FEMARA

Momine

Lily, I was checked for pneumonitis about 6 months after rads. According to my doc it can be seen on a CT, but even a plain chest X-ray can sometimes pick it up. In my case, all was clear, but I still had some problems for a while. Now I am ok.

What helped me was a small magnesium supplement. I would also urge you to take some probiotics. Probiotics can help promote healthy mucuous membranes.

Lily55

Thank you - i am taking probiotics and magnesium but will try NAC as i use that for kidney protection prior to scans with dye.......is it curable with steroids then? I have a budesonide inhaler and that helps but does not cure - never needed an inhaler before

Momine

Lily, for me it resolved on its own, without steroids, but yours sounds worse than mine. I think you should try to convinve your doc to take at least a chest X-ray.

Linda-n3

For those of you dealing with fatigue issues. I had severe fatigue since chemo, over 2 years, changed PCP who is also palliative care. She started me on methylphenidate (Ritalin) which helped tremendously. I really hesitated to take it because it has some SEs that I wasn't ready to deal with, and I seem to be super-sensitive to SEs for most drugs, but finally agreed to a trial at the lowest possible dose, and it was like a miracle! I was taking it twice a day, but have been able to cut back to an "as needed" med for days that I really don't have to be highly energetic. So I had the fatigue even BEFORE the femara, and have gotten used to dealing with it in a way that makes me functional. Best wishes.

Vicks1960

BUMP PLEASE

micheleboots

Hey I'll bump you..anything for my sista.

nanna

Went to the foot dr yesterday I have stress fracture. Guess just another battle to go through. Said my foot bones had alot arthrities .

artsee

Me too. After 4 month f twisting my foot , it still irritates me after I walk. Just may have to go in and have it checked out.

gramwe

My question may have been addressed somewhere in this thread, if so apologies for repeating. I've only been on Femara for 3 weeks and my sweet, gentle, nice side has been over taken by mean, and nasty. Mood swings are so severe that everyone is walking on egg shells around me. In less than an hours time I can go from smiling, laughing, to furious rages, to crying like an infant. Are there any supplements that could help? Any prescription meds, not that I really want to put more chemicals in my body. Will it get better with time? Will I go to jail? Any insight would be appreciated.

chrissyb

Hi Gramwe, the mood swings and all the emotional stuff is from your estrogen being depleted which means that your meds are working and doing their job. Unfortunately if you take any sups etc to combat all of that you will be puting back into your system the estrogen that feeds your cancer and we don't want that.



I know it's awful at the moment but with time it will even out and you will be more on an even keel emotionally. Try explaining to your family the cause of your emotional ups and downs and let them know it will get better but you need some time. I'm sure they will forgive you.



Love n hugs. Chrissy

maryah930

Gramwe ~ you can try St. John's Wort and Sam-E (I used it for PMS and after my hysterectomy).  They sometimes work, but if you do, make sure you read the ingredients to ensurethe product does not have soy additives.

Vicks1960

Hi, Gramwe,

Like Chrissyb said, you do NOT want to take anything that could counter act the effects of the Femara/letrozole on the Estrogen block in the medicine.  You might try taking it at a different time of day, such as if you are taking it in the morning switch to evening.  Also, I found that between the adjusting to the Letrozole effects, and the emotional 'trama' of the BC diagnosis, surgery, rads, I had emotional swings (had never had it before), particularily would start crying for no known reason.  That tapered off after a few weeks.  I have been on it now for 19 months, moods have straightened out.  Biggest SE is achey joints.  But worth it if it does the job it is supposed to do  KEEP THE BC AT BAY.

Vickie

starbrightlyshines

Gramwe-lorazepam (ativan) has been a lifesaver for me. It helps with anxiety, sleeping and irritability. I have heard sime docs are reluclant to prescribe it, but if theyvare monitoring it I dont see how anyone could abuse it so I dont understand why. We are going through so much that we need take advantage of anything that can help.

