femara side effects

Femara does cause bone pain. My doctor wouldn't try me on it without a bone density scan. After 2 weeks on Femara I could barely get out of bed because of extreme bonepain all over my body. A repeat bone density scan showed density change in my left shoulder and right hip. My doctor took me off of Femara and tried Arimidex. It was better but it left me so tired I couldn't stay awake at work so he took me off of all the drugs for a month then put me on Tamoxifen. After 8 months I haven't had any problems with Tamoxifen.
Talk to your doctor and tell him about the side effects you are experiencing. There are other drugs to try. Quality of life is important. Also exercise. I was in a exercise study at SIU School of Medicine and I feel much better sinceI started exercising. I use a treadmill 5 times a week for 30 minutes, strength train 3 times a week for 15 minutes and do a 60 minute water arobics class 2 or 3 times a week.

Hi, everyone. Never done a forum or anything like it before. I'm on Femara. Second treatment series; first medical team failed to get all. Tamoxifin for 1 1/2 years. Been on Femara for about ten months. Chemo, radiation. Been a long, tough ride. Nice to hear others out there. Though, sorry to see so many effected. I have all the side-effects mentioned. Sorry to say. Ibuprofin(sp)helps. Take 1200 glucosamine,chondroitin, MSM . . . don't think they do anything. Going to try raising the dosages. Also take Omega 3. Can't really tell you anything. None of the natural stuff ever seemed to work for me. Haven't been exercising much this year after excision of pec muscle; was too depressed. Was always very physical. Have to say, though, working out helped my joints a lot when I was on Tamoxifin, pre-muscle removal. Gonna start working out again next week.

Hi Solo
I took about double the glucosime that you are and it did help. No docs thought it would be a problem. It helped me feel well enough to work out and now I don't seem to need it as much. Time likely also helped. Life is much better for me than it had been though I still feel a little stiff sometimes. All the best!

Any one else have this happen? My inflamation pain has continued since I came off the meds in January. Exercise sets it off. I'm a care giver, so this isn't good. My breast cancer was in 1999. I'm off the Tamoxifen and Femara after some 7 years. Femara did a bad number on my muscles, joints, nerves, hair. Though Oncologist says its not the Femara, won't put me back on it. Sad, because I feel Enough is Never Enough...

rhonda wrote:

off of tamoxifen after 5 years and am very afraid to start femara. dont know if its worth it after all of the side effects i have read

Hello, I was on tamoxifen for 5 years and have been on femara for four years. I have not experienced any awful side effects from this medication. I had some annoying side effects that I used some tough mindedness to not let myself get bothered though. Mental toughness was what I learned through all this experience and I exercise every day. Depression can come in if you allow it, and I was determined to not let it enter. I golf 4 times a week and have many interests that keep my busy and happy. Hope you do well with your medicine and breeze through the experience. My side effects dimished and I feel fine 99% of the time.

I have been on Arimidex for 3 years, Feb 1, 2008 was switched to Femara. I have experienced knee pain, dryness of the skin, loss of hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. My whole body is stiff. It takes awhile to get moving after I sit and rest. The weight gain is around 10 lbs. I feel depressed and fatigued. I am taking Aleve and MSM and Zyflamend. (Zyflamend is a HERBAL product put out by NEWCHAPTER.) I sure would love to get off of Femara and go back on Arimidex.

I am on Femara & have a problem I'd like to mention to see if others have it. But first, I wanted to post to you all & tell you that YOU ARE MY HEROES! I happened upon this site last night & stayed up till past 3am reading all 100+ postings. As I read them, I began to shed tears. You are all so courageous, so brave, so committed and so determined to fight the battle. You are a true inspiration, not only to me but to the rest of the world, as well. It is SO unfair that women (& some men) have to deal with all the ugliness that comes from a diagnosis of BC & its treatment, only to then have to put up with all these physical & mental miseries from a drug that is suppose to help keep us healthy. But, I guess life is very unfair at times. What do ya do but keep on fighting?! Anyway, I am SO happy to have found you all. I wish I could meet every one of you personally. What a great support group we would make! Hugs to all.

Susan from Ireland wrote:

<quoted text>
I was glad to see acomeone else was depressed and weepy (not that I want you to go through this). I have been taking femara for 3 weeks and just want to cry, have thyis empty depressed feeling, which I haven´t experienced throughout the previous 9 months of surgery, chemo etc. Also have bone and joint pains and hot flushes. Oncology nurse suggested evening primrose oil. Does anyone have any suggestions for the weepiness??

Dear Susan from Ireland,
I'm a 4 yr, Stage 2 BC (Estrogen & Her2 +) survivor. Have been on Femara for nearly 3 yrs after a short stint on Arimidex which was even worse than Femara is now. One of my many side effects has been anxiety & depression including, as you say, lots of "weepiness." This was 1st brought on by the forced menopause from the chemo (I was 46 yrs old @ the time of treatmt.) But the fear of cancer recurrence & all the problems I've had with Femara has done nothing to help the crying & anxiety. At the urging of my uncle who I look up to a great deal, I began to see a psychiatrist who put me on Lexapro. I wasn't hip about going on this type of drug -- had never been on a depression/anxiety drug before -- but I was desperate to get some level of mental normalcy back into my life. The Lexapro has been a real God-send. I take 15mg once a day & am so much happier, plus can face each day with a little less fear of cancer than before. And there are even some days that I don't think of cancer at all, which is AWESOME! The Lexapro, plus starting a Hatha Yoga class, has made a huge difference in my ability to cope with life after BC. I hope this helps you and others who are also experiencing depression.

