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 | Following 7 years on Tamoxifen | 2 months after beginning Femara, I had extreme joint pain all over, which diminished some. Now every morning my hands and feet are "dead" feeling, but this goes away after moving around a bit. I walk like an old woman to the bathroom when I first get out of bed. It is hard to walk normally after sitting for 15 or more minutes. I have absolutely no sex drive any more. Recently my skin has gotten very dry all over and I have never had this problem before. I have insomnia 3-4 nights a week now. | I am so glad to find this site. I had breast cancer twice, 7 years apart. It has now been 10 years since the 2nd BC. Not til after the 2nd BC did I began Tamoxifen and had no problems with Tamoxifen, after the incredible hot flashes went away, except after 7 years on Tamoxifen cataracts started to appear and my optometrist thought this was due to the Tamoxifen. My oncologist switched me to Femara at that time. I feel like either of these drugs is an "insurance" against a recurrance and would be scared to death not to take anything. I never realized that insomnia could be due to the Femara. I do exercise and have been taking violin for the past 4 years, which surprisingly makes my hands feel a bit better. I have noticed the past few weeks that I can no longer cross my pointer and middle fingers! Strange!!! I wonder what percentage of women suffer these side effects from Femara? | F | 58 | 28 months | 2/25/2007 | 3 | Stage 2, no node, multi-focal | Hair thinning; pain in right thumb, arm bones and shoulder muscles,also, both elbows,and if I put pressure on the palm of my hands (both) in just the right way, there is pain in the fatty palm area and, some times, in the wrist area; memory (short term), cognition and creativity; fatigue; edema; high blood pressure; no libido and vaginal dryness; finger nails thinning and splitting (started to split before starting Femara but has progressed a lot in the past few months). I have osteoporosis (taking Boniva), am due for my next DEXA scan next month. Will see if there is bone lose; apatite is less. Have to watch salt and liquids or I put on 1-3 lbs. in a day. Eating out or at someones home is interesting and challenging. | The muscle and bone pain was excruciating for 3-4 months and has lessened a ot. Still uncomfortable when putting right arm into or out of a coat or bra. I do water aerobics 3 days and walk 3-4 days week. I've seen a neurologist and will be tested next month. Wish testing would have been done before taking Femara, so there would be a means to go by. If there is memory and cognitive loss, then I would have to think about long term effects, both for brain health and cancer treatment outcome. When I mentioned hair loss and memory, my doctors stated that they were not aware of these as side effects. Voiced that they did not know of any cross brain barrier effect with Femara. Some times I think the doctors are comparing Femara to Tomoxafine and saying, look you don't have stroke or blood clots, etc., or there just isn't an adequate tracking system set in place regarding side effects. My doctor did mention acupuncture for the low libido, which I'm going to give a go. It's one year now si | F | 64 | 13 months | 2/24/2007 | 3 | stage 1 breast cancer | watery discharge after taking femara for one year -- extreme constipation the whole time | F | 58 | 1 years | 2/21/2007 | 3 | Breast cancer | bad joint pains-every joint in body. Extreme fatigue. Bad , unremitting edema, diarrhea Cognitive difficulties which increased perpetually and finally dizziness. making taking femara any more unacceptable | The SEs were worse and worse.I took it for 3 years. Now my body is showing clear signs of allergy to the drug.Along with dizziness when I raise my head came an itching rash of hives all over my trunk.This is it for me! I've been off for two weeks and am feeling no different.I pray I will not have turned into an exhausted, senile cripple for life. | F | 65 | 2 days | 2/7/2007 | 2 | Stage 2 BC | The longer I am on Femara, the more pain I am experiencing, especially in the hands, wrists, elbows, neck, lower back, and feet. Pain is the worst when getting up in the AM or after long periods of sitting. The vaginal dryness and rawness of the vulva have made sex impossible. I could bearly tolerate my last pelvic & pap even with lots of lubricant. It feels like my membranes have lost their skin. Bladder irritation occurs too. | I started on Tamoxifin after chemo and radiation. I took it for 2 1/2 years, with minimal side effects, until I started spotting and required a D&C. At that time, my Oncologist switched me to Femara. I have always been an active person so the pain and stiffness I have is a real downer. Vaginal dryness and rawness is a lot worse compared to Tamoxifin. At 57 I have NO sex life. Doctors just say...use lubricants. Sorry, but that doesn't do the trick. My next appointment with my Oncologist is 3 weeks away. I need some answers or