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 |
| 1 | Stage 3a BC 1 positive node, ER+ | Hot flashes, SEVERE pain in hands and feet, especially in the morning, weight gain, depression. | While taking tamoxifen, my estrogen level went through the roof. Dr took me off tamoxifen, recommended oopherectomy, and put me on arimidex after that. The side effects weren't immediately bad, but gradually got worse over time. Dr switched me to aromasin because 'studies' showed no bad side effects. The pain didn't decrease and may have actually increased. I was then put on femara. The pain wasn't any different so I stayed with it as the lesser of the evil meds. After 18 months and ineffective pain control with vicodin and tramadol, my Dr ordered a PET scan to make sure there was no cancer present. Test came back negative for cancer presence, so was taken off Femara. Thank God! Now I'm hoping for the pain to subside so I can get back to a painfree quality of life. | F | 46 | 18 months | 4/25/2006 | 2 | breast cancer | I was gaining weight. I was so tired that some days I didn't get dressed until three or four in the afternoon, I never did my hair, no make-up. I was physically too tired to do anything. | I had no quality of life. I would not consider taking this drug again!!! | F | 45 | 4 months | 4/24/2006 | 2 | breast cancer | This drug must have been developed by someone who hates women. The side effects are terrible. I originally gave this a 3 but it is really a 2 - and I would say a 1 but I cannot comment on the effects it may have on preventing a reoccurence, which is unknown to me at this time. The aches, pains, weight gain, hair loss, no possible sexual activity - make one feel like a cancer patient, whereas chemo, radiation and surgery were minimal compared to this. | F | 59 | 6 months | 4/14/2006 | 3 | breast cancer | Hair loss, weight gain, back ache, mood changes, no sex drive, and sexual intercourse is very, very painful. I stopped taking it after 6 months, and then resumed after my oncologist indicated the statistical benefits. Each day I take the medicine I worry about the side effects and the detriment on the quality of life - but at least there is a quality of life to complain about. | Femara did not have the same depressing mood effects as tamoxifin, and oncologists appear to promote its benefits. At this time I have been taking it for about one month. | F | 59 | 1 months | 4/13/2006 | 3 | Breast Cancer | I have SEVERE foot pain. Stopped Femara for 3 weeks but did not see much diff, so resumed. Foot pain presents as plantar fasciitis would, so have gone through PT and surgery for that to no avail. Also I already have osteoarthritis, so joint , hip and back pain are constant companions. I am now on bone loss prevention therapy. I am 53 and feel like 100. I have no libido and feel very dry. Luckily I have the best hubby in the world who understands all this! | I switched to Femara after 3 years on Tamoxifen. I have been taking Femara for 2 years, and my Dr. wants to continue for a few more since there really isn't clear protocol. But the pain is becoming unbearable and I feel like an invalid, so next appt.there will be serious discussions! | F | 53 | 2 years | 4/12/2006 | 1 | BC Mastectomies, 1989, 1999 | Unlike Tamoxifen,which I had taken from 2000 to 2005, with only hot flashes as a side effect, Femara has caused me to feel depressed several times a day, usually around the time the hot flashes are happening. My anxiety level in general has increased. | I intend to tell my wonderful oncologist this month that I have discontinued Femara. | F | 70 | 2 days | 4/12/2006 | 2 | breast cancer | Thinning hair, extreme fatigue, awful joint and bone pain. Most distressing is the loss of the use of my hands. I have developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and I am in alot of pain. Insomnia and hot flashes are also troublesome. | I feel like I am 80 and I am only 58. If things don't improve I may have to stop taking Femara because my quality of life is so compromised. | F | 58 | | 4/4/2006 | 5 | Inflammatory Breast Cancer | bone pain, weight gain, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, frequent hot flashes, depression | Cancer has not come back even though I am Stage IIIB with 10 of 16 lymph nodes positive and a very aggressive form of breast cancer. I think loss of both breasts increased my depression and loss of libido so can't blame it all on Femara. Have just finished taking Femara after 5 years. I am currently not on any drug. Doctor said no additional benefit from taking Femara more than 5 years. Hope she's right and my NED status lasts. | F | 53 | 5 years | 4/3/2006 | 5 | following 5 years on tamoxifen | I have not noticed hair loss, but have had sometimes severe pain in my right hand and both thumbs, especially at night. I feel like exercising and walking has helped and the side effects have been worth the price to prevent my breast cancer from coming back. | F | 55 | 2 years | 3/31/2006 | 4 | post Tamixofen prevent bc reoccuran | extreme hair loss, osteoporosis, joint pain esp. hips | although I worry about the long term effects,the fear of reoccurance keeps me on the drug | F | 56 | 2 years | 3/31/2006 | 2 | Prevent recurrance of stage 3a bc | Severe joint pain in wrists and fingers, catching and occasional triggering in 3 fingers, numbness and tingling in all fingers, constant mild to moderate pain in joints and muscles of arms and legs, fatigue, muscle weakness, headache, weight gain of 40 lbs. since I started taking the drug, increasingly severe night sweats and hot flashes, difficulty getting out of bed in the morning and out of a chair after sitting for some time due to pain and stiffness. Libido has completely disappeared. | I'm so glad I found this page - thank you all for