Femara side effects?

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jdubious
jdubious Member Posts: 113
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi,
I've been on Femara for about 2 1/2 months. My shoulders, knees, wrists and hands are very painful. I've had a few weeks off (school is out for me right now) and I'm sleeping 12-18 hours a day. How do you handle these femara side effects? Ibuprofen seems to help the pain, but I have to keep taking it (and taking it) I feel like I'm 1000 years old, but I'm only 44! thanks,
jill

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  • Kathy1108
    Kathy1108 Member Posts: 62
    #2
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    Hi Jill,
    I am on Femara too and my onc. doctor gave me pain medicine called Ultraset. It does help a little but I can only take it at night because it makes me sleepy. I used to be on Celebrex, Viotox (sp) and bextra but I stopped taking them because of the side effects. I feel the same way, I am also 44 but feel that a very old person.
    Kathy
  • momof4
    momof4 Member Posts: 56
    #3
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    Hi I' ve been on Femara for almost 2 years I'm 45 and I also feel like 100 everyday for me is like a truck hits over and over again i wonder If I will ever be the energetic person that I used to be. Just tonight my daughter asked me why i havent been weeding the garden my reply to her was that I was too tired and she said .....but mommy you always say you are tired. I have been taking some vitamins lately but with no improvements that's not counting the weight i have gained so far. I am sorry that I couldnt be of any help but your post answered some of my questions.......I am not the only one feeling like this.
    Hugs and kisses your way
    Mariat.
  • nancys
    nancys Member Posts: 323
    #4
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    Hello jill, Kathy and Mariat, Here I am back again after a long absence. I started with the CSN when it first started and it helped me so much. Now here I am five years later and wondering whether to start Femara as my Onco has recommended. I have researched the side effects and they do sound bad. I remember the body aches with Taxol and Femara side effects sound much like Taxol. I am so glad to read your posts and to hear first hand what Femara is like. It is a hard decision whether to take it or not. My insurance does not pay for brand name drugs and Femara will cost about $250.00 a month ( a little less from Canada) Do I want to pay that much for something to make me feel 1000 years old??? Much to think about. Thanks again, Nancy
  • jdubious
    jdubious Member Posts: 113
    #5
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    nancys said:

    Hello jill, Kathy and Mariat, Here I am back again after a long absence. I started with the CSN when it first started and it helped me so much. Now here I am five years later and wondering whether to start Femara as my Onco has recommended. I have researched the side effects and they do sound bad. I remember the body aches with Taxol and Femara side effects sound much like Taxol. I am so glad to read your posts and to hear first hand what Femara is like. It is a hard decision whether to take it or not. My insurance does not pay for brand name drugs and Femara will cost about $250.00 a month ( a little less from Canada) Do I want to pay that much for something to make me feel 1000 years old??? Much to think about. Thanks again, Nancy

    Thanks for your replies. It never occured to me to compare this to Taxol. I had 6 weeks (weekly) of chemo taxol, and I was in pain. I don't think this pain is as bad, and it isn't constant. My biggest complaint (whine!) is the tiredness. My yard needs weeding too! Thank goodness I was trying to make the yard "low maintenance" before my diagnosis! I've got an appointment with my onc next week - I'll let you know what I find out.
    jill
  • DiO
    DiO Member Posts: 51
    #6
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    I'm on Arimidex, not Femara, but since some of the effects are the same I'll put in my 2 cents!

    I've been taking the Arimidex since July '04, so just over a year. I had hand and finger joint pain along with some trigger finger from the start of the drug, which got slowly worse with time--not horrible, just nagging. I work in clothing retail and it got very difficult to pinch the hanger when hanging up the clothes. Just when I was beginning to think I'd have to switch to a different dept at work, the pain started getting less. Over about six weeks, beginning around May, it decreased to the point I now have some stiffness and occasional triggering, but very little pain, and the hangers don't bother me at all. I have no idea why as I haven't done or taken anything different. Just remember everyone reacts differently to these drugs, and apparently our bodies sometimes adapt over time.

    Good luck, and God bless, Di
  • Gramma44
    Gramma44 Member Posts: 28
    #7
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    I need help too regarding Femara. I have been on Femara for 1 1/2 years (after 1 1/2yrs on Tamoxifen) and am seriously considering quitting because my joint pain is so bad. I already had some problems with arthritis before going on Femara but it seems so much worse now. I keep thinking going off the Femara will help determine if Femara is the cause of my increased pain or if my arthritis has just gotten worse. On the other hand I'm scared to stop the Femara for fear of cancer returning (I was stage I, clean lymph nodes, estrogen positive,in 2001). I don't want to return to Tamoxifen because those side-effects scared me even more!! I'm so sick of hurting I don't know what to do. Walking is especially bad. I'm 61 and like all of you feel 100 on some days!! I'm open to suggestions!! I see my onc in Nov and want to talk to him about this.
  • cruf
    cruf Member Posts: 908
    #8
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    Gramma44 said:

