FEMARA

chrissyb

KristyAnn I have found that fish oil and glucosamine help with painful joints.  In Australia I can get from a Compounding Pharmacy a tablet called Traumeel.  It is a natural anti-inflamatory and does work wonders with painfull joints as well.

Cdfr I had dizziness a couple of months after starting to take Femara.  Thankfully it only lasted for about a month to six weeks and then disappeared as quickly as it came with no lasting effects.  Hope yours goes quickly as well.

Love n hugs.  Chrissy 

kira1234

Well it seems the reaction to the Femara  went from bad to worse. I ended up getting eczema all over and had to go off the stuff completely. My Onc. wants me off all meds for about 3 weeks, and then he is trying a different one. Not sure which one he has planned for me I know he told me the name but can't remember it. Anyways the local drug store doesn't carry it so it's on order and should be here next week Friday. That works out perfect as am to start next week on the new stuff. Lets just hope I cn take this one without the really severe side effects. I made a year and a half on the Femara before my body just said no more, so we will see.

chrissyb

Kira sorry to hear that you have had such a severe reaction to the Femara.  Hope your meds break works well to get it under control.  Was the new one your onc has suggested for either Arimidex or Aromasin?  Or was it something else.

Love n hugs.   Chrissy 

kira1234

chrissyb my Dr. gave a steroid shot as well as some prescription strength antihistamine type medication pills every 4 hours for a week to get the eczema under control. He just wants my body to heal for 2 weeks before anything else goes in the mix. I think it might be Aromasin but not sure. Isn't Aromasin the one that is the steroid one. All I know is he chose the one least like Femara.

chrissyb

Kira yes Aromasin has a steroid in it. I sure hope you don't get such a reaction from it. It must have been truly dreadful for you.



Love n hugs. Chrissy

gardengumby

cfdr - the letrozole makes me a little off balance - not what I'd actually call dizzy or woozy, just that my balance isn't quite what it used to be.  I noticed that on the side of my prescription bottle it says "CAN CAUSE DIZZINESS" so don't feel odd.

proudtospin

gee, I have been dealing with balance problems and did not attribute it to it to the aromasin but now thinking on it

guess to deal with it with excercise and count the days till Dec 2013 when I can end!

Momine

Yes, I get small spells of wooziness here and there.

ibcmets

I had slight dizziness on Femara so I take it b/4 I go to bed now.  It took me 6 months of bad joint pain but finally eased up a bit.   I've been on it for 2.5 years.

Terri

Momine

Does anyone have constipation issues from femara?

Vicks1960

Momine.

Yes, I have been having that SE for the past several days.  I eat a lot of fiber (whole grains, and veggies) and have always had easy time.   Have purchased some dried plums (aka: dried prunes) started eating 2-3 yesterday.  I think that is helping.

It is strange how the SEs with this med, come and go.  (ie: insomnia, achiness, dizziness  now this).

If you read the possible SEs with Femara/Letrozole, there are MANY possible ses.

Vickie

chrissyb

Vick by soaking your prunes in a little water in the fridge over night you will get a much better result from them.  Don't know why, but they do work better this way. Oh and if there is any liquid left after eating the prunes, drink it.

Love n hugs.  Chrissy 

codavis

I tried to catch up with this thread to see if anyone else has the same side effects as me, but it's too long! I've been on generic Femara since November after having been on Tomixifen for ten months.

I have horrible hot flashes, joint pain (mostly my wrists and hips), lower back pain, I've gained ten pounds in three months. I have a hard time concentrating. I have lots of bowel issues, and had a colonoscopy in March because of it--fortunately, it was fine. I mentioned all these things to my onc last week,  and told him that I feel like I'm 70 years old (I'm only 46). He offered to switch to another Aromatase Inhibitor, but I am hesitant becuase I'm afraid it will be worse. Instead, I'm going to spend the next two months working to improve my diet and excercise and see if it helps. 

Over the last two weeks or so, I've noticed that my finger nails are very thin and brittle. I've always had very strong, long nails. Now they break off and splinter constantly. I don't remember ever having them so short. Has anyone else noticed an issue like this on Femara?

Momine

Hi codavis, I have sufered a bit with hot flashes, some of them quite extreme, but they seem to be tapering off.

I do have joint pain, but I find that the more exercise I get the less of a problem it is. Yesterday I walked my dogs 3 times, about 20 minutes each time and then took a 45 minute walk without the dogs. I had minimal pain as a result.