sharing your experiences so I know it's not just me. I started having some tingling and numbness in my fingers about 3 1/2 months ago, frequency and severity increased over time and I started having some pain in my hands. Mentioned it at my oncologist's office two months ago and was told it was probably carpal tunnel syndrome (!). Since then, all symptoms have steadily worsened to the point where I feel like I did when I was still recuperating from treatment - I can barely move in the mornings, am back to having to take stairs two-footed on each step, and am in pain of some sort almost all the time. I've just been through a series of tests for rheumatoid arthritis - everything came back looking great, and it was my primary care doctor who finally suggested that the Femara might be the problem. I'd been so happy about being on this drug because the numbers as far as recurrance prevention are so good, but am at the point now where I ju | F | 52 | 12 months | 3/31/2006 | 4 | ER, Her2neu pos. BC | Hot flashes, insomnia, bone pain on and off, carpal tunnel syndrome for a few months, occasional dizzyness, loss of libido, hair thinning. | I have endured all those side effects, hoping it would save me from a reccurance, which it has, so far. It has been almost 5 years since my diagnosis. After mastectomy, chemo, radiation and one year of herceptin I took Tamoxifen for a few months and have taken Femara ever since. | F | 61 | 3.5 years | 3/28/2006 | 3 | Breast cancer | Joint pain, hot flashes, weight gain, insomnia. | I'm 53 and some days I feel 100. I took Arimidex for 3 months but the side effects of that were awful so my oncologist switched me to this. I have no energy and the muscle fatigue is very annoying. I love to garden but if I sit on the ground I can't get up. I'm taking it to prevent the cancer from spreading to my other breast and so far I've been lucky. I'll sew how it goes although when the muscle aches become too severe I stop taking it for a few days and the symptoms disappear. | F | 53 | 18 months | 3/22/2006 | 2 | Breast Cancer | Joint pain increased over time until it was making me feel like I was 90. Pain in wrists, hands, knees, feet, shoulders, fingers and toes.Quit taking and pain is now locaized to knees and wrists, but managable with pain releivers. | I took taxmoxifen for five years after chemo and surgery and took femara for one year after that. I had no side effects like this from tamoxifen Femara is not worth the expense or the loss of quality of life to me. I do not recommend it. | F | 53 | 1 years | 3/21/2006 | 2 | Follow up after Tamoxifen | Chest pain, heart irregularities, hospitalized, weakness, fatigue, joint pain, hair loss, significant short term memory loss, irritability, depression | I had started on Byetta, prior to Femera. I was wondering if there had been any studies done on taking Femera and the effects it would have while also taking Byetta. | F | 51 | 45 days | 3/19/2006 | 1 | to prevent recurrence of Breast CA | memory loss, insomnia, lack of dreaming, anger and reactivity, loss of intuition, inability to make everyday decisions, severe fatigue, decreased libido over and above that due to vaginal dryness, severe depression, joint pain, muscle cramps, itchy scalp and legs, hair loss in all the wrong places, and everything else all others have listed. I am not a hysterical whiner either, I was back to work 2 weeks after mastectomy and lymph node dissection and worked during Chemo. | Taking this medication for the last 18 months has felt worse than Chemo and instead of the side effects lessening, they became much worse over time. In the rush to find something to prevent Breast Ca recurrence, I believe that Quality of Life parameters have been ignored. The pharmaceutical companies have a huge financial stake in convincing us to take this medication and I believe it feeds into our fear of the cancer coming back. I'm a conventionally trained physician and even I have doubts about the ultimate advantage and safety of this medication. | F | 47 | 18 days | 3/18/2006 | 3 | Lumpectomy, radiation | I have been having mild joint pain and some fatigue, and my hair is beginning to thin a little. I've been having severe drying of the skin (to the point of cracking and bleeding)and was wondering if this is also a side effect experienced by others or if it is from something else. | F | 62 | 5 months | 3/9/2006 | 4 | Post 5 yrs of Tamoxifen | First 2 weeks after stopping Tamoxifen my mood was awful, almost suicidal and I felt very aggressive. I woke up one morning with severe joint pain so I could not use my hands and I really felt like someone else. The severe effects have now worn off and appart from some joint pain, weight gain and some bone thinning it's fine. | I really wish I had been warned about the severity of joint pain and the possibility of low mood as it was frightening!It did wear off in about 3 weeks thankfully. To all postmeopausal women taking Femara do make sure you get a bone density scan before you start Femara or as soon as possible after starting. | F | 54 | 3 months | 3/2/2006 | 2 | post 5 yrs tamox. after breast CA | swelling of ankles and feet joint pain and stiffness wondering if I have Rheumatoid arthritis | has anyone had improvement of symptoms after stopping drug have been off 1 month and wondering if anything will get better | M | 45 | | 3/2/2006 | 3 | Stage 3 Breast Cancer | Breast cancer had not spread past first lymphnode. Following chemo, surgery, and radiation have been on 2.5 mg Femara for 8 months - I feel like I am 80, especially in the a.m. Hands can barely move and left thumb triggers - knees creaky - I am a chiropractor and require good hands. Have just cut my dosage in half - if it doesn't improve, will have to stop using it. | F | 52 | 8 months | 2/21/2006 |