FEMARA

harley44- My Onc didn't prescribe a different dose, I made the decision to cut the pills in half on my own. It wasn't his recommendation. But, I told him I couldn't continue at the dose I was on.I asked him if it would be better to take a whole pill every other day, or a half a pill every day. He thought it would be good to get the same dose in my system every day. I don't want to give the impression that it's OK to take 1/2 a pill. It was just what I decided to do on my own .....rather than not take it at all.

Joni

weety- you can scroll down to Table 16 and see some comparisons between .5mg and 2.5mg doses. Like you said, you are still getting more than double the .5 dose.  I know how hard it is to not worry about it. My tumor was 97% ER + so estrogen suppression is very important to me!!  We just have to do the best we can do . I may try to go back to a full pill at some point. My joint pain is so much better. We all have to do what is best for us.

I'd be interested to know what your Onc's say about reducing the dosage.

    Diane

    Vista Ca.

               Kerry and  other women out there. Ive been taking Femara since 2007. I blend in the morning 1 Tbls. ove flaxseed oil with two bananas choc. syrup 2 cups ove fat free milk. get out and walk jog run or go roller bladeing. come back and sing karaoke. or shop, keep busey. I work at the grocery store in the evening stocking shelves faceing shelves part time, raise two boys husband.Try to rest 1 Hr. before work. I feel good some hot flashes so far so good. I have a abe lounge I use and a gazel ski bike I use every day In the living room for tone.

                                                                                                    Good Luck

                                                                                                WRITE back 

Hi Girls, My femara is 2.5 also and I, like Jaycee, decided, ON MY OWN, to cut the pill in half. So far, I feel soooo much better. I can actually put my underwear on without lifting my leg myself. Each of our SE's are similar yet they effect us in different ways. I have NO hot flashes, NO VaJ.J. dryness, just horrible leg/bone pain which doesn't allow me to walk down my stair like a normal person or walk my dog for more than 15 minutes without pain. When my fingers were starting to curl as I woke up in the morning, I knew there just had to be something else I could do. They were crazy stiff like every other bone in my body. So.....I know I have asked you all this: Have you investigated the Natural Aromatase Inhibitor called: MYOMIN ? The key word is Natural with NO side effects. I have all my paperwork to bring to my ONC Feb 18th. I will pass along any info he relates to me. Like you, I don't want this to re-appear on my other side or anywhere else in my body but........my quality of life sucks right now.  I am a very active woman and I eat healthy but if I keep taking pills to aleviate each side effect, then they will reek havic on some other part of my body. I can't live on Vicodin, advil, colace, etc each day. I want to go the Natural way if it is doable. If the MYOMIN will keep my estrogen levels where they should be for the next 4 years, yahoo!!!!! Please let my know if you have any info on MYOMIN.

weety-my estrogen level was the same as yours, only they said <50 and it was as low as it could be. I know I could have it broken down to the different types of estrogen and get a better idea. I know you can order hormone testing through     www.lef.org    type in hormone testing in the search box.

Just not sure I want to pay for that right now. Maybe when tax refund comes in

Have any of you experienced vitreous humor tearing of the retinal part of the eye since taking femara?  I just experienced that--apparently there is a link between the liquefaction of the viterous humor and lack of estrogen.  So one more SE to add to my huge list!  I am going to look into the MYOMIN--could it be a natural alternative with no SE?  I am thrilled to read all of your responses--sometimes I feel all alone out here in the world--I also have joint pain, numbness, dry skin, eyes, fingernails breaking, hair not growing, etc etc etc, oh, let's don't leave out night sweats and hot flashes and being awake every night!!!! 

Hi everyone. I thought I had overcome my wrist and hand problems with PT. However, I now cannot hold a pen or pencil without severe pain and it is an effort for me to write. Has anyone else gone through this???? I can type, it hurts, but easier that writing. Again, I was on A first since Dec. 09 and switched to F in Oct. 2010.

 Thank you.

I hadnt noticed difficulty writing because I use a computer so much- but I am taking a class this semester and we had a written test last night and realized how painful it is to write for a while with a pen/pencil. Im going to talk to onc next month about being tested and possibly trying the 1/2 pill methodology.

Hi Girls! Been on F since Sept.... Bad knee pain today....The last few days I have felt very angry... I will bite your head off? Is that one of the SE? It's almost 4 in the morning... SO you know how I am doing in the sleep department.

Donna 

Went to Rheumotologist this morning. Dr. called my poblem with wrist/hand  tendonitis which I have had in the past pre-bc. Received cortisone shot and have to wear a patch and splint. Hopefully this will help me. I am still going to take the 10 days vac from F as the onc. said

OK Ladies I haven't posted in a while but I just need to vent - I am sicked & "tired" of the fatigue thing.  I cannot believe that by 10am I am quite literally falling asleep at my desk, and I mean falling.  I struggle to keep my head up and my hands on the keyboard, often I have to go sit in the washroom and battle the feeling until it washes over me.  It lasts about an hour or two then I guess I get through  the pain barrier and return to feeling normal, whatever that feeling is.  I know it's the Femara - I have tried not taking it for a day and even that short break makes a difference.  I used to take it at night but then I couldn't sleep so I switched to taking it in the am but now I have the fatigue problem.  I am 2 years into taking this and I thought I had gotten tolerant of the side effects but then it throws something else at you, I can stand the aches and pains as I have a high pain threshold but this fatigue is really bogging me down.  I need to be alert at work and I find this a real battle.

OK rant over, thanks for listening, it' s great to have somewhere to come and rant and know people will understand.

I was on an anti depressiant to help me sleep. MO said I could cause an increase in appetite boy did it. I decided not to take it any more because all it did was help me gain 10 lbs. Started taking melatonin and it has really helped me getting rest at night. I to get tired during the day but try to stay active when I get home after work I rest, going to start walking at least 30 min a day as recommend by my Dr.

Could someone tell me how to take meds. All at once or a little at a time. I am on femera and blood pressure meds. and vits. and anxiety meds and baby aspirin a dayand I don't know if I should take all at once or all through the day , afraid the femera  will get mixed up with all the other,

jrnld28 I take my HCTZ & lisinipril along with multivitamins in the AM.  I take my atenolol, simvistatin, metformin & femara just before bed.  I only do that because the PCP says to take the metformin @ night & I didn't want to take  it all at the same time.  The femara works better for me taking it at night.

Thanks  for letting me know, never know what to do it helps drs. are not good at telling you how to take .I am not very good at asking when I am in the office seems like I am spaced out or forgetful I asked nurse about being so forgetful and she laughed and said chemo brain and I asked the dr. about it and he just looked at me like duh. I have gained 30 lbs. since cancer but not saying its all from the femera because I quit smoking to. You can get scared smokeless. And I thought I had tried everything !