Sorry to post so many messages tonight (this is my 3rd), but so much to say! Below is a link to a very interesting survey the "Breast Cancer Action" organization did on side effects of all the aromatase inhibitors. Thought some of you would be interested in seeing how your AI side effects "stack up" with those reported by the 500+ women who were surveyed by BC Action. I have no connection with this organization. I just happened upon their site when doing an Internet search on "Femara side effects." The link is: http://bcaction.org/index.php...

I was on Femara for about a year then off it for 3 months (to try and lose weight but Xmas got in the way) now back on it and am experiencing double the pain (mainly back and leg) than when I was on it before. Also have noticed my fingernails peeling again - had just got them looking nice too. Hate this so much.

FPL wrote:

<quoted text>Yes,extreme left shoulder pain.

My SO is having extreme right shoulder pain like you described in your post He is on carbo, taxol, and erbitux. Any comments or help would be appreciated.

I am on my first cycle of Femara for infertility. I am having ripping, burning pain in my lower left abdomen. It has been getting progressively worse for about 8 days. I have contacted my OBGYN and he said that he hasn't heard of Femara doing this. Is anyone else having severe pain in the abdomen from Femara???

I'm on my first cycle of Femara for infertility. I had 0 sypmtoms until a week and half after I finished the 5 day regimine. Now I'm nauseous, tired, have headaches, etc., the side effects listed. But while taking it I had no problems. I don't know if I'm pregnant, I doubt it since I've had negative test. And I've heard one other woman stating that she was also nauseous before her cycle started over. According to her it's due to the rise in hormone levels.

Kim-SD wrote:

I am on my first cycle of Femara for infertility. I am having ripping, burning pain in my lower left abdomen. It has been getting progressively worse for about 8 days. I have contacted my OBGYN and he said that he hasn't heard of Femara doing this. Is anyone else having severe pain in the abdomen from Femara???

It's supposed to stimulate mature follicles. If you have too many or they're too large that could be causing the pain you describe in your ovary area. When your doctor does your scan he'll be able to tell if that's teh reason.

becky wrote:

I will take Femara the first time tomorrow! Hope I get Pregnant fast. I have Pcos And A thyroid problem , many failed pregnacies. I hope this Femara isn't as bad as it sounds?

Hi Becky.
Goo luck with te Femara.
I too have pcos, underactive thyroid and suffer greatly with pcos. I canot stop crying! I had Mirena removed 8 weeks ago and since then, I have been very down. Trying to convince a doctor that my problems are hormonal is so difficult!
Take care and again, good luck!

hi,

I am a taking 2.5 mg of femara once a day. It has been about 2 weeks now. I am having back pain like someone is breaking me in to 2. My ankles hurt a little and headaches. I haven't had any hair loss; Yet! I am feeling more and more tired. I get really nasty with my kids if they keep asking me things, like it is too much to answer. I do urine alot. trying not to gain weight, but lets see what happens. My vision is ok right now, but can't do much night driving. I dont know if these are symptoms of femara or if I'm just getting old.(40). Please respond I would love to talk to someone else about this. I thought that this drug was only for postmenopausal women, but my oncologist has me on this and has not tested me to see whether i have menopaused or not.

I'm sorry, but I have to write again.

I had stage 11 breast cancer. Did the chemo and radiation. Had 4 surgeries, waiting for the 5th.(reconstruction). It is crazy. The fact that we have to put up with the effects of chemo and then radiation. You'd think that that was enough, but no.

I have heard that homeopathic meds work really good too. I am waiting for my sister to let me know which ones her boss was on for cancer so I can try them. It is much better than to put up with the side effects of these drugs that actually harm you in the end. After the chemicals from chemo the docs want to put more chemicals into you. I'm sorry, but i am so tired of taking medicine. I would rather live and die with cancer and have a fuller life than to put up with the pain and live a miserable life. Sorry just the way that I feel that's all.

Had breast cancer 1989. Lumpectomy and massive radiation treatments. I was 44. Eighteen years later had a recurrence. Same breast. Same place.
Had a mastectomy. My Oncologist put me on Femara in February. I am so happy to find that I am not looking for aches and pains but that it seems to be a side effect of the pill. "Night" sweats minimum one an hour 24/7. Which are painful. The all over body aches. Constant joint and bone pain that makes getting out of bed total torture. Dry mouth, blurred vision, headache. Weepy and depressed. Weight gain. I am afraid to have a cholesterol check. My excellent BP is now skyrocketing. Have four stents in my artery's. I fear I will die of Heart issues long before cancer gets me. I am ready to get off Femara. Has anyone done this. Are there any withdrawal affects?

Here's a new one. I have been on arimidex one year, but had a skin rash and poisonous reaction. Then, femara for 2-1/2 yrs. Initially, I gained five pounds, but feel and look like 25! The problem is my hips, stomach and rear have expanded two pant sizes! Are my hormones messed up or what! Oddly, although I am not dieting, the scales have not moved more than an ounce in over a year! Is it possible I am having difficulty gaining weight as a result of femara's kicking in? This could be a great discovery for obese people who lose but can't keep it off! Also, had back pain recently and could not walk for 3 weeks although MRI showed no problem! There are many unanswered questions about that "yellow pill". One more thing, be sure to get checked for glaucoma. I developed it over a year ago although no family history. Glaucoma is related to hormones - one school of thought. Other than this, femara is doing it's job keeping me cancer-free!

I was on femara for 4 years and 2 months. I have been off of it for 3 weeks now.I do seem to feel better but lately am experiencing severe tiredness just stated yesterday. I wonder if I am now experiencing withdrawls. I am post breast cancer and my doctor feels good about taking me off. I am not on anything now. This is an overwhelming tiredness where I can,t function. I can,t find any info. on withdrawls.