for the 5 years to be over! | F | 47 | 3 days | 12/17/2007 | 2 | ductal cell ca | Major--hair loss-almost immediately. After 10 months-hypertension(I did not have this on Tamoxifen. Now I have a constant high-frequency pitch in my ears(can not differentiate whether right, left or both) wwhich was intermittent before---anyone else have this? (my b/p is normal at this time) | F | 54 | 13 days | 12/10/2007 | 4 | bcancer ER/PR positive | sweating, thin hair, some joint pain | I have taken tamoxifen 1year Aromasin for 3years and Femara 3 years. I am about to stop as 7 years of these medications seem enough. I wonder if anyone has this problem of when enough is enough I am doing this with my doctors ok. | F | 70 | 3 years | 12/2/2007 | 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 | 2 | Stage 2 Breast Cancer, no lymphs | Severe muscle and bone pain. Had some ostoarthritis and spasm in back, has increased dramaticallly. Hands almost don't work, thumbs hurt all the time. Ankles and feet hurt. And the back is terrible. I have had corisone shots in back which helps some. Take lots of meds, extra strength tylenol, soma and vicodin. Worried about pain med effects on liver and addiction to vicodin. | Have only taken it 2 years. Early side effects: headaches, hair thinning disappeared after about 6 months. Onset of bone and muscular pain was gradual over about a year. No doctors listen because they don't know anything about femara. Want to stop to see if I get better, otherwise I have severe arthritis and need treatment for that instead of constant pain pills. Will see oncologist early to discuss options. | F | 63 | 2 years | 11/29/2007 | 1 | invasive breast cancer | I was offered Femara after completeing chemo and radio therapy, after finding this site i was very aprehensive. I had some bone loss in my hip and spine and was worried about my bone density. I found a doctor who did a gene test which showed I have the gene for ostioporosis!!!! For a 6% reduction in risk I didnt feel it was worth the risk of taking a drug that as yet has no long term studies. | F | 47 | 5 days | 11/29/2007 | 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 | 1 | Breast Cancer | I’m so pissed – what a huge disappointment. Even it is a good drug for breast cancer the patients have the right to know. The drug companies are so anxious and greedy to get their drugs on the market so they can make money; they intentionally neglect to make an issue about the horrific side effects Femara may cause. We don’t even know the long term affects from this drug. I was also insufficiently warned about the horrible side effects of Femara. It would have made a world of difference if I was aware of what to expect. More patients may have stayed on it if they were warned because when the side effects start it’s like hitting a brick wall. I thought I was dying or losing my mind and spent so much time and money with rheumatologists and internists doing tests for over a year only to find that this is a result of the Femara. At one point they thought I had Leukemia! The doctors have my complete medical history including all the medications I’m | Novartus shows unethical greed! Please email me for the rest of the story or just email me if you find yourself in the same situation. | F | 42 | 2 years | 11/20/2007 | 3 | ductile carcinoma Stage II 1 node | Numbness in arms, hands and feet. Joint pain and weekness/soarness of legs, hips & back. Restless legs and arms at night. Very twitchy which i attribute to the nerves being effected. Weight gain twice what it was on tamo | I was diagnosed at age 40, my first mamo. After a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation I was taking tamoxifen for appox. 1.5 years. I decided to be proactive and have my ovaries, uterus and cervix out thinking I could go on the femara and I would feel better. Boy was I wrong. I can't complain because if it lowers my chances of reoccurance or cancer at a new site it is worth it. I have friends that have had first stages of breast cancer with no chemo, raiation or drugs and they are doing fine and 5+ years clean. I also know people that have breast cancer every 10 years and refuse to take the drugs. It all depends on you and your body. There is something to be said for quality of life and it is not great on femara or tamo. I feel like I am crippled when getting up in the morning but it subsides a little as the day goes on. The weight gain is twice what it was on the tamo and can't lose any nor do I have any energy to exercise. I have only just started femara and am hoping it doesn | F | 42 | 6 months | 11/16/2007 | 2 | Infertility | 1. Moody: Angry at poor husband for no reason. 