femara side effects

I had full mastectomy in July along with "tummy tuck" which still has not healed completely. Did radiation which went well until the end when I felt like a crispy critter. The cancer was found in fatty tissue outside of lymph nodes (six were positive), so oncologist really wanted to do chemo, but could not because of open wounds.I almost discontinued Femara because of hot flashes, but they subsided. Now I have terrible joint pain in my thumbs to the point that I have stopped the Femara and am trying to decide whether to start back again. I am 61, but too young for arthritis which prevents me from opening jars, or gripping anything. And yes, I have the geriatric walk also after being seated for just about any length of time. There has been weight gain because I stay hungry all the time! I am praying for an answer.

I had lumpectomy, radiation, CMF chemo starting in Jan 1999. Did 5 years of Tamoxifen. Now have done 3.5 years of Femara. Since then I have had many urinary tract infections and now have been on Cipro for 6 months and am still getting UTIs. Has anyone else experienced this problem? My younger cousin had same problem with Tamoxifen. I take Effexor for the Hot flash problem. It helps a lot and also for the blues. Also I have a lot of joint pains all throughout my body. Can't wait to get off Femara in 1-1/2 years. My tests are negative for RA and I am 62 years old.

You need to go to a Urological Oncologist and have hIm Do a cell cytology test and also schedule a cystoscopy of your bladder. femara is known to cause UTI's and Bladder infections. I don't mean to alarm yOu but better safe than sorry.

I had only one UTI in my life and that was with Hematuria and I took myself to the urologist and had him do a cell cytology and cystoscopy . Lo and behold I am now going to be treated for bladder cancer. God knows if I had not asked to have these tests, I had a mastectomy 1n 1997. I am now 64 years old. I took Tamoxifen for 5 years and Femara for 4 years and four months.(I just stopped it myself because of what has haappened to me.) Goodluck to you. Pray for me!!!

I too am constantly voiding day and night. My onccologist refuses to believe it has anything to do with Femara.
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I am also losing my hair, which I was told wouldn't
happen.
Terrible pain in joints (fingers and feet)

Joan - Ontario - Canada wrote:

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.

How did you know you had cancer in your hip?? I am having hip pain now. Had breast cancer 1 yr. ogo. I'm thiking of getting a MRI of hip??

I've now been off Femara since late August after having taken it for 2 and 1/2 years and I still have terrible pain in my shoulders and hips. A rheumatologist at home recommended I take 1000 IU of Vitamin D per day and this seems to have made a big difference, but it's not consistent improvement. This specialist also told me he has 4 other patients with the same symptoms and that he had no idea what the cause of their bone and muscle problems was until I showed up. None of them have as severe symptoms as I do.

So, here I am.....7 months off Femara....I think we need to be prepared for a very long recovery from this toxic drug.....if we recover at all, which is a definite possibility.

I am really fed up to here with being so incapacitated...a nurse friend of mine suggested we all get together and start a class action suit vs Novartis.

Joanne wrote:

I've now been off Femara since late August after having taken it for 2 and 1/2 years and I still have terrible pain in my shoulders and hips. A rheumatologist at home recommended I take 1000 IU of Vitamin D per day and this seems to have made a big difference, but it's not consistent improvement. This specialist also told me he has 4 other patients with the same symptoms and that he had no idea what the cause of their bone and muscle problems was until I showed up. None of them have as severe symptoms as I do.
So, here I am.....7 months off Femara....I think we need to be prepared for a very long recovery from this toxic drug.....if we recover at all, which is a definite possibility.
I am really fed up to here with being so incapacitated...a nurse friend of mine suggested we all get together and start a class action suit vs Novartis.

I have been off Femara for about 15 months. Initially I had blurred vision, headaches joint pain and very painful hands and arms. I made the decision to stop taking this toxic drug. My Specialist commented he had not seen such a severe reaction to this drug. Some months later and only after he attended a conference in Florida he admitted that there was new adverse evidence about Femara. I was origionally diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000. Surgery,
Chemo , Radiotherapy followed. I took Tamoxifen for 5 years I was advised to go on Femara post Tamoxifen. I still have joint issues and have had to have carpel surgery on both wrists.
Femara has only been available on the P. B. S.since July 2007. Before then it was provided free from Novartis. I am sure there are many women like me who are angry and frustated.
Women in Ausralia are very trusting of the medical profession as they should be. BUT if you have a reaction to drugs that affects your quality of life so much, register your complaint with the adverse drugs affects advisory board in
Australia.

