femara side effects

I am having alot of urinary problems since I have been taking femara. I had been on tomoxafin for about 4 and a half years. I have bladder pressure, frequent urination and irritation. Vaginal difficulties as well. I am also losing hair - just a general thinning. I can deal with hot flashes and being tired, but the other symptoms are very dificult.

I have been on Famara since October 1999 and had no side effects whatsoever. I had been on Tamoxafin from 1997 - October 1999, when I had recurrance of breast cancer on my hip. 1 year after radiation I had the right hip replaced and am still in remission, today, June 16,2006.

I got the hot flashes at night too. I now sleep with an electric fan that blows on me (gently) and find I make it right throught the night without waking up. An understanding husband who is a sound sleeper helps.
That said, during the day I am sensitive to the slightest temperture change. At work, I can tell you when the air conditioning is about to come on as I feel it getting warm. I think that my body's internal themometer has gotten very sensitive and reacts quickly to any small changes. I have a fan on my desk that I turn on when it starts to feel warm and I head the flashes off.
I have been on Femara (after reacting terrbily to Arimedix)for three months and am finding ways to deal with the mild side affects. I have checked with three doctors and all agree that given my history, it is worth taking.

Carol Lane wrote:

I got the hot flashes at night too. I now sleep with an electric fan that blows on me (gently) and find I make it right throught the night without waking up. An understanding husband who is a sound sleeper helps.
That said, during the day I am sensitive to the slightest temperture change. At work, I can tell you when the air conditioning is about to come on as I feel it getting warm. I think that my body's internal themometer has gotten very sensitive and reacts quickly to any small changes. I have a fan on my desk that I turn on when it starts to feel warm and I head the flashes off.
I have been on Femara (after reacting terrbily to Arimedix)for three months and am finding ways to deal with the mild side affects. I have checked with three doctors and all agree that given my history, it is worth taking.

I too am having ptoblems with Arimidex - I am extremely stiff in the morning and find it very painful getting out of bed.Do you know if the prognosis with Femara is as good as with Arimidex. I gather that there is a 65% reduction in the likelihood of the cancer returning on Arimidex.Did your joint pains really incapacitate you and maybe that's why you're happier to be on Femara.I'll need to decide soon so any help you can give would be great.
Liz

Hi Carol
I too have joint pains on Arimidex and am thinking of trying Femara.Do you know if the prognosis on recurrence with Femara is as good as arimidex - which is 65%.Also,were your joint pains really incapacitating and maybe that's why you prefer Femara. I'm affected badly in the morning but can function very adequately during the day.It's very painful getting out of bed.
I need to make up my mind soon so any information would be very helpful.
Liz

Hi Liz,
What you are describing is what I went through. I could hardly get moving in the mornings and really ached in my joints and the bottoms of my feet (odd, I know). Over the course of the day it would get better. I felt that I was ancient when I am just 45.
I have spoken with three doctors (two oncologists and my surgeon and her team which includes another oncologist) and they all agreed that Femara is a good alternative and I am not losing any benefits by switching. My oncologist says that she keeps telling the drug reps that she wants data on Femara vs Arimidex as each tell her that they are better but there is no evidence. I actually like the fact that woman have been taking Femara (though after Tamoxifen) for some time.
I tolerate the Femara well; a bit of pain in my fingers when I wake in the morning. Nothing like before.

Carol Lane wrote:

Hi Liz,
What you are describing is what I went through. I could hardly get moving in the mornings and really ached in my joints and the bottoms of my feet (odd, I know). Over the course of the day it would get better. I felt that I was ancient when I am just 45.
I have spoken with three doctors (two oncologists and my surgeon and her team which includes another oncologist) and they all agreed that Femara is a good alternative and I am not losing any benefits by switching. My oncologist says that she keeps telling the drug reps that she wants data on Femara vs Arimidex as each tell her that they are better but there is no evidence. I actually like the fact that woman have been taking Femara (though after Tamoxifen) for some time.
I tolerate the Femara well; a bit of pain in my fingers when I wake in the morning. Nothing like before.

Hi Carol
Thank you for answering so quickly.I certainly intend asking my oncologist about this drug. I did read somewhere that Femara is much more expensive than Arimidex - maybe that's why we don't have much information on it.

I've been taking Femara for 6 months. Had taken Tamoxifen for a year before that. I have increasing joint pain in my hands and feet, and wonder if it's from the Femara. I loosen up after a while in the a.m., but by evening, my feet hurt too much to stand. My oncologist hasn't seen this from Femara, but is not sure. Recent blood work shows a "marker" for Rheumatoid Arthritis, but her thought is that it may have been brought on by the Femars. Any opinions?

I started with Arimidex and I could not tolerate it. I was unable to move around quickly and the hot flashes were unbearable. I switched to Femara and I went into the deepest depression along with hot flashes but I didn't have joint pain. I'm am considering not taking anything unless my oncologist tells me there is something else I can take. The depression is the worst side effect for me.

