femera???

ppurdin · January 2010

Hi everyone.I finished rads. yesterday.ya.I see my cancer Dr. Monday about taking Femera.I would like to hear from some of you that have taken it.Did you do ok?what sideeffects if any did you have.I also wonder if it is exspensive.She wants me to take it for 5yrs.Thanks averyone.have a wonderful day.Love and Prayers.(Pat).

m_azingrace · January 2010

Femara
Hi Pat. I've been taking Femara since September of O9. There is a list of possible side effects, which include hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, thinning hair, and joint pain. So far I'm tolerating it very well, with just hot flashes. Femara does weaken bone, so your doctor most likely will also have you get Zometa or something like it to keep your bones strong. I go once a month for a Zometa infusion.

There is no generic equivalent available in the US (Canada has it), so it is costly. I would pay $450 for 30 days, if I didn't have prescription insurance. My copay is $45.

We started our journeys around the same time, Pat. It looks like you're well on your way to recovering. My heart rejoices for you. Hugs, Gracie

ppurdin · January 2010

m_azingrace said:
Femara
Hi Pat. I've been taking Femara since September of O9. There is a list of possible side effects, which include hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, thinning hair, and joint pain. So far I'm tolerating it very well, with just hot flashes. Femara does weaken bone, so your doctor most likely will also have you get Zometa or something like it to keep your bones strong. I go once a month for a Zometa infusion.

There is no generic equivalent available in the US (Canada has it), so it is costly. I would pay $450 for 30 days, if I didn't have prescription insurance. My copay is $45.

We started our journeys around the same time, Pat. It looks like you're well on your way to recovering. My heart rejoices for you. Hugs, Gracie

femera
Thanks Graci.I appriatte your reply.i don,t have perscripion Ins. so I hope their is an alternate for Femera.I will find out monday.love and Prayers.(Pat).

m_azingrace · January 2010

ppurdin said:
femera
Thanks Graci.I appriatte your reply.i don,t have perscripion Ins. so I hope their is an alternate for Femera.I will find out monday.love and Prayers.(Pat).

Generic Femara
A while ago someone posted information about the generic form being available in Canada. I also remember another person posting about help being available to pay for their prescription. When I find those posts, I'll bump them up for you.

Sunrae · January 2010

m_azingrace said:
Generic Femara
A while ago someone posted information about the generic form being available in Canada. I also remember another person posting about help being available to pay for their prescription. When I find those posts, I'll bump them up for you.

Hi Pat, I've been on Femara
Hi Pat, I've been on Femara since Sept. 09 and will have to take it for 5 years. I was noticing night sweats when I first started taking it but that seems to have leveled some. I'm having some joint and tendon pain but my onc told me to take extra calcium and Vit D and exercise. So far It's working for me. I haven't had the depression and other symtoms mentioned on another post. I understand it's real expensive but so far I've gotten samples from my onc and my insurance will pay for most of it. I don't think there is a generic but if there is I would like to know more info too.

jski · January 2010

Femara
I have been on Femara since September. I have responded well and mostly suffer with
hot flashes, which I deal with by dressing in layers. There are more side effects
that I fortunately have not had to deal with. My co-pay is $25.00 per month. Your
Oncologist can probably hook you up with a mail in program and get a 3 month RX at a
reduced rate. My doctor's office offered to do that before I knew what my co-pay was.

HillBillyNana · January 2010

jski said:
Femara
I have been on Femara since September. I have responded well and mostly suffer with
hot flashes, which I deal with by dressing in layers. There are more side effects
that I fortunately have not had to deal with. My co-pay is $25.00 per month. Your
Oncologist can probably hook you up with a mail in program and get a 3 month RX at a
reduced rate. My doctor's office offered to do that before I knew what my co-pay was.

Cost of Femara and Generic
I started taking Femara December 4, 2009. I think I am having more severe hot flashes but not intolerable. The cost is outraqeous. There is no generic in the U.S. But it is available in Canada. Someone told me about a Canadian pharmacy that is reliable, but I contacted them and they don't do prescriptions by mail. There are some that do mail order prescriptions. We used one for my husband's cholesterol but discontinued it when he got Medicare. As for the femara, I have insurance and my co-pay is $43.00. Without insurance it would be $370.00 My oncologist gave me some samples and that is helpful. So I stopped my search for a Canadian pharmacy to supply the femara. One bright note: My pharmacist told me he is pretty optimistic about femara getting on the generic list by January 2011.

I would like to hear more about the side effects of femara. I had a bone density scan and got a call today from the oncologist. The scan showed that I do have some osteoporosis. She wants to talk to me about options for treatment. Any ideas? suggestions?

m_azingrace · January 2010

HillBillyNana said:
Cost of Femara and Generic
I started taking Femara December 4, 2009. I think I am having more severe hot flashes but not intolerable. The cost is outraqeous. There is no generic in the U.S. But it is available in Canada. Someone told me about a Canadian pharmacy that is reliable, but I contacted them and they don't do prescriptions by mail. There are some that do mail order prescriptions. We used one for my husband's cholesterol but discontinued it when he got Medicare. As for the femara, I have insurance and my co-pay is $43.00. Without insurance it would be $370.00 My oncologist gave me some samples and that is helpful. So I stopped my search for a Canadian pharmacy to supply the femara. One bright note: My pharmacist told me he is pretty optimistic about femara getting on the generic list by January 2011.

I would like to hear more about the side effects of femara. I had a bone density scan and got a call today from the oncologist. The scan showed that I do have some osteoporosis. She wants to talk to me about options for treatment. Any ideas? suggestions?

Femara vs. bone strength
HBNana, Femara is very hard on the bones, even strong ones. When my oncologist started me on Femara, he also ordered a monthly infusion of Zometa, to keep my bones strong even though my bones are strong. Everything has a down side, though. Zometa can cause kidney problems, so before each treatment, I get my blood tested for kidney function. So far so good. One of the keys to success with that is to drink lots of water, especially the 24 hours surrounding the infusion. Zometa, and other similar drugs, also have been linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw, so it's vitally important to begin treatment with good dental health. In my case, I had had a thorough exam and cleaning just before beginning the Zometa, and now I get cleaning every 3 months to help prevent problems. So, with Femara, the dr might also want you to get Zometa or something like it, to safeguard your bones.

peacefulheart · January 2010

Femara
I have been taking femara for 3 months now. There have been some side effects but very manageable. I do get chilled on and off and a funny taste in my mouth every so often. Also my throat gets to feeling very warm, not quite burning, but enough to notice it. It's wierd. Other than that, I have done very well with it. I too am to continue it for 5 years. At this time I have insurance, but if the laws don't change about pre-existing illness, I will no longer have insurance in one year.

femera???

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