help. I am thankful to be cancer free so far, but aching all the time and a sexless life make me wonder if this is worth it. I am thinking of stopping the drug and taking my chances... | F | 57 | 8 months | 2/4/2007 | 2 | Breast CA stage II | **Thank you for this site,,,, I thought I was crazy and a whimp. FATIGUE, edema, hypertension, 30# wt gain, nausea, headaches, insomnia,lost libido,severe vaginal dryness,hotflashes from hell, intense joint and muscle pain, tendonitis,elevated cholesterol, mental fog and difficult to walk normally after sitting short periods | started Arimidex after chemo, hypertension started immediately. ONC switched to Femera and the side effects temporarily diminished. Escalated to living hell. | F | 46 | 12 months | 1/20/2007 | 1 | BC | Severe, horrible muscle and joint pain, in knees, thighs, hips. Took 6 months to get Femara out of my system. I became a recluse almost because of so much pain, especially from late afternoon and all night. | My new oncologist put me on Evista to prevent return of breast cancer. It's a new study and is proving to be as effective as Tamoxifen. So far, I have no side effects! It's worth asking your doctors. I've only been on it a week, however. | F | 62 | 21 days | 1/11/2007 | 1 | breast cancer | joint pain came on after taking for 3 months I can finally walk down stairs again PT helped and take Move Free I stopped the drug the middle of August 06 and jusy now feel more like my old I'm sure this is a wonderful drug for some people I just had no quality of life on it. | F | 51 | 3 months | 1/11/2007 | 1 | bc, 8 nodes+, Her2+, hormone + | All-over joint, bone, muscle pain, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, depression, loss of libido, vaginal dryness, fuzzy thinking, dizziness, some nausea, weight gain. I used to be a conductor and a pianist, but am gradually losing hold on those things I love most in life. | Also an ovarian cancer (stage one) survivor - both cancers related to HRT and discovered directly after the 2002 Women's Health Initiative study results. Following 2 surgeries for the BC, chemo and rad., switched from Arimidex after 10 months, hoping for fewer side effects with Femara. It is just as bad. Am now trying one pill on alternate days and things have slightly improved, especially the joint pain. My onc. still does not know this, although she will next month. I'm very positive that I cannot take this for 3 more years. Is anyone else trying alternative dosages? My only other choice would seem to be Tamoxifen or simply stopping all of it. I'm leaning toward the latter option. | F | 58 | 27 months | 1/8/2007 | 1 | Stage IIB, prevent recurrence | Was on Femara for 6 weeks. It about debilitated me. Joint pain everywhere (worst in hands) with accompanying muscle weakness. I am a vital 52 year old. Did great on dose dense AC & T chemo, so no wimp. Quit Femara 2 wks ago and still have SE. Tamoxifen has been no problem so far. It's mechanism is a better idea and also safer in my opinion. Doc explained how difference in study results not as statistically relevant as presented by AI manufacturers. | Neoadj chemo 95% response. Lumpectomy w/wide margins. Rads start tomorrow. Started Femara 2 wks after chemo. Chemo was EASY compared to this drug. Apple cider vinegar, glucosamine, good supplements w/lots of D3 and calcium citrate didn't help. I consider this a dangerous drug. Wouldn't be surprised to hear of class action suit against Novartis in the future. | F | 52 | 6 weeks | 1/8/2007 | 2 | Post 5 yrs Tamoxifen for Breast CA | Muscle spasms in back and chest, pain in breasts, sometimes severe, joint and muscle pain. Severe pain in right leg muscles/joints. Stairs very difficult to climb, especially downstairs. Headaches, weight gain, numbness in hands at night. | After only 2 months, I stopped taking the Femara 21 days ago and the symptoms actually continue and in some cases seems worse. My grandma is more active than I am -literally. I feel awful, but am young and have young children. I am scared to not be "doing anything". My onc. has prescribed me Arimidex but said I'll probably have the same side effects if I reacted this way to the Femara. Has anyone stopped the Femara and become "normal" again? Please email me if you have. | F | 42 | 2 months | 1/7/2007 | 4 | Stage 2B Breast Cancer | Generally, I feel good except I just started with bladder pain which is very uncomfortable. Am on second course of antibiotics. My gynecologist says it is from low estrogen. Intercourse is unbearable with vaginal pain. Hot flashes are tolerable, although drenching. No joint pain or weight gain. Still have high energy | F | 48 | 4 days | 1/6/2007 | 1 | Prevent return of Breast Cancer | Severe joint pain, muscle pain in thighs and hips. Very debilitating after only 21 days on Femara. I had been extremely active in walking, golf, gardening. Became a shut-in! | To those of you suffering from joint pain, etc., due to Femara, I finally have relief after 6 months of suffering due to this drug. I don't