I know. My preference would be to leave all of this behind. For me, Femara was far better then Arimidex. It is the feet thing that bothers me the most; it can be hard to walk sometimes which also makes it hard to exercise. That said, if I take it late at night with milk, I seem to fair far better than taking it first thing in the morning.

I just started Femara 2 months ago, and quit after a month due to moderate pain in my ankles, knees and hands. I stopped because I was just so stiff all over that I was like a 90 year old woman. I've been off it for 3 weeks, and I'm about 50% better. My rheumatoid work up was negative. My oncologist wants me to try again, but I'm not so sure I want to put my body through that. Has anyone had side effects that eventually subsided while on the drug? He seems to think the side effects get better after a few weeks.

Is there anyone that takes Famara7297 that broke out with
a rash. I have been on the drug for 10 days and
three days ago noticed what looks like hives on
my neck. The only thing that I am taken different
is Famara. Can anyone tell me if they had
this type of rash.

Hi Trish,

I have not seen any decrease in the stiffness. What you are describing is what I felt with Arimidix. I could barely move. Femara is not free of side effects but they stiffness is much less severe.

Have you tried an alternative medicine?

Best, Carol

Has anyone experienced an increase in irritability and impatience...very on edge? I've been on Femara for 5 weeks after 5 years of Tamoxifin.

I reached my 5-year survival date in July 2006, and went off the Femara pills. I had one year on Tamoxifen, and 4 years on Femara. I wish I had known about the Femara causing the numbness of feet, legs, and fingers, etc., and the burning feet and legs. The last year that I was taking this medicine, those symptoms came crashing down on me. I was sent to a neurologist, and on for more blood testing, and other testing in the "dreaded MRI beast" - So far, nothing else has shown up as a cause for all the numbness. I developed a degenerative lower back disk problem, and that is worse, the numbness and burning in my feet is still with me, but the finger numbness seems to be getting better. I just happened to talk to someone today who knew that the cancer drugs caused these problems. I wish I had been informed of this early in the treatment. My oncology lady told me it could take months before the femara is out of the system. I'm 66, and I hope that I will not become a cripple for the rest of my life because of the femara.
I also developed lymphedema before I started chemotherapy. The surgeon had removed all my lymph nodes under the left arm, and I had a double mastectomy. My lymphedema has not been swelling as much this summer, either, and I can only attribute that to my going off the Femara. The summer heat used to make the swelling worse. Has anyone else noticed changes in their lymphedema after going off the Femara. Happily, also, I have dropped about ten pounds, just because I am not as hungry.

I am 53 and feel like my 85 year old aunt. I am a 6 year breast cancer survivor. I have been on Femara since Dec. 2005 and over the last 6 months I have been having a lot of swelling and joint pain in my hands, knees and feet. I've been to my GP, Foot doctor, Neurologist and not one of them suggested that these problems could be related to Femara. I have had tests upon tests to try to figure out what my problem is and have been on 3 different medications and now they want to put me on anti-depressants. I am glad that I decided to check out more information about Femara. My oncologist never told me about these side effects and I guess I never asked or looked into it. Does anyone know of any relief for these symptoms? I just read someone's recommendation about taking Aleve in the morning and during the day and someone else saying to take the Femara at bed time instead of in the morning. I will try both of these, but I am willing to try anything at this point.

I recently stopped femara (six weeks ago) after completing five years of taking the drug. Prior to that I was taking Tamoxifen for five years. I had stage 2 breast cancer and have had no recurrence. I was in the original femara double blind study. My oncologist will not allow me to continue on the drug past the 5 years because there is no research out there to say it would be helpful and it may turn out to be similar to the Tamoxifen reversal after five years. I had few side effects (other than mild osteoporosis). Initially I had hot flashes and bone pain but after about 2 years all hot flashes and pain subsided. Since I had discontinued the use of femara, suddenly the hot flashes are back and have more bone pain. Has anyone else been in that study, completed it and had a similar reaction. The last three years of taking femara, I felt cold most of the time and never had a hot flash incident. Why now are they returning. Help!!!

Kathy wrote:

I am having alot of urinary problems since I have been taking femara. I had been on tomoxafin for about 4 and a half years. I have bladder pressure, frequent urination and irritation. Vaginal difficulties as well. I am also losing hair - just a general thinning. I can deal with hot flashes and being tired, but the other symptoms are very dificult.

I have been on femara for about a year and a half. I am also on aredia and herceptin. I started having a blood discharge as if I am having a period. It was spotting at first and now like a regular period. I also have bladder leakage.Has anyone had the bleeding or bladder leakage?

I had chemo and radiation in 2004.Then for a year and a half I've been on herceptin and aredia IV once a month and femara every day. I have bone pain in my joints and cramps in my feet.I have been spotting (like a period) on and off for about 9 months and I have bladder leakage.Now the spotting is like a period flow non stop every day.I still have bladder leakage.Anyone have anything like this?