FEMARA

justagirl,

There are many things that contain estrogen, both plant & animal based and we are supposed to stay away from using them.  The meat we eat contains animal hormones, and when massed produced the farmers inject extra.  The milk we drink contains animal estrogen and so the list goes on.... Soy contains plant estrogen and that is why we should stay away from that.

Artsee, I am also PR+ so I should avoid products containing progesterone too.  Not much hope for me with a solution for "down south" I guess.  Thank goodness I have an understanding husband, and my onc made sure she explained this problem to him when I signed up for Femara.

Gaynor

Glad you are having no major problrms with the generic,treeskier. I may be switching also since my femara co-pay has increased from $88.+ to $126.34 for a 30 day supply. My pharmacist said the ins. company is trying to encourage generic. They sure got my attention ! I am doing well on femara and don't want to change. Please keep posting your results as it will help with my decision. Thanks, Jane

 Can I just join in here?

 I have been taking Femara for 8 months now and have noticed, amongst other SEs that my head hair is def. thinning on top, not round the sides and back, though. Also, hair "down south" as someone put it, is noticeably sparser!  Is this common?

Supposed to be an excellent drug to prevent recurrances, though. There was a newspaper article about that here the other day. I've already had a recurrance whilst on tamox. early last year, so hoping for the best with this one.

 Sarah x

Interesting....I didn't know there were lots of different Generics. I was given one (hot pink color) and assumed that was the ONE. Was hoping it would be a little nicer to me but not so. I have tiny fingers that are getting bigger bones at the joints. Yuk.

As for the hair...yup, it has been falling for three years. Pretty much all over..all agreed? You'd never know it when my hair is done, but my brush is full and when I wash it, the strands just pull out. Of course the alternative I 'hate' so I'm thankful I have hair. Thinking about cutting it like the 'Avatar pic' but I kind of like the all one length to the chin. Comforts me.....

I know I am a retired hairdresser and have used it since BC in 2008. I just didn't use it all summer and just got a new supply. It is good stuff.It'll just take a while to work but it should keep the hair from falling out as much.

artsee, my tiny fingers are not so tiny anymore, either!  I can't wear my wedding ring -- can't even begin to get it over the knuckle.  This happened after a few months on Femara.

I was given some Nioxin.  I like the shampoo okay, but I can't figure out how the conditioner helps since it doesn't touch the scalp.  Does the conditioner just fluff up the hair shaft so your hair will *look* thicker?  I'm wondering if you could use just the shampoo and get the same results as far as reversing hair loss...?

~lulubee 

Thanks artsee-- I didn't know about the treatment step.  I tried the Nioxin conditioner but I like my usual conditioner much better -- my hair is fuzzier and doesn't feel as silky with the Nioxin conditioner.  Since conditioner doesn't impact the scalp, you could likely sub your own conditioner and still get the same results.

~lulubee 

Not me......I have gained a tad. I also haven't heard of anyone loosing but if you are "good for you". Meds seem to put on some #'s.

I gained a few pounds after starting Femara almost 3 years ago.  Or, that's what I was blaming it on.  I've lost that weight in the last few months, but I started walking more and keeping close tabs on my weight.  And, I do think some of it was fluid retention, probably from Femara.  Don't give up!  It's harder to lose as we age, I've decided. 

Lane

I have a question for all of you ladies---Does anyone on femara or letrozole have extreme sleepiness?  Like to the point that you are almost falling asleep sitting up in a chair?  I'm not sleepy all day long.  It comes and goes in waves, but when I get the sleepies, it is like nothing will stop it!  It is almost like a twilight-like zone that I go into.  It is awful!  And I've gotten it a few times while driving. . .

Hi weety --

I had it worse at first, too. Like Eph3_12, I switched to taking Femara at night and that seems to help.  I still have a little sinking spell sometimes in the afternoon (hey, don't we all?), but the fatigue is not as insistent as it was the first 6-8 months or so.  

I have found, though, that I have a much harder time reading now -- a couple of pages and I start to get heavy eyelids!  Arghh!  It's very frustrating because I used to read all the time and now I can hardly get motivated to even start a book because I know it will just cause me to take naps I didn't mean to take!

~lulubee 

My husband was having issues like that and actually came down to maybe having 'Narcolepsy". Goggle it, it's quite interesting but again one of those maladies that doesn't really get a diagnoses.

Oh gee. . . narcolepsy????  Can you just all of a sudden get narcolepsy?  Or can a medication cause it?  Or is it something you have to have already had?

weety....I, too have crazy fatigue...comes & goes, mostly comes!! I only take 1/2 femara a day. Oddly when I take it at night, I can't go to sleep. I started taking it at about 5pm. It's a little better, but I'm definitely not myself. I know I don't sleep well. Pain and discomfort every time I turn over ...from DIEP surgeries, hot flashes, getting up and going to the bathroom, UGH!!!  I have all kinds of things I could take...flexeril, valium, xanax, pain pills, tylenol pm....but I drive a school bus and get up at 4am. I just can't risk having something in my system. On a Fri or Sat night, I will take something. It is very discouraging. I was just thinking how busy I would normally be getting ready for company at Thanksgiving, planning the meal, etc. I can't get myself out of the recliner!!  My blood work is all good....so femara is all I know to attribute it to!

lulubee- Reading used to be my "escape". I can barely make it through a page either!!

jacee - maybe we could read aloud to each other over Skype and then we could scream at each other when we start nodding off!  HAHA!  What a hilarious mental image!

Have you tried taking melatonin at night?  (I can't remember if you take an anti-depressant, but if you do, the two don't mix as they both affect seratonin.)  The ND I consult for BC told me to take 20mg about 45 minutes before I want to go to sleep, and I find it makes all the difference in whether I sleep like a rock through all the aches and flashes, or wallow in misery stew all night.  If you take it early enough, it should not make you groggy in the morning.  I started with 3 to 5 mg and increased it gradually. 

I also drink a little Knudsen's Just Tart Cherry juice in the evening, and I can't recommend this highly enough -- it has made a big difference in my comfort level lately!  Tart cherry juice (and it's from a specific type of cherry, not the kind in pies) contains a natural painkiller.  It's an ancient lfolk remedy for achy joints, gout and arthritis.  It also has natural melatonin in it to calm the nerves. I buy it by the case at WF to get the case discount, and I drink 8 ounces every single day because it keeps me from popping Advil all the time. 

Like you, I've also noticed I do better when I take my Femara around 6 than I do when I forget to take it until bedtime. 

~lulubee