Eph3_12

Wow, I just have to say that I am so impressed by the knowledge & compassion we share with one another.  Gramwe: Chrissyb, maryah930 & Vicks1960 have passed on Femara emotional side effects 101 to you in a very precise, concise & accurate account! I'm at 3 yrs, 7 months & it's pretty smooth sailing for me, for the most part (knock on wood)!

Vicks1960

BUMP please.

nanna

Has anyone tried the hcg1234 diet while on femara. I need lose 100lbs and was wondering if anyone has tried it. 

maryah930

nanna ~ Ask your onc if it would be safe and effective.

Momine

Nanna, I am not familiar with that diet. I try to eat low-carb, high-fibre and low cholesterol. So far so good.

lightandwind

Gramwe- so funny "will I go to jail?" I, and many of us know exactly how you feel. I finally left my job because who I was after ca diagnosis and before were so different, I felt ashamed and embarrassed. All of my relationships have taken a hit due to me taking femara. I feel often like it's my fault and I need to be nice and gentle and sweet and kind, like I was. But the truth is, with femara in my system everyday, I am doing good to get through the day without going to jail! I take breaks from the pill ever so often because I miss me and truthfully the side effects are so tough to manage i feel I just have to have a break from the daily pain once in a while. There are no supplements that can inhibit aromatase as effectively as these AIs but there are some that reportedly have a lot less severe side effects.  Ativan does take the edge off. Until I learn of a better way, I'm braving the side effects of femara as long as I can. Hope you find a way to manage the SEs. Meanwhile, be cool.

cfdr

I thought I was pretty darned lucky because I didn't seem to have much in the way of joint pain from letrozole. I got through the 3-6 month period that my onc said was the worst. But now I am about 18 months out, and all of a sudden it has been catching up with me. It is not even pain so much as stiffness and weakness. Getting in and out of the car, I remind myself of my mother when she was 90 years old. It's become difficult to walk down stairs. I'm looking for a tai chi class I can take, because that is supposed to be good for keeping the joints healthy.

On another topic, I have a prescription for ativan, but fatigue has been a huge issue for me, and I think the ativan makes that worse.

maryah930

cfdr ~ I have had severe fatigue on Femera.  I was put on Focalin (used for ADHD) for it and although I still have fatigue, it's livable.

sgreenarch

Need to ask you all a question...anyone experience extreme anxiety on Femara? I switched to Femara in january after 2.5 relatively SE free yrs on tamoxifen. At first I saw that I was a bit jumpier, more easily aggravated, overwhelmed with really the smallest things. Within the last few weeks I started having hot flashes that are preempted by a feeling of extreme anxiety. They always come together, the panic followed by the hot flash. Can be out of the blue while I'm really not worrying about anything! Even sometimes wake up mid of the night with that panicky feeling. Sleep without a half a Xanax has become impossible but I'm most concerned that this creeping anxiety is taking over more and more of my life. I have even tried to reduce home and work stress (hah!) as I just dont have the coping skills right now. but not sure if I can last five yrs like this. Kinda not realistic.



I do think this is the Femara rather than sudden mental illness. I have had a stressful few years (Dad died, husband switched jobs, kid and job stress, etc) but so have we all. I'm used to being a really strong coper. Now absolutely everything overwhelms me. Don't feel depressed, just unable to handle normal life. I used to be the ultimate multitasker professional woman. Now I just want to lie down all the time.



Just tell me that you've heard of this, someone, so I don't think I'm losing my mind:) thanks!

gardengumby

Give it time - it'll probably get better - but, to actually answer your question, Yes, my anxiety has definitely increased since starting letrozole.  It's something I can handle, but I tell my husband to just ignore me when I start going off the rails .  It's caused us a few problems (not marital, but just general issues) as he's accustomed to me being pretty solid.  When I would get anxious, there was usually good and just reason for said anxiety.  Not so much since letrozole - so sometimes he's made decisions - taking into account my anxiety, and the decision was flawed because there was no reality to the anxiety - does that even make any sense???

Anyway, hopefully you understand what I'm trying to say....