2. Hot: It's not flashes, really, I'm just overall warm. Odd since I'm usually cold. Husband likes this part. 3. Weight Gain: I don't think the medicine itself causes weight gain ... I think it causes hunger pangs. Husband loves me no matter how much I weigh ... or he's saying that because of point number one above. | I take 2 (2.5) pills the first 5 days of cycle, three months in a row. | F | 34 | | 11/14/2007 | 3 | breast cancer | fatigue, nausia, feel like I have the flu, depression | At 34 I had DCIS, invasive ductal and invasive lobular, stage II, 2 lumpectomies, masectomy, 6 months CMF, 5 years tamoxifan. Femara doesn't seem that bad. | F | 43 | 4 years | 11/13/2007 | 3 | Breast Cancer Stage 2 - no nodes | severe foot,ankle, knee pain. Fingers stiff. Cannot loose weight no matter what. | When I get up I move like an old lady. Going down stairs is a nightmare ! I took Tamoxifen for only 3 years and then was put on Femara. Am going to ask my oncologist to go back to Tamoxifen. I am too afraid of recurrence to take myself off. | F | 59 | 7 months | 11/12/2007 | 1 | Breast Cancer has moved to my hip | Extreme knee and other joint pain-cannot work!!! Severe weakness, hot flashes, hair thinning, etc. Took Femara for eight months before building up a toxicity level!! I haven't been able to drive or work for the last 3 months. I'm now off of this horrifying medication-some improvement except the extreme knee pain and weakness!! All Oncologists should be required to take this medication for one year before they presribe Femara to women that will try anything for a prolonged life with their family and loved ones!!! | Why can't a drug company make something that does not poison the human body? They seem to be locked in the poisoning mode and cannot get out of it!!!! Femara was and still is a nightmare that is real-I only wish I would wake up!!!! | F | 53 | 8 months | 11/11/2007 | 3 | stage 3 breast cancer | I was on Arimidex up until last night, I was taken off Tamoxifen, could not tolerate, Arimidex gave severe pain, headaches , and other terrible symptoms and now I read this about Femara and I am concerned . Has anyone else switched recently for similar reasons with good or bad results? Please let me know. Thank you | None yet been on 1 day ...Could not tolerate Tamoxifen or Arimidex | F | 42 | 1 days | 11/7/2007 | 1 | Stage 1, ductual carcinoma est. + | Switched to Femara in May 2007 - by mid August I felt like I had been hit by a semi. My hands, arms, shoulders and legs ache. Recently I have been taking Davocet just to get to sleep at night. I have taken Tamoxifen 2 years and had very little problems. Had actually started to lose weight. Now I'm gaining it all back and don't have the energy or strength to exercise. I can't live like this! Will be almost a month before I can see my oncologist so I'm ditching the meds. My risk for recurrance is really low and I'm going to trust God for continued good health. | F | 48 | 6 months | 11/5/2007 | 4 | Metastatic Breast Cancer | I was diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer in June of 2006. The cancer spread to my Colon (primary was never found in my breast). I'm a rare bird. The first year I was put on Tomaxifen and my tumor markers continued to rise. About three months ago I was put on Femara because the tumor came back again in my colon. Since then I've had very noticeable joint, bone and muscle pain (even in feet). I also have chest pain, palpitations. Even though I have a mitral valve I think the medication offsets these symtoms. I wear glasses but my vision seems somewhat more blurred. I even seem to get short term memory losses. I get off the bus everyday and can't see to remember where I parked my car. I'm very fatigued and can't sleep so I have to take a sleeping pill every night (Ambien CR) which usually makes you binge. In the beginning I was getting very bad hot flashes and night sweats but those have gotten better now. Vaginal dryness is the other symptom I have. That something a little | Even though I have majority of the symtoms I'm happier with the fact that my markers have come down alot in just three months. The joint pain was so bad I could hardly walk sometimes and I felt like I was 90 instead of 46. But I have some really good news to spread with all of you. (1) stay as active as you can becuase I find that has been helping me. I used to be an avid rollerskater and I had not been since surgery. I recently went back about 1 month ago and can feel a difference. Not only that, but I suggest this for all of your out there. Just ask your doctors, I did. (2) PHYSICAL THERAPY - I started going two days a week and it has been working wonders. I feel like a new person. My Physical Therapist has decided to JUST do physical therapy for women with Breast Cancer! I was so happy to hear that. If any of you live in the central NJ area her name is Marcia Nieberg of Premier Therapy (Plainsboro, NJ). She is great. I even do massage therapy 1 day a week. You have to | F | 46 | 3 months | 11/2/2007 |