femara

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

nancyh1314 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
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.

merry1943 said:

femara
how often are you supposed to get a bone density study?

Bone density scan was done
Bone density scan was done for a baseline prior to cancer diagnosis at age 54. Now that I'm on Femara I think onc will order one every 12 to 18 months.

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. Abbott