Scottiee1

I experienced the anxiety you are talking about followed by some sweating. I'm now on an anti-depressant and an anti-anxiety which has taken care of that.

sgreenarch

Thanks for the responses. Good to know I'm not crazy (or at least not completely.) I am not sure about going on antidepressants only because I really don't feel depressed, though I imagine they could help, regardless. Are there any that are contraindicated w Femara?

sgreenarch

And, Gardengumby, I do understand what you're talking about. Lately I have to ask my husband to frame reality for me, asking him if I'm overreacting or appropriate. Drives me crazy that I can no longer trust my own assessment of a situation.

About to go the the US alone for a two week visit to family where everything has changed since my Dad died. Most situations are emotionally charged even without Femara in the soup. Looking to take along a boatload of Xanax and a long buried sense of humor. That might save me:)

Thanks.

GrandmaV

sgreenarch, I've been taking Amitriptyline HCL, 50mg, for about a year now and it has really helped to cut down my anxiety.   My onco prescribed it for me.  I ,too, thought I was crazy.  It took about 6 weeks before I was aware that I was feeling better. 

Momine

Greenarch, yes, a sense of humor can really help, and it has to be nurtured. I watched comedians, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers etc., all through my treatment and for a good while after. 

justagirl

I was on Femara for about 2 years and 4 months, during which time I became extremely anxious, to the extent I didn't want to get out of bed and would actually pull the covers over my head and stay there until like noon, then get up in a panic for all I hadn't done. I was afraid if I was happy, something more bad would happen.

Femara turned me into a shrew - I could go from being frustrated with my husband (and not saying anything) to blowing up and calling him 'whatever came to mind'. A minute of two later I would realize how inappropriate I was and would apologize. It was like being possessed. Never got getter either. And I didn't handle 'situations' at all well like I used to. If something used to be bad I could do or deal with it and when it was way over, then maybe I would have a tear of two. Femara had my hysterical at times. Finally about 3 months before I was switched to Tamoxifen due to getting mets, my GP switched me to an anti-anxiety pill to take, low dose, three times a day. Wow, in two days I noticed an overall difference and about 4 days later I actually woke up and just got out of bed. No hesitation, no anxiety. No worry that to be happy would cause my world to fall apart again (how I felt when I was diagnosed with BC).  And my joints don't ache on Tamoxifen.

Anti-anxiety pills I think take care of the anxiety and enable you to get in and be what you want to be and do what you want to do, which in turn lessens depression. Very few Dr's will put you on daily anti-anxiety pills and anti-depressants. They may put you daily on anti-depressants and give you a light small dose of anxiety pills to take when you need them, but I find keeping ahead of situations finds me taking less.

Now on Tamoxifen I just have really bad hot flashes. Sure, I have my down days, but I'm always up by 9am (don't usually go to bed until midnight) and more often 7:30. I'm better for the anti-anxiety pills I know. Soon I'm going to try and decrease the amount I take, because then if I get bad news in the future I'm sure I'll need a full dose again for a while.

My Dr also thinks being out in the sun for 20 minutes a morning before 11am without sunblock or sunglasses but you can wear a hat to shad you eyes really helps improve depression and anxiety. There is actually a syndrome: Seasonal Affective Disorder. As we live in an area that is sunny more than not, my Dr just said go outside every morning that the sun is out. I've been doing it a week and I think I feel lighter and happier. Why no sunblock or sunglasses or that it has to be before 11am, I have no idea why. Wouldn't hurt to try.

Now as to being crazy. Who would not be crazy to a degree when they have to cope with BC and the oncoming aftermath?  I think there are very few 'normal' people in this world!

Vicks1960

I suspect that the time for sun exposure is:  to absorb VIT D.  The hours he specified are before the sun rays do their damage, so no need to wear sun block (which also blocks the part that makes our bodies to assimilate the Vit D.

I am not a 'sun worshiper' as for needing to lay out in it to get a 'tan', but I know my moods are brighter when the sun is shining...

Vickie