Evista, anyone?

momoschki

I tried posting this on the hormonal tx board several days ago, but no responses.

I was dx'ed with ADH nearly 4 years ago at the age of 53. I was perimenopausal. Now that I am 57 and my last period was almost 2 years ago, I have decided to give Evista (raloxifene) a go. I have quite a bit of trepidation about this drug related to potential side effects, but I figured I will never know how I react unless I try, and I'd like to feel I am doing everything possible to ward off BC (plus, I now have osteopenia.)

I know we are all different, but I'd welcome hearing from people who did not have debilitating hot flashes, muscle cramps, and weight gain. Anyone have an easy time with this med?

Anonymous

momoschi--- I was diagnosed with LCIS at age 46 and I also have family history of bc (mom had ILC), so preventative meds were pretty much a given for me. I took tamoxifen for 5 years and now I have been taking evista for about 5 years for further preventative measures. Fortunately, I have tolerated both meds pretty well overall with minimal SEs. I am also 57 and also have mild osteopenia, so the evista is good for my bones as well. All my docs say I can take it indefinitely (they prescribe it indefinitely for women with osteoporosis); I am going to discuss it with my oncologist, it's pretty expensive and there is no generic for it yet. As far as SEs go, I really have to attribute most of mine (weight gain, hot flashes, achiness, fatigue) to my surgical menopause and not the meds. (as I really didn't have any SEs when I was on tamox before my surgery, and my SEs remain pretty much the same even when I take a prolonged break from medication.

Anne

Annette47

No personal experience, but my neighbor has been on it for a while now with no significant problems. I believe she is older than you (in her 60's) but she is also on it after a diagnosis of ADH several years ago. We were comparing notes a few weeks ago as I am on Tamoxifen, LOL.

momoschki

Anne,

Actually, there is a generic for evista-- it is raloxifene. Imagine my surprise when I went to my local CVS today to pick it up and it was free! Apparently my insurance picked up the whole cost.

glennie19

It is available generically.  Teva Pharmaceuticals is one of the generic companies.

TwinMomma2

My mother is currently on Evista. She had a lumpectomy for DCIS followed by radiation. She is 62 and also has osteopenia so I convinced her it was a better choice. Evista carries slightly less risk for uterine cancers over Tamoxifen.

momoschki

Just to give a brief update: 6 days since I started the Evista. For the first 3 days I was queasy for a few hours after taking it in the morning, but now no discernible SE's. It's likely way too early to predict longterm how I will feel, but so far, so good. Btw, Evista carries no additional risk for uterine cancer--no significant difference from the placebo

Fiaranch1

I took it for 8 years after my 1st BC diagnosis. After the 1st week I had zero side effects . The first week I had a few minor hot flashes.  No weight gain, fatigue, hot flashes , nausea etc. I wish I could still take it now versus the lovely (not) hormone blockers .