femara
Comments
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Femara OK
I have been taking Femara since July 15. I have virtually no side effects from it: the only thing I have been questioning recently is whether or not depression could be a side effect. I plan to ask my doctor about this this Friday, but I think my depression is related to other events which have happened in my life this year, probably not the Femara but you never know. Other than that, I have not experienced any other side effects.
Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Ohilly0 -
Femara Effectsohilly said:Femara OK
I have been taking Femara since July 15. I have virtually no side effects from it: the only thing I have been questioning recently is whether or not depression could be a side effect. I plan to ask my doctor about this this Friday, but I think my depression is related to other events which have happened in my life this year, probably not the Femara but you never know. Other than that, I have not experienced any other side effects.
Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Ohilly
I have been on Femara for 18 months. Joint aches developed after a few months most notably in my shoulders. I don't sleep well but that's been going on since my days with menopausal hot flashes which overlapped with chemo hot flashes. No more night-time hot flashes but my sleep is still disturbed. It's hard to know if this is a Femara side effect or not. I do attribute the joint pain to Femara, however, since it is bi-lateral: both shoulders, both thumb joints, etc. My oncologist indicated this is the pattern with Femara-induced joint pain. I have not experience any weight gain (which has been reported as a possible side effect) and no other symptoms but the joint issues. I hope you manage to avoid all but a few nuisance side effects. Good luck !
Nancy0 -
Nancy, my onc recommendednancyh1314 said:Femara Effects
I have been on Femara for 18 months. Joint aches developed after a few months most notably in my shoulders. I don't sleep well but that's been going on since my days with menopausal hot flashes which overlapped with chemo hot flashes. No more night-time hot flashes but my sleep is still disturbed. It's hard to know if this is a Femara side effect or not. I do attribute the joint pain to Femara, however, since it is bi-lateral: both shoulders, both thumb joints, etc. My oncologist indicated this is the pattern with Femara-induced joint pain. I have not experience any weight gain (which has been reported as a possible side effect) and no other symptoms but the joint issues. I hope you manage to avoid all but a few nuisance side effects. Good luck !
Nancy
Nancy, my onc recommended that I take Glucosamine/Chondroitin at the time I began Femara for the bone/muscle aches. I would ask your onc about this.0 -
femaraohilly said:Femara OK
I have been taking Femara since July 15. I have virtually no side effects from it: the only thing I have been questioning recently is whether or not depression could be a side effect. I plan to ask my doctor about this this Friday, but I think my depression is related to other events which have happened in my life this year, probably not the Femara but you never know. Other than that, I have not experienced any other side effects.
Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Ohilly
how often are you supposed to get a bone density study?0 -
femaraDerbygirl said:Just started Femara a couple
Just started Femara a couple of weeks ago and no side effects yet. Did your oncologist recommend taking Calcium + Vit D and Glucosamine/Chondroitin?
just calcium/vit d but have always gotten terrible heartburn from calcium. so have stopped that and trying to eat a lot of high calcium foods. I take long acting morphine for degenerative disc disease.0 -
Femaranancyh1314 said:Femara Effects
I have been on Femara for 18 months. Joint aches developed after a few months most notably in my shoulders. I don't sleep well but that's been going on since my days with menopausal hot flashes which overlapped with chemo hot flashes. No more night-time hot flashes but my sleep is still disturbed. It's hard to know if this is a Femara side effect or not. I do attribute the joint pain to Femara, however, since it is bi-lateral: both shoulders, both thumb joints, etc. My oncologist indicated this is the pattern with Femara-induced joint pain. I have not experience any weight gain (which has been reported as a possible side effect) and no other symptoms but the joint issues. I hope you manage to avoid all but a few nuisance side effects. Good luck !
Nancy
Has anyone had acne witht he Femara? I just turned 49 in Jan and now that I've been Feamara since Dec 08 I look like a teenager again. Yes I'm doing the Calcium and vit D but I wasnt ready for the acne. My skin is so sensitive to everything I put on it. The joint pain has started but thats expected.0 -
Started Femera in March
Started Femera in March shortly after my surgery. I am experiencing terrible hot flashes and cold flashes. Sleep is next to impossible some nites. And now there is hair growing on my soon to be breast! What's that all about anyway? Onc put me on Calcium/Vit D and I also take Glucosamine0 -
Things to Consider for bones and joint pain
If you are on an aromatase inhibitor like Femara, there are plenty of things to consider. This drug is very effective in increasing survival time (twice as good as tamoxifen) and the side effects are minimal next to chemo. It does have a lot of side effects, but which ones you get depend on your personal body chemistry. Most folks get hot flashes. Sip cool water, wear layers you can peel off quickly, and be thankful you can run to the bathroom in the winter with warm feet in spite of the weather. After a year or two of flashes it does get better--well, at least it did for me! Watch out for your bones. The calcium you get from 4 glasses of milk a day is good, but even with that, daily exercise, and calcium with D supplements I had some bone loss. Fortunately I had bone scans every two years and saw what was happening before things got seriously bad. Right now I'm on Fosamax to stop the downward trend toward osteoporosis. Another common problem is joint pain. When I went for my latest checkup and mamogram, the nurse practioner mentioned Vitamin D testing and supplements as needed. She has been amazed at how many survivors test low enough to require prescription vitamin D3. One survivor in the waiting room exchanged her views on Vitamin D with me. She said that she had to stay on the prescription strength stuff and that both her oncologist and her rheumatologist agree: Vitamin D3 reduces the inflamation that causes joint pain. If you have this symptom, get tested. If you are below 30, get a prescription Vitamin D3. If you are low but above 30, get the Vitamin D3 from the health food store. The folks in my doctor's office swear by the gel tabs with fish oil vitamin D3. They claim that they work better. Having never tried the solid tabs, I have no idea. But I have noted that my feet no longer hurt as long as I take my gel tabs. If I forget for a day or two, the pain is back. Sitting in the sun seems to help too, but unfortunately I work inside and don't get out enough. Good luck with your new medicine. I hope things work out well for you!
C. Abbott0
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