I was on Arimidex for about 5 months and could not tolerate the fatigue and bone/joint pain. I felt 80 yrs old and am 54. I have been on Femara for less than one week and already have started with bladder urgency problems and discomfort. I had these shooting pains up my female parts.I also have had mild shooting pains in my head...I never get headaches. I'll wait a bit longer but with my history of recurrent urinary tract infections I am not going to mess my bladder up. I hate all this stuff! Who wants to feel 80 when you're 50+

Donna Jackson wrote:

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It is a relief to read your comments. I believe that my Oncologist thinks I'm a 'nut case' because I keep complaining of the same type of numbness that you describe. He denies that Femara could be the cause of this. I wonder how prevelant these symptoms really are. Also, after 5 months of taking Femara I feel like a cripple with joint pain and weakness. My doctors try to attribute the severity of this pain to my 'advancing age'.....61! I don't think so.

You hit the 5 yr mark and quit taking the Femara or any drugs at all...Is it possible to look forward to no drugs at 5 yrs??

I am about to start Femera for Stge 1 non invasive BC and the comments on this site have me scared.! Did anyone have a positive reaction to this medication or do they just not write about it? Right now, I have a huge knot in my stomach as I await my prescription to arrive. Take or not take and take my chances?

Just Me wrote:

Hi ya'll, I was just handed a bottle of femara for the first time, came home to check it on the web and ended up here :) What I am surprised to see is that a lot of you have been taking this drug and others like it for Years! My Doc said I need it for five years but now am wondering if this is doctor talk for forever? It looks like the menopausal symptoms with joint pain and fatigue are the top side effects! Yikes, I'm scared to take it! I thought the 'sides' would go away after awhile? This is sad news to me after a year of agressive treatment lol
Oh well a kids gotta do what a kids gotta do even if they aren't a kid any more.
I'm not one for going to support groups etc but topics like this sure fills the bill.

My Onocologist put me on Effexor XR for hot flashes and it definately helps. Started me out on a trial pack 75 and I let her know when it helped. Ended up at 150 mg. It is definately worth a try.

I feel much better than I did even six months ago. Not sure if it is just healing from all the treatments, the fact that I can exercise again, am happier now that my hair is back and I lost a little of the weight or what. I took lots of Aleve and glucosomine for a long time but I don't seem to need it so much anymore. Femara is not fun but seems to help beat the odds for a recurrence. I was really questioning whether I could do this for five years but am glad that I hung on.

Diagnosed with breast cancer. Mastectomy performed. Femera prescribed.
Side effects:, hand foot burning that oncologist claims has never heard of such a side effect!
Am I the only one?
Effects were such that I was transferred to Tamoxafin. I continue to have the hot hand and foot situation
Am I the only one?

Regards
Marjorie

Femara after tamoxifen.... ouch. I have all the symptoms, plus my kneecaps moved outward (probably from all the gimping around). Hard to keep up with my 6 year old. I'm 44, stage 3a diagnosed in 2003.

Has anyone been on Femara for over 2 years and begun to experience depression? I experienced the joint pain, etc. but never depression. I am now noticing a feeling of depression.

Hi Marjorie,
I have been on Femara for over 4 years now. Had many side effects and most of them disappeard after a few months. When I first started on Femara the soles of my feet were very sore when I walked and my right foot felt like it was burning.These effects lasted for about 6 months. The two side effects that have stayed with me are stiffness in my movements and tiredness. Apart from those I am fine.

Pat wrote:

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.

Hi Pat,
I have only been on Femara for 3 weeks and the depression is the worst thing I have ever experienced; I feel out of control. My Dr has me on 40 mg of Prozac, but it takes a few weeks to work, so I don't know yet if it helps. I don't have anymore hot flashes and body aches seem to be ok. But I sure can't continue with this depression for the next five years!

Is it possible to gain weight on tamoxifen but lose on Femara.

Alyce wrote:

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I also was on Tamoxifen 5 years & have been on Femara for 2 months. I have definitely felt more irritable and edgy (also feel tense and muscles drawn up all the time). Hate the feeling but don't want a recurrance either. Don't know if to stay on or go off (had no problem with Tamoxifen).

Did you stay on Femara

I had a weird reaction to Tamoxifen eight years ago when I took it as a preventive after a benign biopsy. After stage I breast cancer treated with bilateral mastectomy, since both breasts were unhealthy, started on Femara right afterward. I had the same reaction as to Tamoxifen only worse. With both drugs, the scar tissue everywhere in my body turned a purplish red and the tissues around it became swollen and inflamed. This happened in my mastectomy scars with Femara within a couple of days. It has been four weeks since I took myself off it, and I still have some erythema and swelling around the scars. PLUS, Femara brought on severe headaches and major hot flashes. I don't think my oncologist believes what I have told her but all I know is that I could not tolerate this.