femara

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ckschrep
ckschrep Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I am new to this site. I am a 7 year survivor of stage 2 estrogen pos breast cancer. Following chemo, I had five years of tamoxifen and have now been on Femara for 1.5 years. Side effects were not too bad at first but for the last 6 months I have been experiencing muscle pain, joint pain and extreme fatigue. My Alk (SGPT) enzyme is also twice the normal value. I was wondering if the effects of femara seem to increase with time? I feel like I am 100 years old and find it extremely painful to start walking after sitting for a while at my desk. I also have trouble sleeping due to pain in my legs and shoulders. I can also compare this to the feeling following Taxol. Does anyone else experience this? I find it hard to do things with my hands as the pain in my wrists is the worst. I am 54 and have been very active but now I do not have the energy to want to lead the active lifestyle I have always enjoyed.

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  • cruf
    cruf Member Posts: 908
    #2
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    Hi! I am a 5 year survivor. I was also on Tamoxifen for 5 years and have been on Femara for only 2 mos. I am finding I also have increased joint pain in my hands and elbows and also feel old when getting up from sitting. I am active. My MD(orthopedist) wants me to see a Rheumotologist to see why multiple joints hurt even tho I told him about Femara. I am a PT in a Nursing Home and finding it's very uncomfortable to do my work. I also walk on the treadmill everynight which I still do. I play tennis every Monday night but will take the winter off due to joint pain. I also have increased hot flashes which seem worse on Femara. Talk about feeling OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess we have to weigh the pros and cons. I think I'll stay on it as long as it doesn't get worse. Good luck to you. Let me know how you're doing. You can e-mail me here if you want to chat. HUGS!!! Cathy
  • tlmac
    tlmac Member Posts: 272 Member
    #3
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    I've been on Arimidex for the last 2 and a half years. I can tell you the side effects have been cumulative for me. Early on, I had none. Now I'm stiff and sore first thing in the morning and after sitting for any length of time. I take double strength glucosamine/chondroitin and start and end each day with a hot soak in the tub. These make the discomfort tolerable. I'm 56 and was always very active. There are limitations now on what I can do. I've read postings on other forums suggesting a link between Femara and elevated liver enzymes. One woman even went off the Femara for 8 weeks and the liver enzymes returned to normal. According to the prescribing information on Femara, there is no documented adverse affect on Alk but this wouldn't be the first time for a pharmaceutical company to withhold information on a possible negative connection, especially if only a small percentage of individuals were affected. Good luck.
    terri
  • cathdavis
    cathdavis Member Posts: 42
    #4
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    tlmac said:

    I've been on Arimidex for the last 2 and a half years. I can tell you the side effects have been cumulative for me. Early on, I had none. Now I'm stiff and sore first thing in the morning and after sitting for any length of time. I take double strength glucosamine/chondroitin and start and end each day with a hot soak in the tub. These make the discomfort tolerable. I'm 56 and was always very active. There are limitations now on what I can do. I've read postings on other forums suggesting a link between Femara and elevated liver enzymes. One woman even went off the Femara for 8 weeks and the liver enzymes returned to normal. According to the prescribing information on Femara, there is no documented adverse affect on Alk but this wouldn't be the first time for a pharmaceutical company to withhold information on a possible negative connection, especially if only a small percentage of individuals were affected. Good luck.
    terri

    Terri..I am on arimidex too; 3 1/2 yrs. I have joint pain in my hands/fingers, wrists and feet. They thought it might be RA, but tests were neg. No one wants to admit it may be the med. I am trying to find a study or something where they are following arimidex patients. Do you know of any? Thanks. Cathy
  • tlmac
    tlmac Member Posts: 272 Member
    #5
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    cathdavis said:

    Terri..I am on arimidex too; 3 1/2 yrs. I have joint pain in my hands/fingers, wrists and feet. They thought it might be RA, but tests were neg. No one wants to admit it may be the med. I am trying to find a study or something where they are following arimidex patients. Do you know of any? Thanks. Cathy

    Hi Cathy, Can't believe, after ruling out RA, that your medical team would be reluctant to consider the Arimidex. You can Google "arimidex AND joint pain" for additional information on this subject. Here's one study:
    http://www.med.monash.edu.au/medicine/alfred/womenshealth/breast-cancer-joint-pains.html
    I'm not so bad that I would ever consider quitting the drug. I feel extremely fortunate to be in a group that can benefit from additional therapy. Good luck with your research.
    terri
  • nganga4
    nganga4 Member Posts: 17
    #6
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    I just quit Femara. I'd rather have a decent quality of life and be able to walk.

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