FEMARA

Another SE of Femara is Meibomianitis which is a fancy name for clogged tear ducts that become infected. I looked this up and a cause was hormonal changes. Warm compresses and lubricating drops for 4 weeks should take care of this but if not antibiotics will be prescribed. My major symptom was waking up with a red eye. I just thought I would pass on this information to other Femara users.

I'm glad I could help. It's the least I can do after all the information I've gotten from these boards. It took me three trips to the eye doctor before we figured it out.

I already checked, and was told no, no generic yet, just in India............not sure if that is right, but that is what I was told......you can buy it online from India, but I'm not willing to take that chance......

Ok, now my gripe............clogged tear ducts..........what the hell else can happen from tis friggin drug...........I am suppose to start this shit after i finish Rads, but the more I read the more I think..........the hell with it...........I am so fed up with the whole BC thing..........My surgery went well, my pathology was very good, margins ok too, but they still want to do Rads, even though I was told I can go without because of a small margin 1.2 in one area and that is very tiny. 2mm everywhere else.  .............I'm not being ungrateful, and I'm happy with what result I got so far, but this bullshi-, of dealing with the SE of the Al,s is getting to me...............5 years of that crap, what about quality of life...............I've had it.......................

cdean1971.thanks for our input......I'm sure I'm gonna do it, just not happy about it, but maybe I will be one of the lucky ones who have few SE.

Answering the question regarding help with payment of Femara. Went through the same situation. I exhausted the Femara coupon. I then called Novartis and was denied by their program because of income exceeding a certain amount. However, they did refer me to another company which I now pay $30.00 as a co-pay. My premium for insurance is $492. and cost of Femara as a co-pay is $261.00 and my pharmacy bills do not go towards deductible.  Call Novartis and they will refer you to at least 3 corporations who might be able to help you.

Wishing you much health and luck.

Gaynort............Don't know how old you are, but be careful what your feeling is something else and not related to Femara, although I hear the SE can be nasty.............Just make sure it isn't a mini-stroke.......don't want to scare you , but just giving you a heads up.

Ciastypo

Thanks for that info.  I had arthritis before BC.

Grrr.  5 months on Femara and my knuckles have started hurting.  My right hand has trigger finger bad in the middle finger and the left middle finger is starting.  Both knees still kill when I stand up or I have to bend them.  The right is the worse it even hurts if I am sitting up with outstretched legs on the couch.  

 I don't go back to the Dr. until June.  I will keep on taking it and saying ouch a lot.  

GRRRR.... I started mine a week ago.  I think it's the "axe approach", but hey, I NEVER want to go through this again!!!!

I've been on F'in Femara for 2years-argggggg, body ACHES are the worst! I am only 55, not 95, bit i feel it!

And weight gain. I start tamoxifen tonight, hoping for less SEs.

Finished rads yesterday and took my first femara this morning. So far so good.  Hope to go the distance with minimal side effects, but 5 years feels like such a long time. Sigh.

Teal3Pink1-if you have trouble fairly quickly - especially with fatigue-change to taking it at night--I switched after taking it for 2.5 months in the AM & was having to go home @ lunch & nap, etc.  Switched to bedtime & I am soooooooooooo much better-have been taking since Nov '09.

I developed a rash from, I think, Anastrozole.  I'm off it for two weeks to see if the rash goes away.  If it does go away, then she wants me to start Femara.  I'm hoping I won't get all the SEs I've been reading about.  Glad to read that a few people have tolerated it well.  I'm kind of afraid to start something new.  I took Tamoxifan for a few months, I just had to take a Clariton with it, because it gave me watery eyes and runny nose, like I had a bad cold. ha!  I didn't mind because the Clariton really helped.  But the doc said I should try something else.

My big concern is anxziety.  I already take meds for that and have things balanced.  I don't want to  rock that boat; It's hard to get steady again.  I noticed some anxiety with Anastrozole, so I hope Femara isn't as bad.

I am thinking it must be available here too because when I handed her my prescription today, she said wait a minute so I can make sure we still have the brand name.  I guess they make more money off the name brand  with that coupon from Femara because my generic copay is the same and my prescription said it was okay.

Oh joy. I've read of women having rotator cuff injuries due to Femara,and I think I joined them. I haven't done a darn bit of upper body exercise since last Thursday evening, and this morning I woke up with tremendous shoulder pain that I strongly suspect is rotator cuff.