    I need help too regarding Femara. I have been on Femara for 1 1/2 years (after 1 1/2yrs on Tamoxifen) and am seriously considering quitting because my joint pain is so bad. I already had some problems with arthritis before going on Femara but it seems so much worse now. I keep thinking going off the Femara will help determine if Femara is the cause of my increased pain or if my arthritis has just gotten worse. On the other hand I'm scared to stop the Femara for fear of cancer returning (I was stage I, clean lymph nodes, estrogen positive,in 2001). I don't want to return to Tamoxifen because those side-effects scared me even more!! I'm so sick of hurting I don't know what to do. Walking is especially bad. I'm 61 and like all of you feel 100 on some days!! I'm open to suggestions!! I see my onc in Nov and want to talk to him about this.

    Hi Gramma44! Why wait till Nov. to speak to your Onc. if you're so uncomfortable? Maybe he could suggest something to help ease the pain. There are so many good medications out there. I'm also concerned about the Femara. I will be starting it in a few days just finishing my 5 years of Tamoxifen. I can't really say that I've had a bad time on Tamoxifen other than the hot flashes and night sweats. I also have some joint pain in my hands , elbows and shoulders but have been on meds. for a week and notice alot of improvement. I was stage 0, Estrogen +, Mastectomy and Tram Flap Reconstruction. I am willing to try the meds to prevent recurrance but if the side effects are bad, I'll just have to hope I don't get the BC back. Hope you're feeling better. Let us know what the onc. says. HUGS!! Cathy
  • Kathern
    Kathern Member Posts: 9
    #9
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    Dear jdubious,
    Hello, I've been on Femara for 8 months.I was gaining so much weight on Aromasin so my doctor put me on Femara.I don't like it. My pain is awful, I sleep all the time and the hot flashes are awful, so my family doctor put me on Effexor to help with the hot flashes and mood swings. Having cancer has just messed me up.I've gained weight and yuk!!My doctor also put me on Sulindac for the joint pain. Good luck
  • SallyB20
    SallyB20 Member Posts: 2
    #10
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    Kathern said:

    Dear jdubious,
    Hello, I've been on Femara for 8 months.I was gaining so much weight on Aromasin so my doctor put me on Femara.I don't like it. My pain is awful, I sleep all the time and the hot flashes are awful, so my family doctor put me on Effexor to help with the hot flashes and mood swings. Having cancer has just messed me up.I've gained weight and yuk!!My doctor also put me on Sulindac for the joint pain. Good luck

    Femara vs. Letrozol ?

    I have only just been on letrozole a month now but the arthritic symptoms in my hands is the worst so far.  Had to remove my rings for fear they would need to be cut off and i wake up with numb hands all night long.  Other joints are achy too and I fear they will only get worse.  Has anyone heard that femara brand name is better than generic for side effects?  I had read somewhere that Letrozol had more side effects and was thinking of asking my oncologist to prescribe it.  the idea of five or ten years or more of this is unbearable.  I hope someone out there can offer me some help.   Thanks.

  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #11
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    SallyB20 said:

    Femara vs. Letrozol ?

    I have only just been on letrozole a month now but the arthritic symptoms in my hands is the worst so far.  Had to remove my rings for fear they would need to be cut off and i wake up with numb hands all night long.  Other joints are achy too and I fear they will only get worse.  Has anyone heard that femara brand name is better than generic for side effects?  I had read somewhere that Letrozol had more side effects and was thinking of asking my oncologist to prescribe it.  the idea of five or ten years or more of this is unbearable.  I hope someone out there can offer me some help.   Thanks.

    I dont knoe abouy the dif btwn generic and brand
    but I do know the side effects got so bad, I could not get out of bed without help. I was determined to make it wotk as I was told I was down to Femara (I was actually on the generic), Aromason and Arimadex. No more Chemo, all options exhausted. Dr. would not chg to Arimadex bcuz it is thr brother to Femara and he felt the s/e would be the same or worse. So it was Aromason. I refused to start it for a month after stopping the Femara. Figured I wouldnt be able to tell if it was se from Aromason or still the Femara.
    I have been on Aromason for a year now and only se has been some dry mouth. My tumor Markers have gone from 500+ to 25 las week, so it is stabalizing the cancer. I am hoping that I get more years, actually I feel like I am on borrowed time for 4 years. I was told 3-6 months at onset of mets, didnt have mch good newsnwith chemo, biophosphatesnran theirmcourse, blood clots limited ither options so, I am thrilled with getting this time and keep praying that I get more time out of Aromason.
    Have HOPE that I will still be here and will qualify when they get the Immune Therapy Immunization approved for Metastatic Breast Cancer!
    Hugs,
    Carol

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