know if it would work for you, but my pain M.D. put me on Cymbalta and Lyrica. I have relief finally. Take them at night. They do cause drowsiness. God bless you. | F | 61 | 21 days | 1/5/2007 | 5 | Metastatic Her2+ Breast Cancer/Bone | Some stiffness, especially after sleeping or sitting.Some carpal tunnel symptoms. Very slight hair loss in the first few months.No sexual problems,vaginal dryness or depression.I have found it is very important to take my vitamin supplements, if I do not I hurt worse.I also hydrate with lots of pure water. I only had to have 1 round of radiation because Femara stoppped the spreading of lesions in my bones.Also lots of prayer!! | I take a supplement called calcium plus formula by Isotonix it keeps by calcium levels up,pain down & I do not have to use pain killers.It is highly absorbable & taste good like lemonade.It can be found on the internet & ebay, about $17 a bottle, I take it 3x a day it works !!!! It also helps with sleep,high blood pressure,any many other important health issues.I would love to help anyone struggling with side affects! | F | 41 | 6 months | 1/3/2007 | 3 | Prevent BC recurrence | Shortly after I began taking Femara, I experienced intense lower back pain with numbing of my legs. I had an MRI and discovered severe spinal stenosis. After reading the comments on this site, I believe that I've always had the back problem, but the Femara has aggrevated it. I also have pain in my feet and hands, with the "claw" effect every morning. Some mornings, I roll out of bed and crawl to the shower. I also have some memory loss, dizziness, and at times I have a "fogginess" in my brain which prevents me from thinking clearly. I am going to talk to my oncologist about changing the medication. Quality of life is very important to me. | It's almost a relief to read these comments. I just thought I was falling apart. What really frightens me is the thought that the "side effects" might actually be permanent problems even after discontinuing the use of the drug. | F | 50 | 8 months | 1/3/2007 | 4 | Stage II with lymph nodes | I have the joint, back, foot pain, the dryness and the hot flashes. I was just menopausal when diagnosed; so, I already had the last two. I had chemo so I have had a hair gain! I do feel a lot older; I hate that. Treatment was supposed to leave me better than before, right? I am stunned at how hard it is not to worry every day that the cancer has recurred. Femara gives me a breathing space. I am thrilled that it is available. If I can't sleep it is not because of panic about going back into chemo or mourning the fact that I won't be there to hold my grandchildren. | I expect that at some point I will stop taking Femara; there'll be a better drug or its efficacy after time will be questioned. I would like to know if the joint pains will go away at that time. | F | 57 | 8 days | 1/2/2007 | 1 | Stage 1b breast cancer | Faint nausea most of the time, especially in the morning; tenderness and weakness of the Achilles tendons; short-term memory problems; some thinning of my hair; what an ophtalamologist described as "raggedy" eye movement when tracking an object; sudden onset of an episode of dizziness so severe I couldn't stand up, followed by intermittent wooziness | I am supposedly at a high risk of recurrence because of an Oncotype Dx score of 30, but I stopped taking Femara after the very scary episode of dizziness—if I had been driving a car at the time I could have been killed. Also, I had Achilles tendinitis several years ago that was quite crippling, but I had completely recovered and was worried that it appeared to be returning despite fact that I was doing nothing to stress my Achilles tendons. Also, I worried about effects on the brain—possible increase in risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. I'm afraid to try another aromatase inhibitor because most of the side effects are just side effects of estrogen deprivation. | F | 58 | 15 days | 12/30/2006 | 1 | breast cancer | joint pain and hair loss | F | 50 | 6 months | 12/30/2006 | 5 | metastatic breast cancer | insomnia, hot flashes, elbow pain, constipation | I had good QoL for 5 years on Femara, despite the side effects. I took Lorazepam to help me sleep and Black Cohosh for the hot flashes. Have just stopped Black Cohosh because onc. said it may act like estrogen in the system. Just dealt with the elbow pain. Femara stopped working last month so I switched to Tamoxifen and have less hot flashes but quite considerable pain in hip & down left leg so I need pain meds now but not when on Femara. But pain could be the enlarged tumour. Think positive .. Femara worked well for me. | F | 57 | 5 years | 12/27/2006 | 4 | stage II Breast Cancer | Extreme bone pain in hips, hands, legs, feet most instense after rising from sitting, excessive sweating, weight gain (10#), memory difficulties, loss of libido | i do not like the side effects of this medication and i am not sure i can tolerate it for 5 years. | F | 48 | 3 months | 12/26/2006 |