Bowel issues, yes, but I am sort of relieved to find out that it is a common side effect. In general, if I manage to eat about 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies, mostly veggies, I am OK. I am also taking an acidophilus pill daily, both to help the bowel and to prevent any yeast issues. I do find it a bit of a challenge ot eat so many veggies, but with warm weather here, it is easier in a way because eating salad is attractive again. 

cfdr

Question for those of you who have been having joint pain: is it generalized, or specific joints? Last year I had a frozen shoulder and that has begun acting up again. I'm having pain and loss of range of motion in that joint, but only that joint, so I'm guessing it's not related to femara. But I'm loathe to call my PT and start therapy again if this is just a short-term side effect.

proudtospin

for me, it is the joints that are weakest, that is my lower back and my left wrist.  Then again, general achieness.  Which all are better when I am regular on the gym and the pool, course I currently am wearing my wrist brace...

who knows if it is old age or the meds?  I had terrible night time pain in my left thigh which magically, disappeared when I switched brands of the statin I was taking.

so I am a believer in if one brand of a med is bad, test a dif one  

Momine

For me it is hips, knees and lower back. Typically it aches and hurts to get up and walk around after sitting, just like I was 95 rather than 48. Once I move around a bit, it tends to fade. I also sometimes get pain in the joints of my feet. The pain is not extreme, but it is annoying when you are out for a walk, for example.

luckypenny

For me, the right hip and lower back are the worst aches. 

 Then I get some rib aches, and then some shooting pains under both arms and aches that move around shoulders.  Sometimes hands and upper arms.

I have started getting constipated the past week , but I take so many supplements I can't pinpoint what is causing what 

slousha

Hi codavis,

I was on Femara for 21 months and have had terrible hip pain - have to get up from bed and to walk around. My first aid was VitaminD3, recommended from ENDO, after taking it for two months these troubles lessened, but a lot of pains and difficulties remained. My low bone density went up with medicine, after getting Arthritis in finger knuckles, my MO switched me to Aromasin - it's a little better but I think most patients are getting SE's from hormonals and have to cope with.

Best wishes

Usha

Vicks1960

Chrissy,

Thanks for the suggestion.  I will try that, I am sure they will be easier to chew!!!

Vickie

gardengumby

Worst joint pain - left hip, right knee, right shoulder - knee and shoulder had prior injuries, left hip is new.  Exercise does help with the pain, for me as well.  I'm also getting arthritis in a couple of fingers.

codavis - I had real problem with breaking and splitting nails (and hair) like you, I'd never had nail problems before.  I started taking 8000 mcg of biotin each day and both my hair and nails are now much better.  (I also take cod liver oil, (and a host of other supplements) which might help as well.)

luckypenny - I had a problem with constipation for awhile, but that seems to be resolved.  I drink a LOT of water and eat gobs of fresh fruit and vegetables daily.  I cut way back on meat as well - and don't eat any bread/wheat (because I'm allergic to wheat).  

My oncologist offered to change me to a different AI, also.  But  I've resisted the change.  I think that no matter what, there are going to be side effects, and I'm kinda used to these - why start up a new batch?  I am planning a letrozole "vacation" next winter for a month, though.  My oncologist said it was OK, though she also said that I may regret it, as I'll have to go through all the SE's again when I go back on it.

proudtospin

My onco offered me a vacation from the meds also, I only skipped a couple of days as that was around the time I realized that my pains were caused by the statin and not the bc med

tough to figure out!

gardengumby

Yeah - I'm used to doing triage on technical problems - not people problems, but have found out that it's pretty much the same process (at least when doing it on myself...).  I'm taking the letrozole vacation largely because we're also taking a vacation vacation and will be spending some time with grandkids, etc.  I really want to have some energy, and simply don't have a lot of it these days.

proudtospin

perfect reason for a vacation from the meds to me

enjoy your time away and with the little ones

TonLee

Does anyone have lower spine pain on Femara?  I thought maybe I pulled something working in the yard...but in the morning it is gone, but by night fall if I do anything half way strenuous...It's killing me.  It hurts right now because I finished staining the deck this morning. 

It seems to be in the bone where it attaches to the hips bones...right above the butt crack!  lol

Momine

TonLee, yes, I had that yesterday. However, I have a really bad back to begin with, so half the time I don't notice, because I am used to more or less chronic hip and back pain. But the pain yesterday was definitely different from the usual one and quite sharp.

TonLee

Do you think it is Femara pain?  If so, I have to switch to something else.  I've been on it about 8 weeks and I couldn't go to the gym this week because it feels just like a bad back injury.

Momine

I don't know. Ask your doc. It may be femara OR a bad back OR a combo. I find that working through the pain usually works pretty well.

Vicks1960

Tonlee

I have lived with chronic back pain since the early 1980s.  I use Ibuprofen, and on really bad days I alternate ice packs and heating pad.  That seems to help relieve the worst of it.  My problem is the results of 4 back surgeries (last 2 were fusions), that also cause neuropathy in my feet, and sciatica discomfort.  Anyway, just want to let you know, each of us can identify with you one way or another.

I hope you can find something that will give you some relief..

Vickie

weety

The whole femara pain thing is really weird.  I'll have super bad ankle joint pain for a few months and then suddenly it seems better just to have super bad shoulder joint pain.  That will stay for a few weeks to months, and then suddenly that's gone and I 'm on to another different joint again.  Weird.